text:
How can a small start-up hire independent workers, without turning them into competition?
Do non-compete contracts work? What can a small business person, with a low amount of capital, do to keep from getting zuckerberged?
How can a small start-up hire independent workers, without turning them into competition?
I'm not sure I understand your question. If your business is so easily repeatable that any of your contractors would immediately become competition, you need to develop a competitive edge. What, specifically, is your concern?
I didn't say it was easily repeatable. But web sites can be copied. You could start a Facebook or YouTube clone tomorrow. The biggest strengths they have are that they are the largest. My concern is if I explain my concept/advantages to potential hires, to help me grow, how can I keep them from using a variation of my concept/advantages and competing while I'm trying to initially grow my business?
Everyone is afraid that sharing their idea will give away the secret sauce and they'll be crushed the next day but it's not the idea that matters, it's the execution of it. Facebook was not the first social network, nor the biggest when it started and others were doing the same thing. Instagram launched long after photo sharing existed. They succeeded because they had the right implementation which is driven from their view, their belief, their passion of it… not the root concept.
And you can bet someone has the same exact idea now without ever knowing you so your fear should be moving, not sharing.
Thanks for all the replies. Much appreciated. My idea isn't the most original idea ever dreamed-up, buy my intent is to at least try to stifle competition if possible.
How about this, an independent-subscontractor contract that states, essentially, roughly: "if, after being hired by me, you, or an affilate of yours, create a similar business, within X years, you agree that I am entitled to half of any proceeds/profit/compensation that is generated by that similar business." This might simply separate the workers I'd like to hire from the would-be competitors that I don't want to hire. I look forward to any feedback.
The only most inexperience developers would sign something like that.
Even by worrying about this so much, you are essentially telling everyone that (unless your idea is that 1 on 1,000,000) you are amateurish, and by asking developers to sign a deal like that you are ensuring that they are amateurish, too!
Thanks for your reply.
It's not for developers. The independent workers I want to hire would be like students, for example, looking for part-time work.
If a student working part-time can steal your idea and somehow out compete you, you don't stand a chance anyways. Why not concentrate on succeeding rather than preventing problems that are unlikely to occur?
Mark Zukerberg was a student (bill gates - student), the list goes on.
I am concentrating on suceeding. I'm looking to add help (independent workers).
And Zuckerberg hired students to work for him. As did Gates, Dell, etc. It's not the idea, it's the execution.
You can certainly try and create some sort of non-compete but having an agreement and stopping someone are worlds [and a lot of money] apart. Non competes are not well liked in general and especially not in California where they are all but impossible for regular hiring. They're expensive to pursue, detrimental to hiring anyone good and the broader they are the less enforceable they become.


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- Tufa
Not to be confused with tuff, a porous volcanic rock.This article is about the geological formation. For the historic Chinese name, see Southern Liang.
Tufa is a variety of limestone, formed by the precipitation of carbonate minerals from ambient temperature water bodies. Geothermally heated hot-springs sometimes produce similar (but less porous) carbonate deposits known as travertine. Tufa is sometimes referred to as (meteogene) travertine;[1] care must be taken when searching through literature to prevent confusion with hot spring (thermogene) travertine. Calcareous tufa should not be confused with tuff, a porous volcanic rock with parallel etymological origins.
Classification and features
Modern and fossil tufa deposits abound with wetland plants;[2] as such many tufa deposits are characterised by their large macrobiological component and are highly porous. Tufa forms either in fluvial channels or in lacustrine settings. Ford and Pedley (1996)[3] provide a review of tufa systems worldwide.
Fluvial deposits
Deposits can be classified by their depositional environment (or otherwise by vegetation or petrographically). Pedley (1990)[4] provides an extensive classification system, which includes the following classes of fluvial tufa:-
- Spring - Deposits form on emergence from a spring/seep. Morphology can vary from mineratrophic wetlands to spring aprons (see calcareous sinter)
- Braided channel - Deposits form within a fluvial channel, dominated by oncoids (see oncolite)
- Cascade - Deposits form at waterfalls, deposition is focussed here due to accelerated flow (see Geochemistry)
- Barrage - Deposits form as a series of phytoherm barrages across a channel, which may grow up to several metres in height. Barrages often contain a significant detrital component, composed of organic material (leaf litter, branches etc.).
Lacustrine deposits
Lacustrine tufas are generally formed at the periphery of lakes and build up phytoherms (freshwater reefs) and stromatolites. Oncoids are also common in these environments.
Other deposits
While fluvial and lacustrine systems make up the bulk of tufa systems worldwide, there are several other important tufa environments.
Calcareous Sinter
Although sometimes regarded as a distinct carbonate deposit, calcareous sinter formed from ambient temperature water can be considered a sub-type of tufa.
Calcareous speleothems may be regarded as a form of calcareous sinter. They lack any significant macrophyte component due to the absence of light, for this reason they are often morphologically closer to travertine or calcareous sinter.
Tufa columns
Tufa columns are an unusual form of tufa typically associated with saline lakes. They are distinct from most tufa deposits in that they lack any significant macrophyte component; this is due to the salinity excluding mesophilic organisms.[3] Some tufa columns may actually form from hot-springs and therefore actually be a form of travertine. It is generally thought that such features form from CaCO3 precipitated when carbonate rich source waters emerge into alkaline soda lakes. They have also been found in marine settings.[5]
Tufa deposits form an important habitat for a diverse flora. Bryophytes (non-vascular land plants) and diatoms are well represented. The porosity of the deposits creates a wet habitat ideal for these plants.
Modern tufa is formed from supersaturated alkaline waters, with raised pCO2. On emergence, waters degas CO2 due to the lower atmospheric pCO2 (see partial pressure), resulting in an increase in pH. Since carbonate solubility decreases with increased pH,[6] precipitation is induced. Supersaturation may be enhanced by factors leading to a reduction in pCO2, for example increased air-water interactions at waterfalls may be important,[7] as may photosynthesis.[8]
Recently it has been demonstrated that microbially induced precipitation may be more important than physico-chemical precipitation. Pedley et al. (2009)[9] showed with flume experiments that precipitation does not occur unless a biofilm is present, despite supersaturation.
Calcite is the dominant mineral precipitate found; however, the polymorph aragonite is also found.
Tufa is common in many parts of the world. Some notable deposits include:-
- Pyramid Lake, Nevada, USA - tufa formations
- Mono Lake, California, USA- tufa columns
- Trona Pinnacles, California, USA - tufa columns
- North Dock Tufa, United Kingdom
- Plitvice Lakes National Park, Croatia
- Various parts of Armenia, such as Ashtarak
Some sources suggest that "tufa" was used as the primary building material for most of the châteaux of the Loire Valley, France. This results from a mis-translation of the terms "tuffeau jaune" and "tuffeau blanc", which are porous varieties of the Late Cretaceous marine limestone known as chalk.[10][11]
Tufa is today occasionally shaped into a planter. Its porous consistency makes tufa ideal for alpine gardens. A concrete mixture called hypertufa is used for similar purposes.
Reference list
- ^ Pentecost, A. (2005). Travertine. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers Group. ISBN 1-4020-3523-3.
- ^ Koban, C.G.; Schweigert, G. (1993). "Microbial origin of travertine fabrics - two examples from Southern Germany (Pleistocene Stuttgart travertines and Miocene riedöschingen Travertine).". Facies 29: 251–263. doi:10.1007/BF02536931.
- ^ a b Ford, T.D.; Pedley, H.M. (1996). "A review of tufa and travertine deposits of the world". Earth-Science Reviews 41 (3–4): 117–175. doi:10.1016/S0012-8252(96)00030-X.
- ^ Pedley, H.M. (1990). "Classification and environmental models of cool freshwater tufas". Sedimentary Geology 68: 143–154. doi:10.1016/0037-0738(90)90124-C.
- ^ Buchardt, B.; Israelson, C.; Seaman, P.; Stockmann, G. (2001). "Ikaite tufa towers in ikka fjord, southwest Greenland: their formation by mixing of seawater and alkaline spring water". Journal of Sedimentary Research 71 (1): 176–189. doi:10.1306/042800710176.
- ^ Bialkowski, S.E. 2004. "Use of Acid Distributions in Solubility Problems". http://www.chem.usu.edu/~sbialkow/Classes/3600/alpha/alpha3.html.
- ^ Zhang, D.; Zhang, Y; Zhu, A.; Cheng, X (2001). "Physical mechanisms of river waterfall tufa (travertine) formation". Journal of Sedimentary Research 71 (1): 205–216. doi:10.1306/061600710205.
- ^ Riding, R. (2000). "Microbial carbonates: the geological record of calcified bacterial-algal mats and biofilms". Sedimentology 47: 179–214. doi:10.1046/j.1365-3091.2000.00003.x.
- ^ Pedley, M.; Rogerson, M.; Middleton, R. (2009). "Freshwater calcite precipitates from in vitro mesocosm flume experiments: a case for biomediation of tufas". Sedimentology 56 (2): 511–527. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3091.2008.00983.x.
- ^ Forster, A.; Forster, S.C. (1996). "Troglodyte dwellings of the Loire Valley, France". Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology 29 (3): 193–197. doi:10.1144/GSL.QJEGH.1996.029.P3.01.
- ^ "Au Turonien" (in French). Une Histoire De Le Touraine À Traverse Ses Roches. http://dominique.millet2.free.fr/histouraine5.html. Retrieved 2010-10-01.
See also
- Calcareous sinter
- Speleothem
- List of types of limestone
External linksCategories:
- Limestone
- Sedimentary rocks
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

subset: commoncrawl


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14" diameter x 9" high Hand made with natural material. This hat is the typical style from Chuong Village, north of Vietnam, also called Non Chuong. It is well made, simple, and more durable than other hats. It is made from the older leaf with natural color. This Non-La is the most popular hat for Vietnamese women in Vietnam.
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Vietnamese Northern Hat, Non Quai Thao is the vietnamese name for this hat. Vietnamese norhern girls wear these hat with the northern outfit, Ao Tu Than, the four flaps outfit in special occasions. These hats make the charming images of the northern girls in spring festival.
The Non La, coninal hat, is still very popular in Vietnam. The legend of the conical hat is related to maternal love and the history of rice growing in Vietnam.
Once upon a time, the legend says, when a deluge of rain was falling there descended from the sky a giant woman wearing on her head four huge round leaves as large as the sky itself and stitched together by bamboo sticks. The leaves protected humankind, then still naked, from the rain. The giant messenger from the sky twirled round the leaves on her head to dispel clouds and rains. Those who followed her were taught by her how to grow crops. One day mankind dozed off as they listened to stories narrated by her. When they woke up the goddess was gone. The Vietnamese built a temple in her memory and honored her as the Rain-shielding Goddess. Following her example, people went into the forests to fetch broad and round leaves (palm) which they stitched together on a bamboo frame. This was to become an indispensable headwear for the farmers on the fields, boatwomen carrying passengers across rivers, travelers under the blazing sun...
Source: Vietnamese-culture.com
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Fox's Last-Ditch Campaign Against Wisconsin Unions
A few hours before polls close in some of the recall elections of Wisconsin state senators, Fox News' Andrea Tantaros and Greg Gutfeld claimed that Wisconsin union leaders had been "greed[y]" and had put "their survival before the survival of the state" during the debate over the state's union-busting legislation earlier this year. In fact, unions and their members were willing to accept a cut in their pension and health care benefits but fought against the legislation because it stripped them of their collective bargaining rights.
Fox's The Five: Unions Are "Greed[y]" And Put "Their Survival Before The Survival Of The State"
Gutfeld: Union Leaders Are "Putting Their Survival Before The Survival Of The State." During a segment discussing the current recalls for six Republican state senators in Wisconsin, The Five's Andrea Tantaros stated that union leaders send a "message of greediness." Her co-host, Greg Gutfeld agreed and then added: "It's the union leaders putting their survival before the survival of the state." From the August 9 edition of Fox News' The Five:
TANTAROS: I would say this. What's happening in Wisconsin is a theme that's going to be bigger in the 2012 elections and I do think that the message that the union leaders, not the union workers -- most of them are good, decent human beings. It's the leaders. That message of greediness, it is not going to play well in these fiscal times.
GUTFELD: Yes. It's the union leaders putting their survival before the survival of the state.
TANTAROS: Exactly. Bingo.
BOB BECKEL (co-host): And you put your survival in front of --
DANA PERINO (co-host): They spent $20 million.
BECKEL: And let's keep in mind the governor, the good governor of Wisconsin is going to be recalled in January. They have enough petitions to do it and go Wisconsin. Go Badgers. Get rid of that boy. [Fox News, The Five, 8/9/11]
But The Protests And Legal Challenges Centered Around The Bill's Collective Bargaining Aspects
AP: WI Unions Challenged "The Governor's Plan To Strip Most Public Workers Of Their Collective Bargaining Rights." A June 15 Associated Press article reported:
A coalition of Wisconsin worker rights groups is going to court to block Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill.
The groups are filing a federal lawsuit against the governor's plan to strip most public workers of their collective bargaining rights.
The groups are challenging the bill's constitutionality. The lawsuit contends the bill violates the First and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution by stripping away workers' rights to organize and bargain. [AP, 6/15/11]
AP: Coalition "Argu[ed] That The Law Violated The U.S. Constitution By Taking Away Union Rights To Bargain." A separate June 15 AP article reported:
The Supreme Court's ruling was a major victory for Republican Gov. Scott Walker, who said the law was needed to help address the state's $3.6 billion budget shortfall.
But the legal battle was not yet over. A coalition of unions filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday arguing that the law violated the U.S. Constitution by taking away union rights to bargain, organize and associate and illegally discriminates among classes of public employees. The lawsuit seeks to block portions of the law taking away collective bargaining rights, but allows the higher pension and health care contributions that the unions agreed to take to move forward. [AP, 6/15/11]
Wisconsin AFL-CIO: "The Unions Do Not Seek To Enjoin The Pension And Health Insurance Contribution Requirements." In a June 15 statement, the Wisconsin AFL-CIO, one of the coalition members, clarified that the only portion of the bill the coalition sought to enjoin was the collective bargaining measure, pointing out that "the unions do not seek to enjoin the pension and health insurance contribution requirements." From the Wisconsin AFL-CIO:
The lawsuit seeks to enjoin some, but not all, of the provisions of the Budget Repair Bill. Significantly, the unions do not seek to enjoin the pension and health insurance contribution requirements imposed by the Budget Repair Bill. Public sector unions have made it clear from day one that Wisconsin workers would do their part to share in the sacrifice and keep our state moving forward. The lawsuit only seeks to preserve the basic right to bargain and freely associate. [Wisconsin AFL-CIO, 6/15/11]
And Union Leaders Had Already Agreed To Pension And Health Care Concessions
AP: Unions Were Already "Willing To Accept" Cuts In Public Employee Compensation That Were In The Legislation. During the debate over Walker's controversial bill, Wisconsin public employee union leaders indicated that they were willing to contribute more of their salaries to health insurance and retirement benefits, which would result in a pay cut of approximately 8 percent. From the AP:
Walker's plan would allow unions representing most public employees to negotiate only for wage increases, not benefits or working conditions. Any wage increase above the Consumer Price Index would have to be approved in a referendum. Unions would face a vote of membership every year to stay formed, and workers could opt out of paying dues.
The plan would also require many public employees to cut their take home pay by about 8 percent by contributing more of their salaries toward their health insurance and retirement benefits. Union leaders said their members are willing to accept those concessions, but they will not give up their right to collectively bargain. [AP, 2/21/11]
Wisconsin Education Association Council President: "Public Employees Have Agreed To Governor Walker's Pension And Health Care Concessions." The New York Times reported:
Mr. Walker's plan would require government workers to put 5.8 percent of their pay into their pensions (most pay less than 1 percent now), and would require them to pay at least 12.6 percent of health care premiums (most pay about 6 percent now). Union leaders said they would go along with those plans, but they wanted to remove provisions that would prohibit collective bargaining for issues beyond wages, limit pay raises to a certain level without special approval by public referendum and require unions to hold annual votes on whether they should remain in existence.
''We have been clear -- and I will restate this again today -- money issues are off the table,'' Mary Bell, the president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, said on Sunday. "Public employees have agreed to Governor Walker's pension and health care concessions, which he says will solve the budget challenge.'' [The New York Times, 2/20/11]


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Joan Agnes Okray
Madison/Janesville – Joan Agnes Okray, age 76 , passed away on Saturday, January 13, 2013 in Madison, WI. She was born on June 8, 1936 in Princeton, WI, the daughter of the late Thomas Wargula and Charlotte Hudziak Wargula. Joan married Robert E. Okray in Wautoma, WI on December 26, 1959. She was a resident of Rock County for over 50 years. Joan worked as a professional counselor in many capacities during her career but retired from Mercy Options in 2001. Joan had a strong desire to help and support others. She, along with her husband, helped to establish a religious education program for adults with cognitive disabilities in Rock County during the early 1970's. Joan worked with the Displaced Homemakers program, and the YWCA where she was on the committee that set up the first Battered Woman's Shelter in Rock County. She was an active member of her church community and helped to teach religious education classes to students of all ages. Joan was an avid sports fan and enjoyed watching the Packers and Badgers and Chicago Cubs.
Joan leaves behind a daughter, Amy O. Pophal of Middleton,WI and her son Andrew (Jessica) Okray of Janesville,WI. Joan loved spending time with her three grandchildren, Sarah and Jacob Pophal of Middleton, WI and Treya Okray of Janesville, WI. Joan is survived by her sister, Patricia Boquist of Wautoma, WI. Joan was preceded in death by her husband, Robert.
A memorial service to celebrate Joan's life will be held at 11:00 A.M at the All Faiths Funeral Chapel 1618 E. Racine St. Janesville. Visitation will be held from 10:00 until the time of service. Online condolences at www.866allfaiths.com Family and friends are welcome to share stories and anecdotes from their memories of Joan. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made to the family.


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According to a self-flagellating report in what should be called the Journal of Sexual Healing but is instead prosaically named the Journal of Sexual Medicine, a national survey of OB-GYN sexual history screenings have revealed that doctors are shying away from discussing sexy times with their patients.
The University of Chicago survey found that while two thirds of OB-GYNs regularly inquire about their patients' sexual activity, only 40 percent of those surveyed ask questions about sexual dysfunction. Additionally, a mere 29 percent of those doctors routinely ask about patients' sexual satisfaction, and only 28 percent bother confirming patients' sexual orientation.
What could the consequences be of not discussing all the lurid, sticky details of your harlotry with your gynecologist? A whole Pandora's box of worry, shame, guilt, and feelings of isolation if you're one among the third of young and middle-aged women (or about half of older women) who experience some sort of sexual problem such as low desire, pain during intercourse or lack of pleasure during sex. According to the report's author, Stacy Tessler Lindau, M.D.,
Sexuality is a key component of a woman's physical and psychological health. Obviously, OB-GYNs are well positioned among all physicians to address female sexual concerns. Simply asking a patient if she's sexually active does not tell us whether she has good sexual function or changes in her sexual function that could indicate underlying problems.
The reason for all this oversight is, of course, that female sexuality remains a great fount of American squeamishness that our collective Puritan brain-stems just will not let us stop drinking from. Lindau explains that many women suffer "in silence," primarily because they worry that, by bringing up their sexual concerns, they'll embarrass their physician, who will summarily expel them from the office out of debilitating prudishness.
Though the study — which accounts for whether factors such as gender, age, race, medical school location, immigration status, religious affiliation or type of practice affect an OB-GYN's willingness to delve deeply into a patient's sexual activity — found that female physicians are more comfortable talking about sex than, say, male doctors over the age of 60, the real shocker is that, in general, doctors are more willing to talk about a male patient's sexual activity because pharmaceutical companies have spent tireless man-hours trying to fix broken penises. As a result, there exists a veritable cornucopia of FDA-approved erectile dysfunction medicines and very few treatments for female sexual dysfunction, which amounts to yet another way that pharmaceutical companies pretend women don't exist.
What we don't talk about when we don't talk about sex [Journal of Sexual Medicine]
Image via dabjola/Shutterstock.


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The End of Death
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Subtitle: The Deeper Teachings of A Course in Miracles
We don't trust God. We may think we do! But when we dare to look deeply into our own unconscious mind, we'll be shocked to learn what we really believe about God—and thus, about Self and world. The End of Death – Volume One: The Development of Trust is a clear and uncompromising beacon that illuminates our current predicament, as well as the steps required in our journey home to God. Using A Course in Miracles as its treasure map, The End of Death carves a brilliantly clear and insightful path straight toward the treasure of Christed awareness. With startlingly lucid explanations, Nouk pares the Course's true message down to its most powerful essence. And the many Course quotes she includes offer undeniable proof of the argument she makes: That Jesus asks every one of us to embody full Christed awareness -- right here, right now, while still in a body -- just as He did.
"The End of Death is a powerful testimony of Nouk Sanchez' own miraculous shift from confusion and grief to aliveness, joy and certainty as she began to truly live the principles of A Course in Miracles. She invites the reader to take the teachings of Jesus literally—and take them for a test drive. This is a must-read for anyone who is ready to get off the merry-go-round of [endless] seeking. It is for anyone who thinks awakening is just around the corner. It's not around the corner ... it's now." ~ Lisa Natoli, author of Gorgeous for God; founder of Teachers of God"— Lisa Natoli, author: Gorgeous for God
By Nouk Sanchez


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Scheduling meetings with multiple people can be a pain. Finding time between a maze of competing schedules is frustrating at best, and Microsoft is trying to make that a little bit easier with a new tool the company released Thursday.
FindTime is a tool from the Microsoft Garage that ties into Outlook and helps people set up meetings with anyone they need to get in touch with. Here's how it works: Organizers write an email, launch the FindTime add-in from Outlook Online, Outlook 2013 for Windows or Outlook 2016 for Windows, and then select all of their available times for a meeting. After that, the system sends all of the people included on the email a list of available times that they can vote on.
Recipients can vote to show when they're available, when they're unavailable, and what times they would prefer to meet, alongside a list of how other invitees have responded. If none of the suggested meeting times work, recipients can add new ones for other people to vote on.
Once all of that is taken care of, the organizer can then generate a meeting invitation with one click that goes out to everyone so they can easily add the final meeting to their calendar.
Right now, FindTime requires that organizers have an Office 365 subscription, but that isn't necessary for people who are receiving invites through the system. If there's one downside to the system, it's that organizers need to either access it through Outlook Online or Outlook for Windows. It's not clear if it will be making a cross-platform jump, however.
It's interesting that Microsoft launched FindTime as a separate product rather than extend the reach of Invite—an application it launched earlier this year that performs a similar function on iOS.


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Short Story: A Day in the Hive
A Day in the Hive
By Allen Kopp
Queen Francine, the Queen of all the Bees, came into the hive dragging her enormous egg sac, a cigarette dangling from her lips. Her harlequin glasses were askew because she had sat on them on the bed and bent them. "Where the hell is everybody?" she said with her characteristic sneer, making a whistling sound when she spoke because her dentures were loose. When she saw one of the worker bees—her own offspring—working a crossword puzzle, she bit his head off and ate it. Before she went into her office and slammed the door, she turned and said to the room at large, "And let that be a lesson to everybody!"
"My goodness, she's in a foul mood today," Ermine said to Lucille, the worker bee closest to him.
"She always gets that way right before she lays her eggs."
"I'm not scared of her," Maybelle said. "She's full of hot air. Somebody's going to drive a stake through her heart one of these days and make a lot of bees happy."
"And I suppose you're going to be the one to do it," Ermine said.
"I might," Maybelle said.
"And then who would be our queen?" Lucille said.
"I'd make a better queen than her any day," Maybelle said. She stood up and did a little sashay up and down the aisle, pretending to be regal. "My first official act would be to have her thrown out of the hive."
"I think you'd have to kill her," Ermine said. "If you let her get away, she'd organize an army and come back and re-take the hive."
"Yes, I think killing her would be best," Lucille said thoughtfully.
"Will you help me do it?" Maybelle asked.
"Of course I will," Lucille said.
"You can be my first lady-in-waiting."
"Now who's full of hot air?" Ermine said with a laugh.
"If she ever tries to eat my head," Sherwood piped up, "I'm not just going to stand there and let her do it." He was still a little upset over seeing Queen Francine eat a worker bee's head. He knew it happened all the time but had never before seen it with his own eyes.
"Oh, and what are you going to do?" Ermine asked, turning around and facing Sherwood. "You know you're powerless against the queen."
"I'll punch her in her egg sac and then when she doubles over I'll stick a knife in her eye. When she's howling in pain, I'll get away from her and leave the hive."
"You know that would never work," Ermine said. "The drones would catch you and bring you back and she'd eat your head anyway and she wouldn't do it quick either. It wouldn't be pretty."
"He's right," Lucille said. "The queen always wins. The rest of us are puny nothings compared to her."
"Be careful what you say," Ermine whispered to the others. "I think Georgie is listening."
They all turned and looked at Georgie. He seemed to be engrossed in his work but they knew he was listening to every word and would repeat it all to Queen Francine the first chance he got. He was her pet worker bee. There were even rumors that she took him to bed with her sometimes.
"I say we kill him, too," Sherwood said. "If we kill her, we'll have to kill others."
"We're bees!" Ermine said. "Bees don't kill other bees!"
"They do when they have to," Sherwood said sensibly.
"Oh, he's not going to kill anybody," Maybelle said. "He wouldn't have the courage to kill a maggot. He's just bumping his gums together to hear his head rattle."
"You think so, do you?" Sherwood said. "Maybe I'll surprise you one day. Maybe this will be the day."
The door to Queen Francine's office opened; she stepped out and stood at the front of the room, hands on hips. Everybody suddenly became very busy.
"There seems to be a lot of non-work going on here!" she said in her booming contralto. "You jerk-offs need to realize I'm not blind and I'm not deaf. Just because I'm not in the room doesn't mean I don't know what you're doing!"
All the bees kept their eyes on their work and pretended Queen Francine wasn't yelling at them. Georgie was the only one who looked at her, and that was with adoration.
"Georgie!" Queen Francine said, bringing him out of his reverie. "I need to see you in my office right now!"
"Yes, your majesty," Georgie said.
He stood up, almost falling over his own wings, and ran into Queen Francine's office and closed the door.
"What a toady!" Ermine said.
"She needs her ass wiped and she knows he'll do it and not complain," Sherwood said.
"Well, I'm relieved he's out of the room," Lucille said. "I think I'm going to take a break and go to the little girls' room. Want to come along, Maybelle?"
"No thanks," Maybelle said. "My boyfriend's going to call. I don't want to be out of the room when he does."
A few minutes later Lucille had returned from the little girls' room and was freshening her makeup at her desk. Maybelle was blatting into the phone to her boyfriend about where they were going to have dinner. Ermine was balancing his checkbook, trying to figure out exactly where he had made his latest mistake. Sherwood had taken off his shoe and sock and was picking at a scab on his foot while he whistled a happy tune. Suddenly the door to Queen Francine's office opened with a suck of air and Queen Francine was again upon the worker bees like a Kansas cyclone.
"You should see yourselves!" she bellowed. "You all look like you think you're on vacation. Well, I'm got a news flash for you! You're not on vacation—but you are all really close to going on a permanent vacation, if you get my meaning!"
"Call you later," Maybelle said into the phone and then hung up, hoping Queen Francine hadn't noticed.
"Was there something you wanted, Your Majesty?" Lucille asked sweetly.
"I want all you lazy slugs to get your worthless asses into my office now! And 'now' means this minute! Pronto! Post-haste! Chop, chop!"
The worker bees filed into Queen Francine's office with a sense of foreboding. They knew something was wrong. Ermine had a lump of dread in his stomach. Lucille had gone pale and her lipstick was smeared because Queen Francine startled her when she was applying it.
When they were all seated around the table, Queen Francine closed the door loudly and regarded everybody with disgust.
"Is anything wrong, Your Majesty?" Ermine asked with a nervous smile.
"Wrong? I'll say there's something wrong! I've just been going over the figures from the last month. Honey production is down twenty-five percent! This is unacceptable! I feel like firing the whole lot of you!"
"Then who would make the honey?" Sherwood asked.
"I've just been discussing this problem with my lieutenant, Georgie. He suggests we work longer hours with fewer days off until honey production is what it should be."
They all turned their heads and looked at Georgie. He was smirking with superiority. Ermine, remembering the remark he had made earlier about bees not killing other bees, wanted to kill him.
"Now, after today I'm going to be on maternity leave," Queen Francine said, "For I don't know how long. Georgie will be in command while I'm gone. He will be my eyes and ears. He has assured me he knows how to increase honey production, so I'm going to turn the show over to him. We'll see what stuff he's made of. When I come back, if I see no improvement, well, there are going to be some heads eaten, and I don't mean maybe."
After the meeting was over, all the worker bees were quiet and worked very diligently. Georgie was working on a new work schedule whereby days off and vacations would be canceled. All worker bees were going to have to come in an hour earlier in the morning and stay an hour later in the evening until honey production was up.
When Queen Francine left for the day, the worker bees still had hours to go before their day was over. They were tired and didn't know if they were going to be able to keep up the pace, but they knew that Georgie was watching them and would report everything to Queen Francine, so they at least tried to give the appearance of being productive.
"Killing the queen never seemed like a better idea," Maybelle whispered to Sherwood when Georgie had stepped out for a moment.
"You can't kill the queen," Ermine, overhearing her, said. "It just isn't done."
"Wouldn't you kill her if you got the chance?"
"I don't think we should even be talking about it," Lucille said. "The walls have ears, you know, even with Georgie out of the room."
"Maybe I can will her dead," Sherwood said.
"What do you mean?" Ermine asked.
"I'm going to keep wishing for her to die, praying for her to die. She deserves to die. If there's any justice in the world, she will die. I've willed bees dead before and they've died."
"Just a coincidence," Ermine said. "They would have died anyway."
"Die, die, die, die, die, die, Queen Francine, die!" he said in a kind of chant.
"I don't think it'll work," Lucille said.
"I can certainly try," Sherwood said. "Would anybody like to place a bet?"
Georgie went into Queen Francine's office, making it his own during her absence, but he left the door open so he could keep an eye on the worker bees. He was going to enjoy being boss and he hoped that Queen Francine would take a much longer-than-expected maternity leave. He was going to hate giving up the reins when she came back, but he wouldn't think about that until he just had to.
The afternoon progressed slowly. While the worker bees gave the impression of being immersed in their work, they all had their minds on other things. Ermine was trying to keep from watching the clock; it was only two minutes later than the last time he looked. Maybelle was considering how familiar she was going to let her boyfriend, Alphonse, get on their date that night. Lucille was thinking about her children at home by themselves; she longed to get home and make sure they were all right. Sherwood was thinking about the movies he had seen in the last few months and was arranging in his head a list of the ones he liked best.
Once, when Ermine raised his head from his work and looked at the ceiling to relieve his stiff neck, he saw two drones, looking very business-like, go into Queen Francine's office and close the door. About a minute later they heard Georgie let out a wail.
"Wonder what's going on?" Maybelle, hearing the wail, said to Ermine.
"Maybe he's under arrest," Sherwood said with a hopeful smile.
In a little while Georgie and the two drones came out of Queen Francine's office. The drones left and Georgie stood at the front of the room and raised his arms for quiet. When he knew that he had everybody's attention, he began, with difficulty, to speak.
"It is my painful duty to inform all the worker bees: we have confirmed reports that Queen Francine is dead."
"It worked! It worked!" Sherwood said.
"Not long after she left the hive this afternoon, she stopped on a tree branch to rest and have a sup of water." He stopped and lowered his head and dabbed at his eyes with a handkerchief.
"Yes?" Ermine said. "Go on."
"A crow came along from out of nowhere and, seeing her majesty sitting on the branch, swooped in and ate her in one gobble and then flew off. There were two worker bees there who saw the whole thing. They're being questioned by the bee police this very minute."
"Are you sure this is not a trick?" Maybelle said.
"That crow would have to be dead or really sick by now," Sherwood said.
"Out of respect for Queen Francine," Georgie said, "I'm going to shut down the hive for the rest of the day. You are all free to go, but remember to be back here tomorrow morning bright and early. We're all going to have to work extra hard now to honor her memory."
After Georgie had left, almost flummoxed with grief, all the worker bees who had heard Sherwood's boast turned and looked at him.
"Do you have some kind of magical powers?" Lucille asked him. She had started to cry in spite of herself.
"I don't know what you would call it," Sherwood said, "but I definitely have something."
"We'd better all try to stay on Sherwood's good side," Maybelle said.
"Hey, didn't you bees hear what the man said?" Ermine said. "We are free to go home now! Tomorrow is another day."
"I wonder what we'll do now for a queen?" Lucille said.
"They'll probably bring one in from outside," Sherwood said. "I think that's what usually happens in these cases."
"They don't need to bring anybody in," Maybelle said. "I am fully positioned to assume the throne."
"I think you have to be born to it," Ermine said, trying to keep from laughing.
"I have a feeling Georgie is going to initiate a coup to make himself the new queen," Lucille said.
"Aren't you forgetting one little detail?" Ermine asked. "Georgie is a male bee. A male bee can't be queen."
"Well, I figure anything is possible."
"Maybe Georgie really is a woman," Sherwood said. "I've always had my doubts about him."
"You're terrible," Lucille said.
When they were all outside, ready to leave the hive together, Sherwood said, "Now that Queen Francine is dead, I'm going to take a few days off from the hive. I want to find that crow and tell him how much of a hero he is to all of us."
"Make sure he doesn't eat you, too," Ermine said.
"Not a chance," Sherwood said as he buzzed off.
"Long live the queen!" Maybelle said, waving her handkerchief in the air as she flew away. She was feeling in a festive mood.
Comments are closed.


text:
Need help? Call - 9829006028
Make your loved one happy by sending Valentine gifts to Hospet. The beautiful things in the world can never be seen or heard, but only felt by heart and love is one such amazing thing. Valentine's Day, a day of love, celebrated across the globe by young and old with utmost love. The day seems to come with gifts - a dozen bold red roses, a romantic date, heart-melting chocolates, a perfect romantic line or poetry on greeting cards. Send Valentine Gifts to Hospet and let the love grow between you and your lover.


text:
Sunday, April 15
Sunday Dose of Cute: Getting Organized (Chicks and Paperwork)
6 comments:
Seeing Lokey and her amazingly cute chicks just lights up my day every time!ReplyDelete
The baby chicks are MUCH cuter than piles of unfiled papers! :)ReplyDelete
I have a file cabinet for all the paid bills and I don't have anything to organize online, except for all the blogs I follow and Blogger does that!
I'm a portuguese woman. I love your blog. I visit all days. I love see your farm and I think that I'm with you. I love specially Daisy! Congratulations for the photos!ReplyDelete
oh my goodness --these are some cute pics!!! love it!ReplyDelete
so cute! pinterest is an amazing good system for keeping bookmarks in checkReplyDelete
- Anonymous4/22/2012 6:45 PM
I love your chicken posts!ReplyDelete
December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.
Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.
Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!
Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.
I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.
I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!


text:
The LibeTech QR Code-Based Entry system is a unique way to do away with traditional keys and swipe cards. Using a simple web interface, approved users are added to the system via their email addresses. Once added, these users are sent a QR code via Email, that when held up to the system, allows them to unlock the door.
The LibeTech Project has been retired, but has been released via an Open Source Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
LibeTech was created by Jeremy Blum, Lindsey Brous, Kaitlin Uebele, and Harris Nord. You can learn more about the Project on Jeremy's Portfolio: http://www.jeremyblum.com/portfolio/libetech
Open Source Materials:


text:
App::TimeTracker::Command::Core - App::TimeTracker Core commands
version 3.010
More commands are implemented in various plugins. Plugins might also alter and/or amend commands.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker start
Started working on Your-Project at 23:44:19
Start tracking the current project now. Automatically stop the previous task, if there was one.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker start --at 12:42
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker start --at '2011-02-26 12:42'
Start at the specified time/datetime instead of now. If only a time is provided, the day defaults to today. See TT::DateTime in App::TimeTracker.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker start --project SomeProject
Use the specified project instead of the one determined by the current working directory.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker start --description "Solving nasty bug"
Supply some descriptive text to the task. Might be used by reporting plugins etc.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker start --tag RT1234 --tag testing
A list of tags to add to the task. Can be used by reporting plugins.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker stop
Worked 00:20:50 on Your-Project
Stop tracking the current project now.
Stop at the specified time/datetime instead of now.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker continue
Continue working on the previous task after a break.
~$ tracker start --project ExplainContinue --tag testing
Started working on ExplainContinue (testing) at 12:42
# ... time passes, it's now 13:17
~$ tracker stop
Worked 00:35:00 on ExplainContinue
# back from lunch at 13:58
~$ tracker continue
Started working on ExplainContinue (testing) at 13:58
same as start
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker append
Start working on a task at exactly the time you stopped working at the previous task.
~$ tracker start --project ExplainAppend --tag RT1234
Started working on ExplainAppend (RT1234) at 14:23
# ... time passes (14:46)
~$ tracker stop
Worked 00:23:00 on ExplainAppend (RT1234)
# start working on new ticket
# ...
# but forgot to hit start (14:53)
~$ tracker append --tag RT7890
Started working on ExplainAppend (RT7890) at 14:46
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker current
Working 00:20:17 on Your-Project
Display what you're currently working on, and for how long.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker worked [SPAN]
Report the total time worked in the given time span, maybe limited to some projects.
Begin of reporting interval, defaults to first day of current month.
End of reporting interval, default to DateTime->now.
Automatically set --from and --to to the calculated values
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker worked --this week
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker worked --last day (=yesterday)
~$ tracker worked --last day --project SomeProject
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker report
Print out a detailed report of what you did. All worked times are summed up per project (and optionally per tag)
The same options as for worked, plus:
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker report --last month --detail tag
Valid options are: tag, description
Will print the tag(s) and/or description.
Also calc sums per tag.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker report --last month --verbose
Lists all found trackfiles and their respective duration before printing out the report.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker list
Print out a detailed report of what you did in a tabular format including start and stop times.
The same options as for report
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker init
Initialize current directory as a project in which to track time. This step is required before one can use time tracking commands such as start and stop. The initialization step creates a rather empty .tracker.json config file in the current directory.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker show_config
Dump the config that's valid for the current directory. Might be handy when setting up plugins etc.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker plugins
List all installed plugins (i.e. stuff in App::TimeTracker::Command::*)
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker recalc_trackfile --trackfile 20110808-232327_App_TimeTracker.trc
Recalculates the duration stored in an old trackfile. Might be useful after a manual update in a trackfile. Might be unnecessary in the future, as soon as task duration is always calculated lazily.
Only the name of the trackfile is required, but you can also pass in the absolute path to the file. Broken trackfiles are sometimes reported during report.
~/perl/Your-Project$ tracker commands
List all available commands, based on your current config.
Thomas Klausner <email@example.com>
This software is copyright (c) 2011 - 2021 by Thomas Klausner.
This is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as the Perl 5 programming language system itself.
To install App::TimeTracker, copy and paste the appropriate command in to your terminal.
cpanm App::TimeTracker
CPAN shell
perl -MCPAN -e shell
install App::TimeTracker
For more information on module installation, please visit the detailed CPAN module installation guide.


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Prophecy of the Sisters (Book 1), by Michelle Zink
Release Date: August 2009
Publisher: Hachette
Pages: 352
Received: Won audio book through Teens Read Too
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Author's Page
Amazon Page
The story opens with the funeral of twins Lia and Alice's father, leaving the girls and their crippled younger brother orphans in the care of their aunt. The cause of death is largely unknown, but soon Lia unravels the mystery behind not just her father's death, but her mother's death as well. Tied to these deaths is an ancient prophecy surrounding heaven, hell, Alice, and Lia. As events unfold, Lia realizes her sister's increasing malevolence and the danger Alice's connection to hell presents not only to Lia, but to the world.
Overly dramatic and not completely coherent, Prophecy of the Sisters is a paranormal story reminiscent of 19th century Gothic horror. The writing style, while a little rough in some places, is successful enough overall in transporting the reader to another time and style. Though I had a little trouble connecting to the characters, they were effective enough in keeping me engaged in the story and their plight. The mystery was unraveled in a way that kept me wanting to read more to find out what was going to happen, though the eventual reveal was less impressive than the lead up. I'm not completely sold on the revelation, but I'm willing and curious enough to suspend belief and see how Zink will carry on her story in the next book. Recommended to fans of Libba Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy or Gillian Shields' Immortal series.
Fair warning to readers: This book ends abruptly and on a cliffhanger.
Explanation of rating system: Star Rating Key


text:
Deep down in our lobes, says new research from an international scientific team, sits a basic tilt toward fairness.
By Sam Pizzigati
A review of Elizabeth Tricomi, Antonio Rangel, Colin Camerer, and John O'Doherty, Neural evidence for inequality-averse social preferences, in the February 25, 2010 issue of the British scientific journal Nature
Are we humans hard-wired to hoard or to "share the wealth"? Are we selfish by nature? Or do our psyches have a preference for equality built-in, right in our brains?
An international team of scientists, from Rutgers and Caltech in the United States and Trinity College in Ireland, has an answer for us. This four-scholar team has just published in the British journal Nature the results from the first-ever experiments designed to show how our brains react to inequality.
Why should we care about how our brains, deep down in our lobes, feel about maldistributions of income and wealth? Such information, note the authors of this new brain research, could help us better understand the evidence from years of behavioral and anthropological studies.
We know from these studies, the authors point out, that people essentially "like transfers that reduce inequality." But we don't know why. Do human beings have a basic aversion to inequality or do we simply not want to look greedy to other people? Do we dislike the core unfairness of unequal distributions or do we worry that we ourselves might get the short end of the stick?
The field studies we have can't answer these questions. Our brains waves can. MRI machines — those 3-D hospital scanners — can actually show how positively our brains are reacting to various situations. The new Nature study uses this MRI capacity "to test directly for the existence of inequality-averse social preferences in the human brain."
The testing revolved around a simple experiment. The investigators assembled 20 pairs of previously unacquainted men, gave each man $30 in base pay, and had everyone choose a ball out a hat. In each pair, one participant would get a "rich" ball worth a $50 bonus, the other a "poor" ball that brought no bonus at all.
The researchers then proceeded to give each participant additional money, in varying sums up to $50 — and asked the participants to rate, on a ten-point scale, how appealing or unappealing they considered each of these additional distributions to be.
Meanwhile, with all this going on, the researchers were conducting MRI scans to see how the brains of the participants — specifically those parts of the brain that activate when we experience pleasurable rewards — were reacting.
What did the researchers find? The brains of the participants essentially lit up when an additional distribution narrowed the dollar divide between them. The "poorer" participants, no surprise, reacted positively when they received a greater additional distribution than the "richer" participants.
But the "richer" participants also reacted favorably, at the lobe level, when an additional distribution gave their "poorer" counterparts more money. In effect, the researchers note, "the high-pay group seemed to value transfers that closed the gap between their earnings and those of the low-pay group."
The most intriguing finding of all: Some of the "richer" group, when asked to rate how appealing they found an additional distribution, gave distributions that privileged the "poorer" participants at their expense an "unappealing" rating. But the neural responses of these "richer" participants to these distributions told a completely different story. Their brains were actually cheering.
The "basic reward structures in the brain," the researchers observe, "may reflect even stronger equity considerations than are necessarily expressed or acted on at the behavioral level."
The basic takeaway from the research? Conclude the investigators: "Our results provide direct neurobiological evidence in support of the existence of inequality-averse social preferences in the human brain."
Or, in other words, down deep even Rush Limbaugh wants to share the wealth.
Sam Pizzigati edits Too Much, the online newsletter on excess and inequality published by the Washington, D.C.-based Institute for Policy Studies. Too Much appears weekly. Read the current issue or sign up to receive Too Much in your inbox.


text:
Eminem and Outkast are headlining another music festival.
The rap acts will perform at the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October in Austin, Texas. Pearl Jam, Skrillex, Beck and Lorde will also take the stage at the 13th annual festival in Zilker Park.
Lana Del Rey, Calvin Harris, Foster the People, Broken Bells, The Replacements, Iggy Azalea, the Avett Brothers and Zedd are also slated to perform.
The three-day event will feature eight stages. It will take place over two weekends, kicking off Oct. 3 and Oct. 10. Three-day passes are $225. Single-day tickets will go on sale at a later date.
Eminem and Outkast are also headlining the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in August.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


text:
Sunday, May 15, 2005
Butterscotch Finger Cakes
For the cake batter
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
16 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
For the frosting
1/3 cup butterscotch chips
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened and divided
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar, divided
1 tablespoon milk, if necessary
To prepare the cake batter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour, baking powder and salt.
In a medium mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until well combined after each. Mix in vanilla and almond extract. Mix in the dry ingredients, alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
Scoop the batter into a 9" x 13" baking pan coated with nonstick spray - spread the top smooth with an offset spatula. Place into the oven and bake until a toothpick placed in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
Loosen cake from the sides of the pan and set a piece of parchment paper on top of the pan. Place a cooling rack on top of the parchment and pan - turn the cake out, remove the pan and let cake cool completely (do not flip cake top-side up).
To prepare the frosting
In a microwave-safe bowl, add butterscotch chips and 4 tablespoons butter - heat on medium-low power until the butter melts. Stir until chip are completely melted and combined.
In a large mixing bowl, add remaining 4 tablespoon butter and 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar - mix until smooth. Pour melted butter mixture and remaining confectioners' sugar - beat on medium-low until smooth. If the frosting looks too thick to spread, mix in the milk.
Spread frosting evenly over the cake. If you have a cake comb, use it to create the waves in the frosting on top.
Makes 25 to 30 servings.
Just found the recipe? Click here to see where we talked about it!
8 comments:
can i replace butterscotch chips with something else? i can't find any. :(ReplyDelete
Looks perfectly sliced and yummy.ReplyDelete
Just saw your cakes on foodgawker and popped over. These look wonderful.. I take treats to my son's school teachers and the library ladies.. and a particularly nice pet food place!! They will be getting these on Monday.. Thanks for the different recipe.ReplyDelete
Elaine - I guess you could try another chip, but then this wouldn't be a butterscotch snack cake!ReplyDelete
Katrina - Thanks!
Elaine - I hope you enjoy!
- Anonymous12/21/2008 12:52:00 PM
hi joe,ReplyDelete
do you think this would do well as a layer cake?
thanks and happy holidays!
Audrey - Good question! I think it was sturdy enough, but I can't be for sure since I made a single layer.ReplyDelete
Joe, just wanted to let you know that I linked to this post in my blog. The recipe was terrific. Thanks for sharing it. ErinReplyDelete
Erin - Thanks for trying them out!ReplyDelete


text:
Closet Organization – Storage and Ideas (on a budget)
Hey! I'm Soooo Happy You're Here!!
Let me guess.
Your closet is a complete disaster, right?
So was mine until I decided to tackle it head on, like a football player!
Here's what happened.
I figured out that having a full and messy closet keeps the laundry fairy away. YES. She won't come, if she can't fit clean clothes in your closet.
Laundry fairy….please, come back!
Do you want that amazing feeling that comes with a clean, functioning, and organized closet?
You'll love feeling
- a sense of accomplishment
- less anxiety
- like you're in control of your closet instead of your closet being in control of YOU.
I literally felt like I could breathe once my closet was organized and cleaned out. It had never looked better!
Once you get it organized with a system that works for YOU, you'll never struggle with a messy closet again! I promise – and I'll show you JUST how to do it!
My before:
This is the top half of my really messy closet before I started.
This is the bottom half of my messy closet.
I finally found my groove with some simple closet organization tips that everyone can do. No matter how big or how small your closet is and no matter what your budget is!
Click NEXT button below NOW to get started on your NEW and Improved Closet! You're Gonna LOVE it!


text:
Oct. 6, 2012— -- Authorities are resuming their search today for a missing 10-year-old Colorado girl after she was last seen leaving for school Friday morning.
Overnight, at least 50 police officers from four jurisdictions including the FBI were looking for any sign of Jessica Ridgeway. An Amber Alert was issued late Friday night.
Jessica left home at 8:30 a.m. to walk three blocks from her Westminster, Colo., home to meet friends for the walk to school. It was a route she took every day, but this time she never got there.
When Jessica didn't show up for class, school officials called her home.
But Jessica's mother, who works the overnight shift at a tech company, was asleep. She didn't get the message, which delayed her calling police for nearly eight hours.
"When we start with an eight-hour delay, or a delay as substantial as this, the distance that she could have wandered even on her own just gets huge," Westminster Police Detective Trevor Materasso said.
Police say that Jessica's father, who lives out of state, is in a custody battle with Jessica's mother.
Police do not believe Jessica is with him, but are not ruling anyone out.
"We don't have a person of interest. And we are going to look at every angle multiple times," Materasso said.
Police are searching vast areas of terrain including fields and lakes. Bad weather kept search helicopters grounded, but about 150 volunteers turned out to help.
Police and FBI agents are stopping and searching cars, handing out fliers, trying to spread the word and generate leads. Officers are also going door-to-door handing fliers to neighbors.
"Nothing like this has really ever happened, like, it's always surprising when something happens here," volunteer Erica Neubauer said.
Jessica was last seen wearing blue jeans, black boots, a black puffy jacket, and pink and purple glasses, ABC affilate KMGH-TV in Denver reported.


text: Can someone please help me with this problem? Preparing files. Please wait a moment... All prerequisites are fulfilled. Here we go... Please enter your MySQL server:localhost Please enter your MySQL user:root Please enter your MySQL password:my password went here ERROR 1045 (28000): Access denied for user 'root'@'localhost' (using password: YES) ERROR: The provided MySQL password is wrong! The installation routine stops here! You have new mail in /var/spool/mail/root The weird thing is ... when I enter my password from the command line [root@server1]# mysql -uroot -pXXXXXX I get the mysql prompt Welcome to the MySQL monitor. Commands end with ; or \g. Your MySQL connection id is 13 to server version: 4.1.12 Type 'help;' or '\h' for help. Type '\c' to clear the buffer. mysql> Any ideas?


text:
Patrick Rothfuss won the David Gemmell Legend Award for Best Novel this week for his second book, The Wise Man's Fear. The other winners at the award were Helen Lowe's Heir of the Night for the Morningstar Award for Best Debut, and Raymond Swanland for the Ravenheart Award for Best Cover Art for Blood of Aenarion.
Meanwhile, the Locus Awards were also announced this week. George R.R. Martin won the Best Fantasy Novel award for A Dance with Dragons, whilst China Mieville won the Best SF Novel Award for Embassytown. Catherynne M. Valente won a triple prize of Best YA Book (The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making), Best Novella (Silently and Very Fast) and Best Novelette (White Lines on a Green Field). Shaun Tan won Best Artist and Ellen Datlow Best Editor.


text:
What are enzyme based cleaners and how do they work?
Basically, enzymes are substances that speed up chemical reactions. In the case of enzyme based cleaners, they are designed to speed up the process of breaking down oils, proteins, etc. that may be in your pool. Enzymes will break up very large particles into smaller ones that can be handled more easily by your sanitizer. Regular use of an enzyme will help reduce scum line buildup and free up your sanitizer for the work it was intended to do-sanitizing.
I have heard of people talking about pink algae. What is that and how do I treat for it?
Pink algae is not an algae at all, but a bacteria. Normal algaecides will not reliably work on them. We have products that are designed to assist chlorine with removal of this bacteria. To eliminate pink algae, you must super chlorinate your pool, turn off the filter, and clean it with a good filter cleaner. Let the filter soak overnight then backwash to waste. Let the chlorine level subside before using again. (Hint: a good rule of thumb is to toss into the pool the equipment that is normally used for pool maintenance, including hoses, brushes, etc. prior to superchlorinating. These need to be disinfected too).
Following chemical treatment, how long do I have to wait before I use my pool?
With the exception of superchlorinating (which requires waiting until the chlorine level drops to recommended levels), you can generally use your pool when the chemical is dispersed throughout the pool. Fifteen minutes to one hour is a good rule of thumb.
The accumulation of oils and dirt from bathers is the biggest cause. Using a tile cleaner specifically designed for pools can clean it off. Household cleaners do not contain the needed balance of both oil/grease cutters and scale dissolving ingredients. In fact, these cleaners can actually dull a tile line due to abrasives or cause unsightly foaming. Even worse, they may react with the sanitizer, such as chlorine, in your pool.
Another helpful hint would be to regularly use an enzyme based product in your pool. These biodegradable products will control grease and oil before it builds up.
I have an outdoor pool and I am told that the chlorine needs to be stabilized. Why?
The chlorine in a pool can be broken down by ultra violet light from the sun. If stabilizer, also called conditioner, is not present, the chlorine level will dissipate very rapidly over the course of the day.
It is recommended that you add stabilizer to the pool to prevent this chlorine break down. The stabilizer level should be between 30-50 ppm to properly stabilize the pool. The use of a stabilizer will reduce your overall chlorine consumption and save you money. However, many of the products available at your retailer are stabilized chlorine.
Yes, an E.P.A. registered sanitizer should be added and maintained at proper levels at all times. Non-chlorine shock treatments contain no chlorine, therefore you must make regular additions of sanitizer to ensure that you are disinfecting the water.
When I shock my pool, should I use chlorine or non-chlorine shock?
Both treatments accomplish the goal of destroying and removing bather waste and preventing the formation of combined chlorine.
Superchlorination, the addition of large amounts of chlorine, has some drawbacks. Because it requires large amounts of chlorine, it can damage liners and swimsuits and upset water balance. Additionally, it is difficult to determine proper dosage amounts and it requires swimmers to wait until the level of chlorine drops, often a day or more, until they can swim.
Non-chlorine shock, on the other hand, does not require excessive chlorine use and allows swimming almost immediately after application, does not harm liners, has easily determined dosage rates and does not upset water balance.
My pool has a very strong chlorine odor. Is there too much chlorine in my pool?
No, you don't have enough "free chlorine" in your pool. Most pools contain both good chlorine and bad chlorine. The good chlorine is called free chlorine and is capable of killing germs. Bad chlorine, on the other hand, is called "combined chlorine" and is a poor germ killer.
Too much combined chlorine in your pool causes the strong chlorine odor. When the combined chlorine level reaches 0.2 ppm or more, it is time to shock your water. Shocking will eliminate the odor.
Pool water composition always includes some undesirable elements that actually contaminate the water and reduce the efficiency of the disinfectant or sanitizer. Material such as hair spray, suntan oil, cosmetics, perspiration and other organic material react to combine with the chlorine in the water to form "combined chlorine".
Once "combined chlorine" forms, it acts as a very poor disinfectant, contributing to eye and skin irritations and the forming of unpleasant chlorine odor. Pools with this problem are often inaccurately accused of having too much chlorine.
Routine shock treatment is necessary to destroy combined chlorine compounds and restore the chlorine sanitizer to "free chlorine" efficiency. A pool can be shock treated by adding large doses of chlorine, commonly referred to as superchlorination, or by adding a non-chlorine shock such as GLB OXY-BRITE or Applied Biochemists SHOCKTRINE.
I added algaecide to my pool, but the algae didn't go away. What did I do wrong?
First, you must add the algaecide according to the directions. If you don't add the correct dosage amount, it won't kill any of the algae. However, be aware that using the entire bottle of algaecide is also ineffective. Not only will you spend additional money, large doses can also lead to staining and foaming in your pool.
In addition to properly dosing your water, it is also recommended that the algaecide be added in the morning on a bright sunny day for best results. Algae are plants and grow in the presence of sunlight. Adding algaecide during algae's best growth time will increase intake of the algaecide and make it more effective. If black algae is present, brushing the algae at least once daily will also help expedite algae removal. Brushing the dead cells away makes the living algae more vulnerable to the algaecide.
When you "Vacuum to Waste" you are pumping the debris you vacuum out of the pool and sending the water to the waste line, and not through the pool filter. This method removes a large amount of water from the pool in a short time so be sure the pool is full before you begin. This method is used for large amounts of debris and dirt. This method will only work for circulation systems that use a 6-position filter valve. If you have an older "Push-Pull" style filter valve you must vacuum through the pool filter. Be sure to monitor the location where the waste line is connected to the sewer system in your home, just in case the sewer line cannot handle the large amount of water and overflows.
How do I know when it's time to clean my pool filter?
Normal, periodic rinsing or backwashing will remove most of the dirt from a basically clean filter. However, over a period of time, grease, oils and scale can attack and build up on the elements. When this occurs, you will see build up on the removable elements, short filter runs, reduced circulation and water that does not want to clear up.
Why is filtration important to the quality of swimming pool water?
Filtration is the mechanical system for removing visible matter from the water. The filter medium is designed to remove hair, dirt, minute skin flakes, metal or calcium precipitates and other visible debris that would otherwise cause the water to be hazy and cloudy.
Yes. A clarifier is designed as an aid to the efficient operation of the filter by coagulating most materials, which cause cloudy and hazy water, into larger particles that are removed by the filter. Because the presence of these materials increases the disinfectant demand, the use of a water clarifier decreases pool maintenance costs.
My pool water is cloudy and I can't clear it up. What could be causing this?
Several things could be the cause.
- First, check to make sure that the pH is within proper range. If the pH is within range, it could be that you have a dirty filter and it needs to be cleaned. If you have a sand filter, this doesn't necessarily mean to replace the sand, but to use a filter cleaner, such as GLB FILTER CLEANSE, that will remove both organic materials and minerals.
- Check to make sure the sanitizer in the pool is in proper range. If it is not, raise the level.
- Another cause could be the amount of calcium in the water. If too much calcium is present, it can become cloudy. Adding a sequestering agent, such as GLB SEQUA-SOL, on a weekly basis, can prevent this.
- Lastly, particles too small to be easily filtered out could be causing the cloudiness. A clarifier, such as Robarb SUPER BLUE, can be used in order to make these particles filterable.


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Eastlake Elementary School is part of the Parsippany-Troy Hills School District in Morris County, NJ. Eastlake serves approximately 350 students in Pre-K through 5th grade. We celebrate our students who come from diverse cultures and backgrounds.
Morning Safety Reminder
* Students must exit cars on the passenger side only!
* Students may not be dropped off prior to 8:40am, due to supervision.
Student health and emergency contact information now being captured in Genesis Parent Access. In order to provide the best care for your child, the school nurse will need to get in touch with you during school hours should your child become sick or injured. Please sign into Genesis Parent Access
NOTE: Once completed, the updated Health and Contact Information will be available for viewing by the school nurse.


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VOTD: Teleportation Device Created To Promote 'Star Trek Into Darkness'
To promote the release of Star Trek Into Darkness on UK streaming service Blinkbox, illusionist Scott Penrose was hired to create an experience which would "prank" shoppers into thinking they had created a teleportation device as seen in the movie and tv series. The illusion is a fun bit of out-of-box real-world marketing created with magic. Watch the video now embedded after the jump.
via: Uprox


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Q: Can you recommend some fun family outings? Spring is a long way off, and in the middle of winter it's hard to find things to do as a family to stay connected.
Jim: For the Daly family, it's all about finding the balance between staying indoors -- which can quickly result in "cabin fever," especially with two energetic boys -- and venturing out into the Colorado cold. We try to find room for both in our winter routine.
There's certainly nothing wrong with finding activities at home, especially when the temperatures get really frigid. Try playing some board games or card games, or even creating a "family Olympics" competition on the Wii or another electronic console. You might also enjoy cooking a meal together as a family. Let your kids plan the menu, or try out some new recipes. My wife has been known to bake a batch of fresh bread or some other goodies for the neighbors, and then send the boys and me out to deliver them door-to-door.
Of course, kids are kinetic by nature, and at some point they're going to get tired of being cooped up inside the house. That's when it might be time to grit your teeth, put on your long underwear and brave a trip to the zoo. Or perhaps you can just have a snowball fight in the back yard. Look for hiking trails and other natural environments near you. Even if you often visit these places in the summer, you'll be amazed at how different they can look when the leaves are gone and there's snow on the ground.
And if you're really feeling adventurous, try some typically warm weather activities -- biking, throwing the Frisbee, even swimming! The possibilities are limited only by your imagination. Attempting some "out of the ordinary" winter activities is a great way for your family to build memories.
Q: Our teenage son is addicted to a specific electronic game. We're at a loss on how to help him. Do you have any advice or recommendations for us?
Leon Wirth, executive director of Parenting and Youth: Many people consider addiction to be related exclusively to substances like drugs or alcohol, but in reality it can involve anything that is mind- or mood-altering to the point that a person is willing to neglect friends, family and even physical health in order to pursue it. There is now abundant evidence that electronic games have the potential to elicit this kind of addictive behavior.
Here at Focus on the Family, we've been receiving an increasing number of calls about computer and video game addiction over the past several years. This has become a serious problem.
Since it can be difficult to address the complex issue of addiction on your own, we'd strongly recommend that you enlist the help of a licensed counselor. Contact Focus on the Family for a free consultation, as well as referrals to qualified professionals in your area.
As your son works with a counselor on issues related to his addiction, there are also some general steps you can take to prevent further harm in the long-term. These include: 1) setting time limits; 2) making sure your son completes all chores and homework before game play; 3) being aware of the content of the games your son is playing; 4) modeling good viewing/gaming habits yourself; 5) suspending play if your son is having difficulty with self-control; 6) monitoring your son's attitudes and behavior outside of gaming time; and 7) helping him develop interests and hobbies outside of video games.
May God bless you as you walk with your son and help him break the cycle of addiction.
Jim Daly is a husband and father, an author, and president of Focus on the Family and host of the Focus on the Family radio program. Catch up with him at www.jimdalyblog.com or at www.facebook.com/DalyFocus.


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The following information was supplied to DefRev by Stavatti Corporation-Armament Systems. A link to the SF-1 Gasdynamic Laser Rifle information sheet/line card is included in the story. It should be noted that DefRev does not yet have verification of any of Stavatti's claims, including the veracity of the SF-1 weapon-performance claims made below. Back in March 2003, DefRev broke the …Read More »
Tag Archives: tis-1
Stavatti Tactical Infantry System-1(TIS-1) Gasdynamic Laser Rifle
DefRev has obtained the original "white paper" proposal that was submitted to the U.S. Army for the Stavatti TIS-1 (Tactical Infantry System-1) Gasdynamic Laser Weapon. The TIS-1 is a laser rifle that utilizes a hypersonic jet of gas to create photonic energy in the form a very powerful laser. Thus the term "gasdynamic". The Stavatti TIS-1 was submitted as a …Read More »
Stavatti TIS-1(Tactical Infantry System-1) Gasdynamic Laser Infantry Rifle.
DefRev just found this company on the web. Stavatti is an Aerospace Defense Prime Contractor that "is engaged in the design, qualification, production, distribution, service and total system support of new and original: fighters, sportplanes, tactical and strategic reconnaissance platforms, high performance corporate transports, heavy-lift theater transports, bombers, strike aircraft, launch vehicles and additional advanced aerospace vehicles." Apparently, they make …Read More »


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Ilex paraguariensis
We offer traditional blend Yerba Mate tea in 2-pound bags as well as a Suave/Mild blend in 1-pound bags.
Yerba Mate Tea bags are also available. Each box contains 25 tea bags.
Our Yerba Mate is of very high quality, environment-consciously harvested in Brazil with no stems or bark.
Yerba Mate is a great alternative to coffee. Yerba Mate has been used for centuries in South America and is really starting to get attention in the United States as a healthier substitute for coffee. Drinkers of Yerba Mate usually find they get more of an energy boost from Yerba Mate than from coffee, without any of the jitters or stomach and other health problems. Our Yerba Mate has 5 mg of caffeine compared to 137 mg in the same amount of ground coffee and has more antioxidants than many vegetables, improving your immune system.
Traditionally Yerba Mate is drunken from a gourd. The gourd is filled 2/3 of the way full with Yerba Mate leaf and then topped off with hot water. The tea is then sucked up through a bombilla that blocks the leaf while letting the tea pass. The gourd is then passed to the next person who repeats the process. The original leaf will make many servings.
Our Yerba Mate is of very high quality, environment-consciously harvested in Brazil with no stems or bark.


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Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Australia`s administrative level 4 region. Checkout this location on the map of geolocated places.
Rotate your device to view a map.
More maps and information:
On Google maps
On Bing maps
On Yandex.Maps
Wikipedia article
In other languages:
Ashmore- und Cartierinseln
geolocated is created with an open data from wikipedia, openstreetmap, geonames, youtube and panoramio.
Created with power of Yandex Maps, but for Google users.
We always be about Maps. We always be about Earth. We are about places in the world.
We are about places we never be. But, might be you will be.


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by David Crane
[email protected]
Cobb Manufacturing has just introduced their new MCR (Multi-Caliber Rifle) family of weapons. The COBB MCR weapon system is patents pending, and was developed with military/tactical application in mind, but should prove just as popular with civilian recreational shooters and hunters. An operator can switch calibers by simply changing barrel assemblies. The MCR (Multi-Caliber Rifle) series is available in MCR-100, MCR-200, MCR-300, and MCR-400 series.
According to Cobb Manufacturing's website, "you can switch calibers within the series you bought by changing out the barrels, or go to a larger or smaller caliber by family by switching out the complete upper assembly". The Cobb Manufacturing website contains more information and specs on the MCR. DefenseReview will attempt to get more detailed info and video on the Cobb MCR (Multi-Caliber Rifle) family ASAP, so we can pass it on to our readers.
Awhile back, DefenseReview published an email letter we received from Cobb Manufacturing's CEO, Skip Patel, about the very interesting Cobb FA50(T) "Fast Action".50 Cal. (.50 BMG) anti-materiel/long-range-interdiction rifle. The Cobb FA50(T) is also known as the Cobb .50 anti-materiel rifle. Skip designed the Cobb .50. Click on the links below to read the (very informative) letter and view an AFJ video on the Cobb FA50(T) Fast-Action .50 Cal. anti-materiel/sniper rifle:…
Meet the New Cobb FA50(T) "Fast Action" .50 BMG Sniper/Anti-Materiel Rifle.
Armed Forces Journal (AFJ) Video: "The Cobb .50 — an M-16 on Steroids?"
If you'd like to contact Cobb Manufacturing to inquire about the MCR (Multi-Caliber Rifle) family of weapons, you can reach them by phone at 770-505-3080, or by email at [email protected]. Ask for Skip Patel.