text:
While we will have more to say about the disastrous December TIC data shortly, which was released early today, and which showed a dramatic plunge in foreign purchases of US securities in December – the month when the S&P soared to all time highs and when everyone was panicking about the 3% barrier in the 10 Year being breached and resulting in a selloff in Tsy paper – one thing stands out. The chart below shows holdings of Chinese Treasurys (pending revision of course, as the Treasury department is quite fond of ajdusting this data series with annual regularity): in a nutshell, Chinese Treasury holdings plunged by the most in two years, after China offloaded some $48 billion in paper, bringing its total to only $1268.9 billion, down from $1316.7 billion, and back to a level last seen in March 2013!
This was the second largest dump by China in history with the sole exception of December 2011.
That this happened at a time when Chinese FX reserves soared to all time highs, and when China had gobs of spare cash lying around and not investing in US paper should be quite troubling to anyone who follows the nuanced game theory between the US and its largest external creditor, and the signals China sends to the world when it comes to its confidence in the US.
Yet what was truly surprising is that despite the plunge in Chinese holdings, and Japanese holdings which also dropped by $4 billion in December, is that total foreign holdings of US Treasurys increased in December, from $5716.9 billion to 5794.9 billion.
Why? Because of this country. Guess which one it is without looking at legend.
That's right: at a time when America's two largest foreign creditors, China and Japan, went on a buyers strike, the entity that came to the US rescue was Belgium, which as most know is simply another name for… Europe: the continent that has just a modest amount of its own excess debt to worry about. One wonders what favors were (and are) being exchanged behind the scenes in order to preserve the semblance that "all is well"?
via Zero Hedge http://ift.tt/1nKhPMu Tyler Durden


text: Bioinformatics Tools, using Java Final Registration for BIOTOOLS96 Explore the power of Object-Oriented programming in Bioinformatics, at your own pace in your own institution! This 3 x 1-month virtual course in Bioinformatics software is starting on Monday 21st October, but virtual registrations are being accepted until the end of the week (October 27). The three modules will lead you through the basics of Java, to its current use in Bioinformatics and finally to communal research projects in virtual teams. A major emphasis later in the course will be the use of distributed Objects, such as on Inter- and Intra-nets. We are delighted to announce that a wide range of experts throughout the Bioinformatics and virtual education communities has agreed to act as consultants and include: Terri Attwood (University College, London) Amos Bairoch (SwissProt, Geneva) Phil Bourne (San Diego) Michele Clamp (Oxford) Jeroen Coppieters (EBI, Hinxton) Audrey D'Costa (Globewide Network Academy), Fergus Doherty (Nottingham) Georg Fuellen (Bielefeld) Kurt Giles (Weizmann & PDB) Richard Kinder (SUN Microsystems) David Livingstone (ChemQuest) Andrew Lyall (Glaxo) Alan Mills (Venus Internet) Peter Murray-Rust (VSMS) John Overington (Pfizer) David Parry-Smith (Pfizer) Andre Payne (Cyberdynamics) Jaime Prilusky (Weizmann & PDB) Henry Rzepa (Imperial College) Marcus Speh (Globewide Network Academy) Luca Toldo (EMBL, Heidelberg) Joe Wang (Globewide Network Academy) Lesley West (Virtual HyperGlossary) Phil Williams (Nottingham) Details of the course along with virtual registration for module 1 (100 GBP) and module 1+2 (300 GBP) can be found at: http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vsms/biotools/ Peter Murray-Rust Virtual School of Molecular Sciences, Nottingham University Peter Murray-Rust (PeterMR, ) Director, Virtual School of Molecular Sciences Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nottingham University, NG7 2RD, UK; Tel 44-115-9515100 Fax 5110 http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/vsms/; OMF: http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/omf/

subset: commoncrawl


text:
- "Neck Size" is a required field.
- "Chest Size( Inches)" is a required field.
- "Back Length" is a required field.
- "Shoulder Width" is a required field.
- "Sleeve (Inches)" is a required field.
- "Waist Size (Inches)" is a required field.
- "Shoulder Width" is a required field.
- "Sleeve (Inches)" is a required field.
- "Waist Size (Inches)" is a required field.
- "Chest Size( Inches)" is a required field.
- "Back Length" is a required field.
Black Sherrifmuir Jacket And Waistcoat
- Description
- Reviews (22)
- Size Guide
Black Sherrifmuir Jacket And Waistcoat
100% wool black Sherrifmuir jacket and 7 button waistcoat. These jackets are made to order and take approx. 5-6 weeks. The finest 100% wool woven tweed fabric is chosen to create this unique jacket. Featuring pin tuck epaulettes, 3 button cuffs and 3 button pocket flaps. Each jacket is carefully hand made to the highest standards possible by one of Scotland's most respected kilt jacket tailors. A full two and three quarter yards of the finest woven tweed fabric goes into creating one of these master pieces. This unique Argyle jacket is best worn open with your kilt and a belt, the 5 button waist coat gives it a modern look. You can dress it up for those formal occasions with a wing collar shirt, or wear a standard collar shirt for a more relaxed look. Material type: 16,oz weight woven tweed. Jacket shown is Cheviot Flint-stone Midnight Tweed. As this is a hand made item that is made to each individual customer's precise measurements it will take between 5-7 weeks to complete. This includes cutting the cloth, hand stitching and finishing.
Measurement Note:
When measuring for your jacket and waistcoat please allow at least 1″ or 2″ give for comfort and movement. For example if you measure as a snug 38″ chest order a 40″ jacket. The additional size will allow for comfortable body movement when wearing the jacket and waistcoat. Ensure your measurements are accurate re-measure at least twice! If possible get a tailor or seamstress to measure you up.
Note :- Accessories are not included in this price. ( Bag, Belt, Badges)
22 reviews for Black Sherrifmuir Jacket And Waistcoat
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Eric J. Steward –
Top seller top item will definitely buy more when sizes come back into stock A++
4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5
Dustin M. Tooley –
Great seller, well packaged, fast delivery, great to do business with
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Tyrone W. Miller –
Very happy thank you. Very happy to recommend this 5 star seller.
4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5
Jeffrey O. Harbin –
Excellent product and service. Thank you. Very good value for money!!
4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5
Ted L. Eckel –
Very nice, good quality, well recommended!!!
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Craig L. Wingo –
Great Jacket and vest. Fit well and delivered well on time.
4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5
Thomas S. William –
This is a lovely good fit item. Delivery was very prompt.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Jim J. Ruano –
It's a little bigger than I expected based on my other Kilts, that being said it's very comfortable and I will be ordering more of these.fast delivery..great company!!
4 out of 5Rated 4 out of 5
Remigio Romano –
Perfect ….totally satisfied Brilliant product perfect sizing
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Ruben V. Heck –
it is a very fabulous doublet. my friend told me to buy this. and I am so glad to buy this on his demand. really this is an amazing doublet jacket. I am so happy with this.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Gilbert M. Brumfield –
Received the coat and it fitted perfectly. Great feel to the material and extremely perfect quality. I would definitely recommend.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Travis M. Albrecht –
A friend of mine told me about the Scottishkiltcollection.com from where he bought kilts. His buying experience was great, so he suggested me to shop from here as I was looking for a well-made Sheriffmuir kilt jacket for my graduation.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Edward S. Hunter –
It was made from 100% original Barathea fabric. It has silver thistle buttons for fastening, but it came with the vest, so I decided not to fasten it. The 2-inches collar of the doublet is open enough to breathe. I liked the designer cuffs a lot. There are decorative silver thistle buttons on the cuffs too. Stylish silk lining makes it a gorgeous doublet that you can wear at any formal occasion. I bought it to wear at dinner, so I was very excited. Since my first experience with them was great, I was not worried about the quality.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
John W. McLaren –
I do not prefer to buy clothes online as in most of the cases products look nice from afar, but when you look closely, they are made of low-quality materials. I wanted to purchase a Sheriffmuir kilt jacket for a certain day, and I came across this place where there was a huge collection of kilts available.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Manuel K. Risley –
Excellent quality, excellent fabric, and stitching. Both the vest and the jacket exceeded my expectations! I strongly recommend this.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Gerald T. Brummett –
I hate buying jackets. I just don't like 99.5% of jackets on the online stores. I saw this one and thought, it looks okay. I'm actually really pleased with it. It fits well, with plenty of room in the arms and across the shoulders. Really pleased.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Billy P. Lawrence –
I like jackets so that's why I bought this and this is an amazing experience.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Elliott S. Jones –
the first time my brother bought this for me. he knows very well what I need.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Raymond L. Sellers –
Beautiful! Fit like it was tailored just for me!
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Ben M. Leigh –
wonderful black jacket. lovely
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Brad H. Macleod –
Nice looking and seems well made. I'm very satisfied.
5 out of 5Rated 5 out of 5
Garry E. Wallace –
Excellent quality, well worth the price and very good service. Quick dispatch, item was received in a few days.
1- Chest
Lift your arms and wrap the tape measure around your chest at the widest point. Put your arms down. Stand tall and "at ease." Do not over inflate your chest. Just stand and breathe normally. Measure loosely around the chest at underarm height while wearing a t-shirt.
2- Waist
Measure loosely around your "True Waist" at your naval while dressed in a shirt.
3- Shoulder to shoulder
Put on a well-fitting suit jacket. Keep your arms at your side. Measure from shoulder joint till the end where other shoulder body ends.
4- Sleeve Length
Put on a well-fitting suit jacket. Keep your arms at your side. Measure from the shoulder seam (the top of the sleeve where it meets the jacket body) to the cuff. If you do not have a suit jacket, measure from the edge of the shoulder, down your arm to where you'd like the sleeve to end. Typically, jacket sleeves end 1.5" to 2" above the base knuckle of the thumb, breaking at the wrist or slightly lower. Roughly 1/4" to 1/2" of shirt sleeve should show below the cuff of the jacket.
5- Back length
Stand straight and ask your partner to measure your body from the back side, it will be from the end of your collar till your waist point. Don't include lapels in case of prince charlie jacket we will include it following coat length.
Related Products
Men's Military Officer Jacket Red And Black Cotton0 out of 5
Men's Military Officer Jacket Red And Black CottonThe vintage military-style jacket is believed to be part of an actual English military uniform. Navy blue with red collar, sleeves, waistband and accents. Gold-tone braided rope epaulets, heavily embellished across the chest with gold-tone ribbon and buttons that is matched at cuffs.
Military Drummer Jacket4.33 out of 5
Prince Charlie Vest Black0 out of 5
Sheriffmuir Jacket with Vest5.00 out of 5
Luxury Argyle Tweed Kilt Jacket & 5 Button Waistcoat4.80 out of 5
Piper Drummer Military Doublet Black4.86 out of 5
Black Argyle Jacket With 5 Button Vest4.75 out of 5
Class A Honor Guard Kilt Jacket (Black/Red)0 out of 5
Light Purple Scottish Tweed Argyle Kilt Jacket With 5 Button Vest5.00 out of 5
Light Purple Scottish Tweed Argyle Kilt Jacket With 5 Button Vest
We make every order custom made so please put the note in order which sizes you need? Thank you
Light Purple Tweed Jacket and Waistcoat is beautifully made from 100% Pure New Wool.
This jacket and waistcoat are available in 2 different colours,
Double Button Fastening Argyle Cuffs Plaited Epaulettes.
2 Outside Pockets with 3 Button Scalloped Pocket Flaps Chest Pocket Button Hole on the Lapels.
2 Inside Pockets
Colour Matching Polyester Lining
Five Button Waistcoat Fastening High Neck Design
2 Welted Pockets Imitation Staghorn Buttons
Colour Matching Polyester Lining
Waistcoat Back Adjustment Buckle. More details in pictures
Custom Sizes are available upon request.
Discount offered for Bulk Purchases.
Argyle Five Buttons Vest5.00 out of 5


text:
|Today's Posts
Posted to rec.audio.pro
Binaural Brainwave Generator
BrainStimPro Binaural Brainwave Generator is a Professional Medical
Brainwave Tuning tool for medical personal. With adjustable freq, base
frequency, modulation, duration, 8 programmable mask/background noises
(White, Pink, Surf, Rain, etc) 16 programmable color strobe sets
(foreground/background), 4 waveforms (Sine, Square, Saw, Triangle, 12
Programmable Ramp and Sweep Frequency functions, audio to visual pulse
ratio adjust and 24 programmable freq. buttons. In short the software
has well over 300 different options.
The Audio tone generation for binaural brainwave synchronization uses
latest directX sound system oscillators, has 4 different waveforms and
20 brainwave frequency bands with 2X and .5X functions and up/down
1/5HZ buttons plus manual entry frequencies for a unlimited frequency
spectrum for brain wave driving from Delta to Ultra Gamma, (1 to well
over 15600HZ). Adjustable base frequency (10HZ to 15600HZ), phase
modulation 0% to 50% channel reversible, 8 masking noise Options,
(Unlimited with different file names) , Mixer controls, presets and
programmable frequency controls. Also has a programmable color strobe
(Stim / Background) stimulation section frequency driven with 16
independent different color pairs and sound to light ratio adjustment
with 1/3 of full screen usage.
A new just released upgraded version now has 24 programmable frequency
buttons to store your favorite frequencies and comes pretuned to four
of the major Schumann's resonance frequencies to enhance amplification
of the naturally occurring peak frequencies of the brain. By using
base frequencies that are an even 10X the frequency of the Schumann's
resonance, further enhancement of driving efficiency is attained.(see
As of Ver 2.2 (this one is ver 4.0) all functions are now available
from the pull down menus as well, (Well over 130), added better
durational display information, more precise timer controls, and
better color choice information. And rewrote the user manual. Added
full Screen strobe functions, 3 X the programmable buttons (now 24 not
8), By clicking on the PrgSet button, the buttons marked A-H change
from A-H to I to P to Q to X and back to A to H with separate Prg Set
buttons (Also change name), (to store frequencies entered in the text
boxes), and much more. As of Ver. 3.2 4 buttons give you instant
access to the windows Wave recorder, Media Player, Mixer Console plus
DXDiag for studio recording and mixing of the binaural sounds. Another
first as of ver. 3.5 : you can now program 12 different custom sweep
freq scans from low to high or high to low with different binaural and
base frequencies with 1 to 60 min sweep times per freq. plus custom
settingas well as upper and lower frequency limits.
As of Ver 4.0 the user now has 10 trigger Conditions and 10
Programmable Events for a total of 100 different event trigger
combinations to control other programs, events, stimuli, etc. Useful
for different audio functions, screen information, different visual
stimulis, Pos rewards, slide shows or presentations. Or for therpy
with images with psychophisological impact on the challenging
situations in individuals lives, etc..
A visual section for on screen photolytic Stimulation or Relaxation
driving with adjustable colors and sound frequencies for precise
sound / color frequency octave matching (sound freq vs color freq).
Now has 16 programmable color sets (foreground and background). As
well as a sound to color harmonic adjuster for Video/Sound offset
(flash rate of stobe vs sound freq rate ), for audio to video driving
lobe synchronization freq differents. (Since Occipital Resolution freq
(Sample rate) is different then auditorial lobe freq resolution). The
above simply stated is that different colors for different frequencies
and flash ratios for audio and visual lobe stimulation can be
adjusted. Use with headphones for enhanced meditation or for enhancing
better brain function (higher frequencies).Will run on any windows
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text:
I was raised as an evangelical Christian in America, and any discussion of Christian-Jewish-Muslim relations around the world must include the phenomenon of American Islamophobia, for which large sectors of evangelical Christianity in America serve as a greenhouse.
At a time when U.S. embassies are being attacked and when people are getting killed over an offensive, adolescent and puerile film targeting Islam - beyond pathetic in its tawdriness – we must begin to own up to the reality of evangelical Islamaphobia.
Many of my own relatives receive and forward pious-sounding and alarm-bell-ringing e-mails that trumpet (IN LOTS OF CAPITAL LETTERS WITH EXCLAMATION POINTS!) the evils of Islam, that call their fellow evangelicals and charismatics to prayer and "spiritual warfare" against those alleged evils, and that often - truth be told - contain lots of downright lies.
For example, one recent e-mail claimed "Egyptian Christians in Grave Danger as Muslim Brotherhood Crucifies Opponents." Of course, that claim has been thoroughly debunked, but the sender's website still (as of Friday) claims that the Muslim Brotherhood has "crucified those opposing" Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy "naked on trees in front of the presidential palace while abusing others."
CNN's Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories
Many sincere and good-hearted evangelicals have never yet had a real Muslim friend, and now they probably never will because their minds have been so prejudiced by Islamophobic broadcasts on so-called Christian television and radio.
Janet Parshall, for example, a popular talk show host on the Moody Radio Network, frequently hosts Walid Shoebat, a Muslim-evangelical convert whose anti-Muslim claims, along with claims about his own biography, are frequently questioned. John Hagee, a popular televangelist, also hosts Shoebat as an expert on Islam, as does the 700 Club.
Many Christian bookstores that (used to) sell my books, still sell books such as Paul Sperry's "Infiltration: How Muslim Spies and Subversives Have Penetrated Washington" (Thomas Nelson, 2008). In so doing, they fuel conspiracy theories such as the ones U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minnesota, promoted earlier this year.
In recent days, we've seen how irresponsible Muslim media outlets used the tawdry 13-minute video created by a tiny handful of fringe Christian extremists to create a disgusting caricature of all Christians - and all Americans - in Muslim minds. But too few Americans realize how frequently American Christian media personalities in the U.S. similarly prejudice their hearers' minds with mirror-image stereotypes of Muslims.
Ambassador's killing shines light on Muslim sensitivities around Prophet Mohammed
Meanwhile, many who are pastors and leaders in evangelicalism hide their heads in the current issue of Christianity Today or World Magazine, acting as if the kinds of people who host Islamophobic sentiments swim in a tiny sidestream, not in the mainstream, of our common heritage. I wish that were true.
The events of this past week, if we let them, could mark a turning point - a hitting bottom, if you will - in the complicity of evangelicalism in Islamophobia. If enough evangelicals watch or try to watch the film trailer that has sparked such outrage in the Middle East, they may move beyond the tipping point.
I tried to watch it, but I couldn't make it halfway to the 13-minute mark. Everything about it was tawdry, pathetic, even pornographic. All but the most fundamentalist believers from my evangelical Christian tribe who watch that video will be appalled and ashamed to be associated with it.
It is hate speech. It is no different from the anti-Semitic garbage that has been all too common in Western Christian history. It is sub-Christian - beneath the dignity of anyone with a functioning moral compass.
Islamophobic evangelical Christians - and the neo-conservative Catholics and even some Jewish folks who are their unlikely political bedfellows of late - must choose.
Will they press on in their current path, letting Islamophobia spread even further amongst them? Or will they stop, rethink and seek to a more charitable approach to our Muslim neighbors? Will they realize that evangelical religious identity is under assault, not by Shariah law, not by the liberal media, not by secular humanism from the outside, but by forces within the evangelical community that infect that religious identity with hostility?
If I could get one message through to my evangelical friends, it would be this: The greatest threat to evangelicalism is evangelicals who tolerate hate and who promote hate camouflaged as piety.
No one can serve two masters. You can't serve God and greed, nor can you serve God and fear, nor God and hate.
The broad highway of us-them thinking and the offense-outrage-revenge reaction cycle leads to self-destruction. There is a better way, the way of Christ who, when reviled, did not revile in return, who when insulted, did not insult in return, and who taught his followers to love even those who define themselves as enemies.
Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter
Yes, "they" – the tiny minority of Muslims who turn piety into violence – have big problems of their own. But the way of Christ requires all who claim to be Christians to examine our own eyes for planks before trying to perform first aid on the eyes of others. We must admit that we have our own tiny minority whose message and methods we have not firmly, unitedly and publicly repudiated and rejected.
To choose the way of Christ is not appeasement. It is not being a "sympathizer."
The way of Christ is a gentle strength that transcends the vicious cycles of offense-outrage-revenge.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Brian D. McLaren.
The Editors - CNN Belief Blog


text:
How to Work with Law Enforcement After a BreachT.C. Spencer Pryor on Steps to Take to Minimize Legal Risks
After a data breach, how can organizations cooperate with law enforcement without increasing the likelihood they'll face civil lawsuits? By sticking to the basic facts, says T.C. Spencer Pryor, partner at the law firm Alston & Bird LLP.
See Also: Keeping Your Side of the Street Clean: 5 Cyber-Hygiene Facts You Wish You Knew Earlier
"Network diagrams; information related to the network; information related to the company's network security systems - all those things are facts that can be provided to law enforcement," Prior says. "If you provide factual information to law enforcement and you start a dialogue with law enforcement, they can investigate the crime and bring the perpetrators of the crime to justice without [you] waiving the attorney-client privilege or the attorney work-product doctrine."
In a video interview at Information Security Media Group's 2015 Fraud Summit New York, Pryor describes why having legal counsel experienced in this arena can protect organizations "from doing anything that could have an adverse effect on them in future civil litigation." Attorneys also can help craft a solid breach response plan, he notes.
"If I were engaged as a lawyer to review a plan in its infancy, and I made comments to my client saying: 'You have deficiencies in the following areas and best practices are X, Y and Z, and I would recommend that you implement these best practices to get your plan where it needs to be,' that legal advice can be protected by the attorney-client privilege and/or the attorney work-product doctrine if there were future litigation where plaintiff's attorneys or others, [such as] regulators, might try to seek any information related to the formation of your cyber incident response plan," Pryor explains.
Pryor also discusses:
- How to best begin a dialogue with law enforcement after a breach;
- Why legal counsel should spearhead company investigations into such issues as potential negligence and fraud; and
- Why it's important to have outside counsel in place before a data breach occurs.
Before joining Alston & Bird, Pryor was an assistant U.S. attorney and counsel to the Deputy Attorney General. He was a member of Georgia's Judicial Nominating Committee under then Governor Sonny Perdue and currently serves on the board of visitors at the University of Georgia School of Law.


text:
Cypress California, September 30, 2010…..Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. and Graves Motorsports would like to congratulate Josh Hayes on his first AMA American Superbike Championship. The Championship is also the first for Yamaha in America's premier road racing class since 1991 when Floridian Thomas Stevens won the title aboard a Vance & Hines Yamaha-prepared FZR750RR OW01 works bike.
"I cannot thank Yamaha and my crew enough for giving me this shot at the Superbike Championship," said Josh. "I am glad I was able to add my name to the record book and bring home the R1's first AMA Superbike Championship".
"We have partnered with Yamaha for 13 years now, and during this tenure we've been part of other Championships," said Chuck Graves, "But this one is the pinnacle. I'd like to sincerely thank Josh Hayes, Yamaha Motor Corporation U.S.A. and all of our associate partners."
Yamaha's Racing Division Manager Keith McCarty said "Josh came to us with a plan and great desire to win this title and he accomplished the goal. On behalf of everyone at Yamaha I would like to say thanks for a job well done!"
Yamaha Road Racing Team Manager Tom Halverson added, "Congratulations to all of the Yamaha family and Graves Team, we appreciate your support over the years and are very proud to win this Championship".


text:
Cuba: Risk Assessment
Country Risk Rating
Business Climate Rating
- Tourism and mining sectors (nickel, cobalt), and agricultural potential (sugar, tobacco)
- Agriculture, commerce, catering and construction being opened up to the individual and cooperative private sector
- Skilled and inexpensive workforce
- High-quality medical and education sectors
- Relatively satisfactory social indicators
- Low crime and efforts to fight corruption
- Dialogue and cooperation agreement with the European Union
- External vulnerabilities (climate, commodities)
- Low productivity in the public sector and in agriculture
- Weak investment and infrastructure
- Cumbersome administrative processes; trade regulations still very recent
- State control over wholesale trade, credit, foreign trade and foreign investment
- Subsidies for basic products putting pressure on public spending
- Limited access to external funding
- Major shortages
Current Trends
A slow recovery from the crisis
The country's economic situation should slowly improve throughout 2022, boosted by the global recovery, while the consequences of the recent and painful reforms implemented by the government will diminish. The initial effects of currency unification, which took place on 1 January 2021, should begin to fade, and the single currency's exchange rate should stabilize after plunging throughout 2021 (CUP 64 to USD 1 on the black market in September 2021 compared with an official exchange rate of 24 to 1). However, supply constraints and growth of the black market will keep upward pressure on prices while the sanctions implemented by the Trump administration are still in place. As a result, inflation should remain contained at double-digit levels after exploding in 2021, and pressure on households should ease. However, the constraints on household consumption will remain high, while the fourfold increase in the public sector minimum wage in 2021 failed to keep pace with inflation. Public subsidies are trending downwards, while shortages of necessities are accumulating. Expatriate remittances and receipt of the foreign currency sent by expatriates will also continue to be restricted by U.S. sanctions and government exchange controls. Within a largely state-owned economy, public consumption will continue to suffer from the lack of government funding. This is expected to push the government to continue with reforms aimed at partially liberalizing the economy following the expansion of self-employment in February 2021 and the law passed in August 2021, allowing the creation of small and medium-sized enterprises with up to 100 employees. Despite the opening up 678 projects to foreign investment, 175 more than in 2021, investors will probably remain cautious. Title III of the Helms-Burton Act has not been repealed by the Biden administration and continues to authorize legal action against entities benefiting from assets expropriated in Cuba since 1 January 1959. External demand should, however, allow the country's exports to pick up somewhat, helped by higher nickel and sugar prices. The agricultural sector is poised to benefit from this but remains highly vulnerable to climatic events. The manufacturing industry should benefit from global demand for pharmaceuticals and chemicals but will continue to be heavily constrained by supply problems. The tourism sector (10.3% of GDP in 2019), which is mainly seasonal, should perk up a little in the first quarter of 2022 after the country reopens to tourists on 15 November 2021.
Limited improvement in the public and current accounts
Following monetary unification, with GDP no longer being overestimated at a rate of USD 1 = CUC 1 (the old currency used in external trade) = CUP 1, debt as a percentage of GDP surged. The increase was further exacerbated by the high deficit level and the high share of external debt (131% of GDP). With the country in default since 2020, an agreement was finally reached in the spring of 2021 with the Paris Club allowing Cuba to meet its obligations under the debt restructuring agreement signed in 2015. A proposal to restructure the debt with private creditors was also sent to the government by the London Club, which suggested a 60% haircut for this debt, most of which is held by CRF I Ltd, an investment fund. Against this backdrop, the public deficit should decrease in 2022. Reduced spending on COVID-19 and the gradual recovery in tourism will provide significant revenue in the face of rising oil prices at a time when U.S. sanctions prevent Cuba from obtaining low-cost supplies from its ally, Venezuela. The domestic bond issuance will finance this deficit along with some sparse international financing provided through bilateral loans, notably from China.
Turning to the external accounts, the fall of the CUP has increased the import bill, while domestic production is struggling to meet internal needs, and oil prices have risen. However, exports, notably of pharmaceuticals, chemicals, agricultural and mining products (nickel), should be made more competitive by the devaluation, allowing them to rebound. The same goes for services exports, which the tourism recovery and sales of medical services abroad will drive. Cuban doctors were in high demand during the pandemic and undertook around 40 external missions. This and expatriate remittances should allow a small current account surplus to be restored while foreign direct investment, mainly from Europe, is set to increase timidly.
Tensions running high in urban areas
In July 2021, the government faced a historic nationwide wave of protests over worsening economic and health conditions. The government responded by repressing and making hundreds of arrests, particularly in the cultural sector. Externally, the main issue will remain the normalization of relations with the United States, a possibility raised by the arrival of Joe Biden in power. However, the prevalence of domestic interests and the new president's need to win votes in Florida ahead of the mid-term elections are likely to slow the pace of this normalization, as evidenced by the automatic renewal of sanctions implemented by the Trump administration.


text:
European Pharmacopoeia - Background and Mission
The European Pharmacopoeia is a single reference work for the quality control of medicines in the signatory states of the Convention on its elaboration.
The official standards published within provide a legal and scientific basis for quality control during the development, production and marketing processes.
They concern the qualitative and quantitative composition and the tests to be carried out on medicines, on the raw materials used in production of medicines and on the intermediates of synthesis. All producers of medicines and/or substances for pharmaceutical use must therefore apply these quality standards in order to market their products in the signatory states of the Convention.
Legal Framework
Several legal texts make the European Pharmacopoeia mandatory. These are as follows:
- the Convention developed by the Council of Europe on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia,
- a Protocol adopted in 1994 and amending the Convention to prepare for the accession of the European Union and defining the respective powers of the European Union and its member states within the European Pharmacopoeia Commission,
- European Union Directive 2001/83/EC as amended, on medicines for human use and and Regulation (EU) 2019/6 on veterinary medicinal products. These maintain the mandatory character of European Pharmacopoeia monographs when requesting marketing authorisation (MA).
The contracting parties of the Convention undertake to:
- progressively elaborate a Pharmacopoeia which shall become common to the countries concerned and which shall be entitled "European Pharmacopoeia"
- take the necessary measures to ensure that the monographs shall become the official standards applicable within their country by direct implementation in the national legislation or by indirect implementation through national translation.
For information about the working procedure and the functions of the different bodies responsible for carrying out the work of elaborating a European Pharmacopoeia, please consult the documents in the right-hand menu.
The purpose of the European Pharmacopoeia is to promote public health by the provision of recognised common standards for the quality of medicines and their components. Such standards are to be appropriate as a basis for the safe use of medicines by patients. In addition, their existence facilitates the free movement of medicinal products in Europe and beyond.
European Pharmacopoeia monographs and other texts are designed to be appropriate to the needs of:
- regulatory authorities;
- those engaged in the quality control of medicinal products and their constituents;
- manufacturers of medicinal products and their individual components.
The European Pharmacopoeia is widely used internationally. As globalisation and expansion in international trade present a growing need to develop global quality standards for medicines, the Commission works closely with all users of the Pharmacopoeia worldwide.
- 177th session: 21-22 November 2023
- Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia (ETS No. 50), 1964
- Protocol to the Convention on the Elaboration of a European Pharmacopoeia (ETS No. 134), 1989
- Guide for the Work of the European Pharmacopoeia
- Rules of Procedure of the European Pharmacopoeia Commission
- Code of Practice for the work of the European Pharmacopoeia
- Guide on the declassification of documents pertaining to the work of the European Pharmacopoeia


text:
Product photography and illustrations have been reproduced as accurately as print and web technologies permit. To ensure highest satisfaction, we suggest you view an actual sample from your dealer for best color, wood grain and finish representation.
A delicate wisp of soft gray in an opaque finish, topped with a pale, cool gray glaze, on MDF door components that are durable and resistant to warping.


text:
The curse of incremental improvement
In an industrial, competitive culture, most things are just barely good enough.
Cell phone calls, if they were any worse, would be unusable. MP3 files sound not nearly as good as they could. Car mileage goes up, but really slowly. When something makes a huge leap (like the iPad did), it's headline news, because it's so rare.
The market will switch to a competitor when the competitor is just good enough to warrant switching (I know that's obvious, but it's worth stating). As a result, R&D departments ship a product out the door the moment it is just barely good enough to grab enough share to pay for itself. The thought of, for example, working on the CD for six more months before declaring it 'done' would have been considered short-term economic stupidity. As a result, we are saddled with thirty years of sub-par music–if they'd just held on a bit longer, it would all sound so much better.
The challenge kicks in for the individual or organization who thinks what they've launched is just barely good enough–and it's not. Prematurely declaring that it's done means that your incremental improvement doesn't seem important to anyone else. And so you flop.
Better to make it better than it needs to be.


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If we didn't have enough to worry about in the grocery aisles, with GMOs, toxic additives and pesticide-soaked foods, we can now add a new concern: nanoparticles.
What exactly is a nanoparticle? As You Sow, a non-profit consumer advocacy group, explains:
"Nanomaterials are often heralded as having the potential to revolutionize the food industry – from enabling the production of creamy liquids that contain no fat, to enhancing flavors,improving supplement delivery, providing brighter colors, keeping food fresh longer, or indicating when it spoils. It is reported that nanotechnology is already used in food and food related products, but due to lack of transparency about the issue, concrete information has been difficult to obtain.
"Because of their small size, nanoparticles are able to go places in the body that larger particles cannot. Nanoparticles in food or food packaging can gain access via ingestion, inhalation,or skin penetration. When ingested, the nano-sized particles facilitate uptake into cells and can allow them to pass into the blood and lymph where they circulate through the body and reach potentially sensitive target sites such as bone marrow, lymph nodes, the spleen, the brain, the liver, and the heart.
"Nanoparticles penetrating the skin can distribute through the body via lymphatic channels. Inhaled nano TiO2 has been found to act like asbestos and silicone in that it accumulates in the lung and causes inflammation and can impact DNA proteins and cell membranes." (You can download As You Sow's Slipping Through the Cracks report on nanoparticles here)
So, much like GMOs, nanoparticle technology was not properly tested before it entered our food supply.
Worrying results
The few studies that have been done have alarming results.
A 2010 Swedish study, revealed that nanoparticles derived from transition metals, silver, copper, aluminum, silicon, carbon and metal oxides easily crossed the blood-brain barrier and produced lasting damage to the barrier, by altering the permeability.
Research at Cornell University, led by Dr. Michael Shuler, studied how large doses of polystyrene nanoparticles – a common, FDA-approved substance found in substances ranging from food additives to vitamins – affected the absorption of iron.
According to the study, high-intensity, short-term exposure to the particles initially blocked iron absorption, whereas longer-term exposure caused intestinal cell structures to change, allowing for a compensating uptick in iron absorption.
The researchers tested both acute and chronic nanoparticle exposure using human gut cells in petri dishes as well as live chickens and reported matching results.
Shuler said the research serves to underscore how such particles, which have been widely studied and considered safe, cause barely detectable changes that could lead to, for example, over-absorption of other, harmful compounds (see also the news story here).
Unpredictabe behaviour
One of the major issues with nanoparticles is that when a substance is reduced to nano form (about a billionth in scale) the substance behaves differently.
According to experts, the issue is that elements at the nanoscale behave differently from the larger sized particles in which they are normally encountered.
As an example, graphite's properties are well known: it holds specific position in toxicology guidelines and is not considered a hazardous or reactive material under any normal circumstances.
Nobel winning physicist Richard Smalley of Rice University discovered carbon nanotubes and fullerenes (buckyballs) – nanoparticles of carbon – that are categorized as forms of graphite due to the way the carbon atoms are arranged. These particles, however, behave in ways unlike graphite, making their classification a potentially dangerous one.
Scientists know that substances become more reactive as their particles get smaller because the surface area is greater relative to the volume, providing a larger surface on which chemical reactions can occur for a given amount of the substance.
One example concerns the element iron. An iron nail will not burn, but the same quantity of the element in the form of an extremely fine powder will ignite spontaneously when exposed to air. Similarly, substances that are normally fairly inert may undergo unexpected chemical reactions in the human body or in the environment when in nanoparticle form (source).
Because of this concentrated effect, it isn't known exactly how nanoparticles will affect humans. They have been shown to cause altered gene markers and brain damage in fish, accumulation in laboratory animals, and at least one type of nanoparticle has been shown to cross the human placenta in preliminary studies.
What is the FDA's policy on the inclusion of nano-particles in food?
The European Food Safety Authority requires that foods containing nanoparticles be labelled, but in America, the FDA does not require food manufacturers to report the nanoparticles on the label.
Ironically, the FDA also refuses to say that the nanoparticles are safe: "At this time, we are not aware of any food ingredient or [food contact substance] intentionally engineered on the nanometer scale for which there are generally available safety data sufficient to serve as the foundation for a determination that the use of a food ingredient or FCS [food contact substance] is GRAS [Generally Recognised as Safe]." (source)
The FDA allows the control over the use of nanomaterial to be in the hands of food manufacturers. According to the government agency's website:
"Industry remains responsible for ensuring that its products meet all applicable legal requirements, including safety standards. Regardless of whether products are subject to premarket review or authorization, manufacturers are required to ensure that their product satisfies applicable safety standards and complies with other applicable requirements."
This means that the manufacturers are free to determine what tests should be conducted, whether or not they wish to share the results of those test, and whether or not they opt to label the products that contain nanoparticles.
Sebastian Cianci, an FDA spokesperson, said, in a recent EMagazine interview:
"Under existing statutory and regulatory provisions, manufacturers are able to voluntarily include information about the use of nanomaterials or nanotechnology in the labeling of products where such information presented in the context of the entire label or labeling is not false or misleading…and does not violate other labeling requirements."
The FDA is apparently not tracking the use of these particles at all, according to an email exchange between EMagazine and the representative for the agency:
E Magazine: What can you tell me about the prevalence of nanomaterials in our food supply?
Sebastian Cianci: FDA does not have a list of food products that contain nanomaterials.
E: Where are nanomaterials most often found within food products? In colorings or additives?
SC: FDA does not maintain a list of food products that contain nanomaterials so we cannot reliably answer this question.
The FDA is not asking questions because they really just don't want to know. Big Food has too much influence within the agency for any true oversight to occur.
What foods contain nanoparticles?
One frequently used nanoparticle is titanium dioxide. This is included in the powdered-sugar coating on many pastries and lends them a whiter, brighter look. Wondering what to strike from your shopping list? Titanium dioxide nanoparticles have provided a sparkling white appearance to the following, according to EMagazine:
Because manufacturers are not required to report the inclusion of nanoparticles (trade secrets) and because little analysis of processed food has been done to determine whether or not nanoparticles are present, it's impossible to provide a comprehensive list of foods that contain nanoparticles.
How can you avoid nanoparticles?
Nanoparticles are impossible to avoid if you eat processed foods – and you won't know if you are consuming them or not, because they aren't on the label. More frightening, and potentially much harder to avoid, is the fact that there are some experimental farming methods that use nanoparticles too.
The strategies to avoid nanoparticles are identical to the strategies to avoid the other toxins in the grocery store gauntlet.
The food industry has taken its cue from the backlash against GMOs. If we don't insist on transparency, they will not provide us with information on what our food contains. If we allow it, they will continue justify their silence by claiming that these tiny toxins are "trade secrets". Will nanoparticles have negative long-term effects on human health?
We honestly don't know yet, but preliminary research does not look good. Vote with your wallet, and refuse to be a guinea pig for Big Food.
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text: If you are a woman—or know a woman—who owns a closet, you are in luck. The starry new off-Broadway show Love Loss and What I Wore is for you. The show, written by talented sisters Nora and Delia Ephron (based on Ilene Beckerman's bestselling book), opened on October 2 to an audience filled with celebs. With a cast featuring legendary Tony winner Tyne Daly, comedienne extraordinaire Rosie O'Donnell, The Daily Show's hilarious Samantha Bee, Tony winner Katie Finneran and movie star Natasha Lyonne, you can see why the show is quickly becoming the place to be. Plus, it's an eye-opening work that offers a peek into the hearts and minds of women as they deal with hook-ups, break-ups, hardships, bra-shopping, purse-hating and, yes, their mothers. After the performance at the Westside Theatre, the lovely company of ladies headed to the Bryant Park Grill to bask in their fabulousness. Take a look!


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Thursday, October 31, 2013
Catskill Ruins
Happy Halloween, everybody. We took a walk in the Catskill mountains and found a ghost town deep in the forest. (Direct link to video)
Posted by James Gurney at Thursday, October 31, 2013 6 comments
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Quick-Sketch Portrait Tools
This set of water-soluble colored pencils and water brushes is all you need for sketching people in the wild.
You can order Caran d'Ache Supracolor 11 pencils individually at Dick Blick. The colors shown here are:
035 Ochre
037 Brown Ochre
045 Vandycke Brown
063 English Red
159 Brown
009 Black
407 Sepia
155 Blue Jeans
The four waterbrushes are medium or large size rounds, made by Niji, which you can get from Amazon
They're filled with 1. Water, 2. Higgins Eternal Ink, 3. Higgins Sepia Ink , and 4. Sheaffer Skrip blue ink
These inks are non-waterproof, which allows them to be dissolved after they are dry, and they protect the life and flow of your waterbrush.
It also helps to have a kneaded eraser and a pencil sharpener that will catch the shavings. The sketchbook should be something that can take water media, such as a Moleskine watercolor journal
Posted by James Gurney at Wednesday, October 30, 2013 18 comments
Labels: Pencil Sketching
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
School Visit
Posted by James Gurney at Tuesday, October 29, 2013 4 comments
David Smyth, Potter
I sketched David's portrait as we ate our late afternoon snack. Some of his friends call him "Nimbus" because of his cloud of white hair.
The crocks hold 2.5 to 5 gallons of water. They have a filter mounted inside, and they work entirely by gravity. As the water drains down to the spigot at a rate of about a gallon an hour, the bacteria, chemicals, and odors are removed. It's an environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water.
More info at: Smyth/Cid Pottery
Posted by James Gurney at Tuesday, October 29, 2013 1 comments
Monday, October 28, 2013
Photos from the exhibition
The exhibition will continue through February 9
Posted by James Gurney at Monday, October 28, 2013 3 comments
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Dinotopia art museum exhibition opens today
Dinotopia has arrived at the Arkell Museum of Art in Canajoharie, New York. The exhibition of original artwork "Dinotopia: The Fantastical Art of James Gurney" opens today at 1:00.
At 2:30, I'll be in attendance to give a family lecture on the making of Dinotopia, followed by a booksigning.
The exhibition will feature major works from Dinotopia, The World Beneath, and Journey to Chandara, along with maquettes, preliminary sketches, and plein air works that inspired the fantasy world.
To connect Dinotopia to the tradition of imaginative painting, the Arkell will also exhibit J. Georges Vibert's painting of Gulliver on the Island of Lilliput, which is featured in Imaginative Realism. I'll be visiting a local elementary school on Monday to talk dinosaurs.
More info on the lecture
Posted by James Gurney at Sunday, October 27, 2013 6 comments
Labels: Dinotopia, Museum Visits
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Hand Blown Glass
(Direct link to video) My son Frank is working as an apprentice at a glass art studio in Colorado called Homegrown Handblown. This studio was the destination for our recent cross-country adventure.
I made this video profile as a thank-you gift to the glass artists Kirk and Katie Howlett and as a snapshot of my son's life.
Posted by James Gurney at Saturday, October 26, 2013 5 comments
Labels: Video
Friday, October 25, 2013
Video Contest Entries
At the end of August, I invited you to create 1-minute long videos for a contest called "Plein-Air Persistence."
There were
five six entries, and they all show wonderful imagination and hard work. Please have a look through them and vote for your favorite in the poll at left.
1. Michael Goldberg
Website: www.artissimple.com
Video Link: http://youtu.be/RJlGfafIiL4
There were
1. Michael Goldberg
Website: www.artissimple.com
Video Link: http://youtu.be/RJlGfafIiL4
2. Frank Hegyi and Shane Kier
Websites: http://www.frankhegyi.com/ and http://shanekier.com/
Websites: http://www.frankhegyi.com/ and http://shanekier.com/
Video link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6iAgduMQUc
3. Meghan N. Sours
Website: www.meghansours.com
Video Link: http://youtu.be/8Q8qaOMuDfU
Video Link: http://youtu.be/8Q8qaOMuDfU
4. Matthew Kalamidas
Website: mkalamidas.com
Video Link: http://youtu.be/yKPFXIJ8i6g
Website: mkalamidas.com
Video Link: http://youtu.be/yKPFXIJ8i6g
5. Dominik Litwiniak
Website: www.taminostudio.com
Video link: http://youtu.be/i3z650mPIK0
Video link: http://youtu.be/i3z650mPIK0
ADDENDUM: This last entry somehow fell through the cracks, and was apparently missed because of Gmail's spam filters. Although you can't vote for Nathaniel's video in the poll, tell him in the comments what you think!
6. Nathaniel Gold
Website: http://www.nathanielgold.com/
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxZM3dpI0BQ
ADDENDUM: This last entry somehow fell through the cracks, and was apparently missed because of Gmail's spam filters. Although you can't vote for Nathaniel's video in the poll, tell him in the comments what you think!
6. Nathaniel Gold
Website: http://www.nathanielgold.com/
Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxZM3dpI0BQ
The top vote getters will receive a signed book from me, as well as prizes donated by Richeson Art Products and Liliedahl Video Productions and will be featured in Plein Air Magazine. Dominik will automatically win some prizes since his was the only entry in the Animation category.
Voting will continue until Sunday night at midnight, so please tell your friends about the contest. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Plein Air Persistence contest announcement
Voting will continue until Sunday night at midnight, so please tell your friends about the contest. Thanks to everyone who entered.
Plein Air Persistence contest announcement
Posted by James Gurney at Friday, October 25, 2013 18 comments
Labels: Video
On the train home
The train brought us home to the Hudson Valley last night, after about 48 hours of travel from Denver.
We booked a sleeper for the first leg of the trip, and went coach from Chicago to New York. The small sleeper gives you two bunks in a private chamber with a bathroom down the hall and a shower on the level below. You're free to walk around as the train is moving.
We loved waking up to the view of small towns in Iowa.
|Views from the Amtrak Zephyr, James Gurney, casein, 1x2 inches each.
I tried to capture some of the landscapes as they sped past the window. The scenes were composites, constructed from fleeting impressions assembled in my short term memory.
|View from the Amtrak Sleeper, watercolor and gouache, 5x8 inches.
But now America turns its back to the train, so you get to see our country in its most unguarded, squalid, and at times glorious, moments: back yards, junkyards, abandoned factories, refineries, wind farms, and miles and miles of corn. The views are entirely different from what you can see from a car. I was glued to the window the whole time, except for the meals.
Passage in the sleeper includes meals in the dining car, seated with other passengers. Having a conversation with a stranger can be a surprisingly rare experience in modern American life, so it's a welcome benefit of train travel.
Posted by James Gurney at Friday, October 25, 2013 8 comments
Thursday, October 24, 2013
Arkansas River: Painting vs. Photo
Note: I will be posting all of the entries in the "Plein Air Persistence" contest
late today or tomorrow. I can't do it right now because I'm in transit at the moment.
One of the reasons I love painting directly from Nature instead of just from photos is that I can see so many colors that the camera can't register.
Here's a study in watercolor and gouache. I was trying to replicate the colors I saw, and I don't think I was exaggerating them too much (OK, maybe I was enhancing them a little bit).
I took a photo at the same time, and maybe I'm a lousy photographer, but it seems that the camera missed a lot of the warm and cool variation at midrange values. So if this photo was all I had to go on, I wouldn't even know those colors were there.
That said, I'm fascinated by photography, and I occasionally enjoy trying to incorporate certain photographic effects (such as color grading, lens flares, and bokeh) in scenes that I'm painting directly from observation. Also, as a reference tool, the photo has a lot of useful information for form and texture. So really, the ideal field reference is a combination of plein-air studies and photos.
Next up is our adventure homeward on Greyhound and Amtrak.
Posted by James Gurney at Thursday, October 24, 2013 15 comments
Labels: Photography, Watercolor Painting
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Mount Princeton
Mount Princeton is one of the "Fourteeners," one of the highest peaks of the Rocky Mountains. I painted it from across the valley, with Buena Vista far below.
I'm proud of my son Frank for climbing all the way to the 14,197' summit. Even in the valley below at 8,000 feet, I'm breathless after a flight of stairs.
|Mount Princeton by James Gurney, watercolor and gouache, 5x8 inches, October 2013
I feel that mountain painting requires a different mindset from other subjects. For one thing, I believe it's essential to draw all the forms as accurately as possible, as if I'm on a 19th century survey expedition, and lives depend on my getting the forms right.
To get a feeling of scale, I tried to set up an extreme contrast between large and small touches. A barn in the valley is the size of a pinhead in the painting.
|Detail of Mount Princeton, about 1 inch wide. White accents in gouache over watercolor.
Gouache and watercolor lend themselves to this kind of subject, because they allow for extremely small accents, contrasted with larger softly modeled forms. One of the keys to achieving a sense of scale and atmosphere in mountain painting is to keep all the values of the distant space fairly high key.
The way I was set up, with the sunlight streaming directly onto the painting, I had to watch out that I didn't distort the values, because the direct sunlight makes all the painted passages appear lighter and more colorful than they would look in indoor light.
Posted by James Gurney at Wednesday, October 23, 2013 6 comments
Labels: Paint Technique, Watercolor Painting
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Street scene in Salida, Colorado
Here's a painting I did yesterday on a street corner in Salida, Colorado. You can see the giant "S" on Salida's spiral mountain, just behind the Palace Hotel sign.
|Palace Hotel, Salida, Colorado. Casein, 5x8 inches, by James Gurney
I used casein paint, with the limited palette of cobalt blue, golden ochre, Venetian red, burnt umber and white.
Here's a detail of the shopfronts and awnings. This represents about one square inch of the original painting. By the time I got to this stage, I was using smaller brushes, mostly flats. With casein, you can build detail by overlapping light over dark and dark over light.
Here's an early stage, about 10 minutes into the 1 hour painting.
Although there's quite a bit of finicky detail work in the final painting, the beginning stages are really loose, painted with a big brush, a luxury you can afford yourself with opaque painting. But under that loose, transparent lay-in is a carefully measured "pencil map" of the big shapes.
Additional tip: Whenever you mix a color, think in terms of classifying the colors in the scene. For example, you might think "white in shadow," "bricks in light," or "aspen foliage in light," etc. Once you have that color on your brush for the one thing you wanted to paint, look for other places in the scene that have similar conditions, and repeat that color in those places.
Note: Tonight at midnight is the deadline for the "Plein Air Persistence" video contest. I'll try to have all the entrants up and ready for voting by the end of the 24th or 25th.
Posted by James Gurney at Tuesday, October 22, 2013 6 comments
Labels: Casein Painting, Paint Technique
Monday, October 21, 2013
Glassblowing in Action
Here's a portrait of my son Frank, who is apprenticing at glassblowing.
It's fun to watch the process. Propane mixes with oxygen to make a powerful diagonal jet of fire that heats up and softens the glass. The stream of blue-colored flame turns to yellow-orange as soon as the glass touches it.
The warm light from the flame lit the front surfaces. Some cool fluorescents lit his back and the top of his head.
I used casein in a watercolor sketchbook held up on a camera tripod. Having the work up high, close to my line of sight, makes accurate judgments much easier. I liked where I was sitting because my work was lit by the window behind me. The brim of the hat shields my eyes from the dangerously bright orange light.
Posted by James Gurney at Monday, October 21, 2013 5 comments
Labels: Casein Painting
Sunday, October 20, 2013
"Homecoming" Original Painting to Auction October 26
An original painting of mine called "Homecoming" will be coming up for sale at Heritage Auctions on October 26. I painted it in 1984 for a science fiction paperback novel by John Dalmas about neo-barbarians encountering an advanced civilization.
Imaginative Realism, where I also shared some of the preliminary sketches. This is a rare chance to own an important original, since they are almost exclusively sold by auction, and that doesn't happen too often.
Here's a video about the entire auction.
Heritage Auctions October 26
Posted by James Gurney at Sunday, October 20, 2013 2 comments
Painting a Husky
We took her for a long walk and gave her a little taste of honey baked ham. Best friends for life!
She got sleepy and comfortable and curled up in husky style, with the nose beneath the tail, just what I was hoping for. Still, I figured I might only have 15 minutes to paint her before she got up and changed position.
Painting is a sort of drawing. The only difference is that the brush and paint give you much more versatility and control.
Posted by James Gurney at Sunday, October 20, 2013 6 comments
Labels: Animals, Casein Painting
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Behind the Laundromat
Posted by James Gurney at Saturday, October 19, 2013 4 comments
Labels: Casein Painting
Friday, October 18, 2013
Gouache in Grinnell, Iowa
Jeanette and I continued our epic drive west yesterday, cruising along old US Highway 6 from Illinois across Iowa. Our goal: to deliver Trusty Rusty, our 1999 Toyota Sienna to our son, where he lives 9,000 feet up in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado.
In Grinnell, Iowa, we paused for a turkey sandwich and a sketch. We stopped at a sunbaked alley with view toward a water tower. Here's my sketch in gouache.
We then drove on into the night to Kearney, Nebraska. It was a windy night, and the gigantic wind propellers were spinning fast, with red flashing lights, as we pushed on west. The corn harvesters were going all night too, with floodlights glaring out in the endless cornfields.
|Alley, Grinnell, Iowa, James Gurney. Gouache in watercolor sketchbook, 5x8 inches, 1.5 hours.
We then drove on into the night to Kearney, Nebraska. It was a windy night, and the gigantic wind propellers were spinning fast, with red flashing lights, as we pushed on west. The corn harvesters were going all night too, with floodlights glaring out in the endless cornfields.
Posted by James Gurney at Friday, October 18, 2013 9 comments
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Popeye in Perspective
(Video link) In the 1934 animated film "A Dream Walking" by the Fleischer Studios, Olive Oyl sleepwalks on a skyscraper's scaffolding, as Popeye and Bluto try to save her. It's a tour de force of perspective, switching effortlessly between one-, two-, and three-point perspective.
Posted by James Gurney at Thursday, October 17, 2013 6 comments
Labels: Perspective
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Helpful Bear Promo Animations
Some friends of mine at a motion graphics company called Helpful Bear Productions have created some promo animations that I'm very excited to share with you.
Age of Dinosaurs from Helpful Bear Productions Inc. on Vimeo.
"This was all done using the Adobe suite, (After Effects, Photoshop and Illustrator) along with Cinema 4D.
"I wanted the video to stay in the organic realm and mimic the look and feel of a real camera and everything that comes along with it. The shallow depth of field, slow camera motion that follows the paint bleeding onto the drawing, and realistic lighting to set the mood.
"The "reveals" would ideally have been done by shooting cotton based paper against a light box and then pouring a mix of India ink and water at various consistencies over it and using that as a "mask". However given that we needed considerably more control over the actual reveal, I decided to try to recreate this effect digitally.
"I discovered that animating the edges of the ink reveal is never smooth as the paper weave isn't consistent. There is also a thin line around the edge of the ink that first makes the paper appear "wet" before it fills it in with the opaque ink. These observations enabled me to create this in After Effects using built-in plugins.
"The camera motion was achieved via Maxon's Cinema 4D, using a combination of a target camera and then finessing the motion manually. Subsequentially, the camera data was piped into Adobe's After Effects, where all the compositing and appropriate titling was done.
"The score was composed by Michael Brennan. He used the primal nature of the dinosaur world as a jumping off point and created something that is absolutely brilliant. It elevates James Gurney's painting to an even higher level."
Age of Dinosaurs from Helpful Bear Productions Inc. on Vimeo.
The first one (link to video) shows the Australian dinosaur stamp art magically transforming from drawing to painting.
They also produced this trailer for my video ""How I Paint Dinosaurs". (direct link to promo video)
Motion graphic artist Vidur Gupta explains the process:
"I wanted the video to stay in the organic realm and mimic the look and feel of a real camera and everything that comes along with it. The shallow depth of field, slow camera motion that follows the paint bleeding onto the drawing, and realistic lighting to set the mood.
"The "reveals" would ideally have been done by shooting cotton based paper against a light box and then pouring a mix of India ink and water at various consistencies over it and using that as a "mask". However given that we needed considerably more control over the actual reveal, I decided to try to recreate this effect digitally.
"I discovered that animating the edges of the ink reveal is never smooth as the paper weave isn't consistent. There is also a thin line around the edge of the ink that first makes the paper appear "wet" before it fills it in with the opaque ink. These observations enabled me to create this in After Effects using built-in plugins.
"The camera motion was achieved via Maxon's Cinema 4D, using a combination of a target camera and then finessing the motion manually. Subsequentially, the camera data was piped into Adobe's After Effects, where all the compositing and appropriate titling was done.
"The score was composed by Michael Brennan. He used the primal nature of the dinosaur world as a jumping off point and created something that is absolutely brilliant. It elevates James Gurney's painting to an even higher level."
Helpful Bear is a great little company that combines the talents of Vidur Gupta, Gilbert Banducci, Terryl Whitlatch, Michael Brennan, and David Bober
Posted by James Gurney at Wednesday, October 16, 2013 0 comments
Illustration Master Class signup starts today
Illustration Master Class opens for enrollment today at noon, Eastern U.S. time. I just wanted to let you know if you're interested in the weeklong fantasy art workshop, because the 80 or so limited spaces tend to fill up pretty fast.
Illustration Master Class
Illustration Master Class
Posted by James Gurney at Wednesday, October 16, 2013 2 comments
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
A family eating dinner, 1760s style.
I did this watercolor painting yesterday at Greenfield Village in Michigan, the living history complex established by Henry Ford.
The costumed interpreters were eating a midday dinner in the fashion of Connecticut settlers around 1760. I asked if I could sketch, unfolded my tripod stool, and got busy in a dark corner of the room.
A little LED headlamp shining on my work gave me some idea what colors I was using. It created an odd bit of anachronism for the other visitors to see a bloke bobbing his head up and down with an alien light source.
What intrigued me about the scene was the cool window light flaring into the scene from the left, with another cool window source from the right, creating an interesting split lighting on the man's face.
To convey the brightness of the window at left, I had to avoid darks anywhere near it. Note how the camera captured the same effect, with window light bleaching and devouring any small forms near it.
1. Tripod stool
with shoulder strap.
2. Compact tripod for video camera, Zoom recorder, or LED light, strapped to chair with bungie cord.
3. Paint rag tied to the outside to allow it to dry (looks a bit weird).
4. Belt pouch. Contains: pencils, brushes, water cup, gouache set, mini watercolor set, watercolor sketchbook, and LED headlamp.
5. Flip video camera
6. Zoom ZH1 sound recorder.
7. Still camera.8. Canon Vixia camcorder
Posted by James Gurney at Tuesday, October 15, 2013 4 comments
Labels: Watercolor Painting
Monday, October 14, 2013
Lecture tomorrow in Michigan
If you live near Detroit, Michigan, and you like dinosaurs, fantasy art, or Dinotopia, please come to my lecture tomorrow at the Cranbrook Institute of Science, where they have a big exhibit of dinosaur skeletons from western North America.
The event will start at 6:00 with a book signing, and we'll have some Dinotopia books there. Then I'll give a digital slide lecture at 7:00 called "Dinotopia: Art, Science, and Imagination," showing how I paint realistic dinosaurs and ancient civilizations for science publications, and how that work has inspired the fantasy world of Dinotopia. It should be interesting for humans of all ages.
Posted by James Gurney at Monday, October 14, 2013 2 comments
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Pleissner's Watercolor Setup
Ogden Pleissner (1905-1983) was an American watercolorist who painted Europe after World War II and became best known for his sporting artwork.
His plein-air watercolor setup was perfect for working large. The wooden tripod easel can expand to hold very large boards, and the angle can be tilted to allow washes to move. The palette has its own tripod to keep it right next to the painting, and it can be tilted as well. A big porcelain bowl holds the rinse water. The umbrella has its own stand, not attached to the easel.
One of Pleissner's plein-air watercolors: Old Mill, Winchendon, Massachusetts, c. 1960, 16 x 26 inches, courtesy Adelson Galleries.
The second photo is from the Archives of American Art, which has Pleissner's papers.
The Pleissner Gallery at the Shelburne Museum in Burlington, VT has many originals and studio effects.
Posted by James Gurney at Sunday, October 13, 2013 5 comments
Labels: Watercolor Painting
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Gus White's Puppets
Gus White was a traveling puppet maker, ventriloquist, and portrait painter who brought a Punch and Judy show to small town America.
Yesterday, using watercolor and colored pencils. I sketched some of Gus White's one-of-a-kind hand puppets. White carved the heads from wood, painted them, and applied real hair or wool.
White based his show on the traditional European Punch and Judy, but he put an American gloss on it. His version included cartoon icons of the day, such as Happy Hooligan, along with various ethnic stereotype characters, such as the Irish washerwoman, the Jewish peddler, the proper Englishman, the Indian, and various African-American types, all very typical for one hundred years ago.
You can read more about the story of Gus White and his puppets here.
Posted by James Gurney at Saturday, October 12, 2013 2 comments
Labels: Pencil Sketching
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The POH Riley Foundation will host its 2nd Annual Sister & Sister Health and Education Day on Oct. 11, at POH Regional Medical Center, 50 N. Perry St., in Pontiac. Participants will receive a free mammogram.
Yvette Bing, Detroit's First Lady, will serve as the event chair. Dr. Lewis A. Jones, Jr., Director of Breast Imaging at Ingham Regional Medical Center, will deliver the keynote address to educate women on the importance of breast cancer screenings, side effects, treatment options, recommended specialists, and any other insight women may need to make informed decisions on proper breast health.
Since 2007, the POH Riley Foundation has provided more than 800 free mammogram screenings.
For more information, call (248) 338-5698 or (248) 338-5385.


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David Heeschen, former Director of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) and the father of the Very Large Array, died peacefully at his home in Charlottesville, Virgina, on April 13, 2012. He was 86.
David Sutphin Heeschen was born in Davenport, Iowa, on March 12, 1926, received his bachelor and Master of Science degrees from University of Illinois in 1949 and 1951 respectively. His Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy which he received from Harvard University in 1955 was one of the first in the United States for work in radio astronomy. He was married to Eloise St. Clair, and they had three children, Lisa, David, and Richard.
After teaching for a year at Wesleyan University, Heeschen returned to Harvard in 1955 as a Lecturer and Research Associate. He was associated with the Harvard Observatory Radio Astronomy Project from its beginning in 1953 until 1956, helping to set up Harvard's 24-foot and 60-foot radio telescopes.
Dave Heeschen became involved with Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) during the early planning process for a national radio astronomy facility. He was an enthusiastic supporter of the national observatories concept and became the third NRAO employee, beginning work 1 July 1956, five months prior to the signing of the AUI contract with the National Science Foundation to build and operate the NRAO. He served as Chair of the NRAO Astronomy Department, as Acting Director from 1961-1962, and as Director from 1962-1978. He retired from NRAO in December 1991, but continued to pursue his research interests and to support various NRAO projects and programs.
Under Heeschen's leadership, NRAO grew from an idea to what became the major center for radio astronomy in the world. He guided the completion of the 140 foot radio telescope and the construction of the 300-foot telescopes, the 4-antenna interferometer in Green Bank, and the 36-foot millimeter telescope on Kitt Peak. He drove the design of the Very Large Array (VLA) in New Mexico, and secured its funding after years of planning and debate within the radio astronomy community and the NSF. By the time he stepped down as Director, the VLA construction was nearly finished, successful observations were being made using the completed portion of the array, and planning for the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) had begun.
Perhaps the most important legacy of Heeschen's tenure as NRAO Director was a set of concepts that continue to guide the NRAO to this day. As an observatory dedicated to supporting scientists pursuing research using radio techniques, he felt strongly that the NRAO should design, build, and operate only radio telescopes capable of making observations at the cutting edge of astronomy. He made the NRAO radio telescopes available to any scientist based only on scientific merit of the proposed research, independent of the institutional or national affiliation of the scientist. This "open skies" policy was unusual at the time it was adopted at NRAO, but it has become a world-wide template for astronomical observatories, especially radio observatories. He later described his philosophy for being a good director: Hire good people; leave them alone; don't take yourself too seriously; and have fun!
As Director, Heeschen built a strong scientific staff to guide the development of new facilities and instrumentation and to provide liaison with the national and international user community, and to advise visitors on the optimum use of equipment with which they might not be familiar. Recognizing that the amount of observing time is limited, and access to the telescopes is highly competitive, he emphasized that the instrumentation and equipment be made as reliable as possible, and that the NRAO staff be available to maintain equipment as necessary. Since the final product of any telescope, is the publication of scientific results, he made funds available to pay for page charges, and to defray a portion of the travel costs for visiting observers.
Dave Heeschen's role in the design and development of the VLA was especially crucial to the successful construction of this radio telescope, one which arguably has been the most important radio telescope in the world since its completion in 1980. Heeschen understood that radio astronomy would develop as an important component of astrophysics only if it could provide high angular resolution images, and that to do so would require exploiting the Fourier-synthesis techniques developed in England and Australia as well as at Caltech. He set the goal of obtaining a radio map at a wavelength of 10 cm with an angular resolution of one arc second, comparable to the then best optical images, in one day's observation. He then led the effort to design and optimize the instrument, and to gain approval for the project, first through a series of review committees, and then by the NSF, culminating with the approval by the Congress in 1972. During the design effort and the early stages of construction, it was Heeschen who approved the critical design decisions such as the waveguide for signal transmission, the cooled front ends, and the digital delay and correlator system. That the VLA has recently been rejuvenated as the powerful Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array is testimony to the far-sighted concept that he developed in the 1960's.
Heeschen's Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard was one of the first radio-astronomy studies of galactic hydrogen. He made the first observation of HI emission from clusters of galaxies in 1954, and in 1956 he and Frank Drake made the first study of HI in a star cluster. While at NRAO, he studied radio source spectra and variability which provided the basis for the early calibration of flux density scales at centimeter and decimeter wavelength. His later study of the radio emission from elliptical galaxies led to his discovery of the compact radio sources in the nuclei in NGC 1052 and NGC 4278 which are now recognized as the low luminosity end of the broad class of active galactic nuclei (AGN) which includes the more powerful quasars.
Following his tenure as NRAO Director, Dave was able to devote more time to continue his research on extragalactic radio sources, and he discovered the intra-day variability of compact radio sources which he called "flicker." This phenomenon is now recognized as the result of scintillation due to turbulence in the interstellar medium (equivalent to the twinkling of stars), and not to intrinsic variability, so is now extensively used to study the ISM.
Outside astronomy, Dave was an avid sailor, and a sports-car enthusiast. In a film on radio astronomy produced in 1967 by the American Astronomical Society, he is shown in Green Bank driving Morton Roberts, who later succeeded him as NRAO Director, to a telescope in a green (officially British Racing Green) Jaguar. Dave and Eloise both held amateur radio licenses. Initially they obtained their licenses in order to keep contact during Dave's sailing trips, but Dave (AB4IE) later took pride in developing his high speed Morse code skills to contact other amateur stations in more than a hundred countries around the world.
Heeschen was a member of the American Astronomical Society, where he served as President from 1980-1982, a member of the International Astronomical Union, where he served as a Vice President and member of the Executive Committee from 1976-1981, the American Philosophical Society, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, and the U.S. Radio Astronomy Commission of the International Scientific Radio Union. He served on numerous advisory committees to international, federal, and private organizations and on the astronomy Decadal Review committees for the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. He received the 1980 NSF Distinguished Public Service award, in 1985 an Alexander von Humboldt Distinguished Senior Scientist Award, and he was NRAO's 1993 Jansky Lecturer.
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Nora and George.
I drew Nora maybe three years ago. George is much more recent. I always wanted a companion for Nora and a couple of weeks ago I brought George to life. Both were based on two well known fascinating characters in the history of tattoo art. Nora Hildebrandt was considered the first tattooed lady and toured with the Barnum & Bailey circus whilst George Burchett had an equally amazing life and went on to become a world famous tattoo artist who even tattooed royalty.
I made both of these drawings with the upside down technique. Nora took me a while and quite a few attempts to get 'right' (or how I wanted her). I got George first time - but then I have had a LOT of practice with this technique as you can see in this sketchbook project. So Nora had a companion at last. I love both of these drawings. George and Nora are actually very dear to me.
I never ever saw myself making Valentines cards. I've never really done anything for a particular market or an occasion. Recently my sales in my Etsy shop have plummeted. I'm part of a local Etsy team and this seems to be something of a trend and not exclusive to me. There has been a huge amount of discussion on forums as to why this is but that's a whole blog post of it's own. I've spoken to people who have weathered that storm and asked them what they've been doing to keep afloat. A lot of those people have a good range of products at different price ranges. They also take holidays and markets seriously.
Then I bought some smart white and cream blank greetings cards and envelopes and hand stuck, with a little of that sticky foam, the romantic pair onto either side of the card and stuck the message on the inside. Finished them off with some cellophane bags and handmade labels and, hey presto, I had Valentines cards. Just like that.my Etsy shop and at local galleries and art cafes. So, it is possible to make things for a specific occasion or market without compromising your art. When it comes to the amount of money I laid out and time put into each one I probably won't make my fortune on this range but I made something I'm proud of.
George and Nora. Made with love.
Available HERE.


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Inside an ultraclean facility in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains, engineers are constructing NASA's next Mars-bound spacecraft.
The Mars Atmosphere And Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft is being assembled by Lockheed Martin at their Space Systems Company facilities near Denver. The spacecraft's core structure and propellant tank were recently installed in a clean room, which protects the various components against contamination.
"MAVEN is just starting to come together in the clean room," James Crocker, Lockheed Martin's vice president and general manager for sensing and exploration systems, told reporters during a recent site tour here.
The large tank is more than 6 feet tall (1.83 meters), and is designed to hold 450 gallons of toxic hydrazine propellant.
Some of that fuel will be used to properly position the robotic spacecraft after it is captured into orbit around the Red Planet. With a technique called aerobraking, MAVEN will use the friction in Mars' thin atmosphere to place itself in its so-called science orbit.
The MAVEN mission will be the first to investigate Mars' upper atmosphere, in an attempt to understand what caused the Martian atmosphere to be lost into space. The spacecraft will also collect observations to help scientists piece together how this atmospheric loss has affected the planet's climate over time. [7 Biggest Mysteries of Mars]
The $500 million mission is scheduled to launch in November 2013, and will reach Mars in 2014.
"MAVEN is trying to understand what happened to the atmosphere," Crocker said. "Where did it go? It will help us understand how the gases in the atmosphere escape Mars."
MAVEN will examine how much atmospheric gas is escaping into space, Lockheed Martin officials said. Once the current rate of atmospheric loss is determined, scientists can then use these figures to paint a picture of what occurred in the past.
These measurements will help researchers see how the Martian climate has become increasingly inhospitable to life, NASA officials have said.
So far, work on the MAVEN spacecraft has been on budget and on schedule, Lockheed Martin officials said. The spacecraft is expected to be delivered to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. next August.
Meanwhile, NASA is preparing to land the Mars Science Laboratory, or Curiosity rover, on the surface of the Red Planet this August. The $2.5 billion rover mission will investigate whether Mars is, or ever was, hospitable.
The Mars Science Laboratory and MAVEN are the only Mars missions currently scheduled to launch to or land on the Red Planet in the upcoming years. NASA recently announced an overhaul of its Mars exploration strategy, after the agency was forced to pull out of two European-led missions due to budgetary constraints.
- Photos: Curiosity Rover, NASA's Mars Science Laboratory
- Mars Explored: Landers and Rovers Since 1971 (Infographic)
- The Best (And Worst) Mars Landings in History
Copyright 2012 SPACE.com, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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DEAR MISS MANNERS: Why, in the traditional table settings, do knife edges face toward the plate when it seems more convenient to have them facing out?
GENTLE READER: Convenient for doing what?
Miss Manners hasn't forgotten the dinner table danger of which Cardinal Richelieu warned us (in 1669, but she has a long memory): That conversation can become volatile, and the diners are all armed with knives. He took the precaution of ordering the pointed tips to be blunted, but even those would not pass through airport security today.
Knives are correctly set so that a leftward flick of the right hand positions it to cut what is on the plate. What else were you planning to do with your knife?
DEAR MISS MANNERS: I am in a pinch right now -- my male cousin will be marrying a woman within the next week. I do not like this woman at all and so am not attending the wedding, partially because this family of mine is in El Salvador, while my family and I are in Canada.
However, I would like to send a gift, as I love my cousin and his mother very much. In this action I would still prefer to favor the groom to show my disapproval without being rude. What can I buy for their wedding gift?
GENTLE READER: Are you seriously asking Miss Manners to suggest an insulting wedding present? Or are you thinking that your cousin wouldn't notice that you sent something for him alone -- and that his bride would be miffed, but yet not point it out to him? And that the family wouldn't hear about it -- in two countries? And that ...
All right, Miss Manners is getting carried away. It probably wouldn't burgeon into an international scandal. Possibly they wouldn't particularly care.
But it's still not nice. You needn't send them a wedding present at all, but at least wish them well -- both of them, if you hope to remain on good terms with your cousin.
DEAR MISS MANNERS: My workplace has closed and in two weeks will reopen. I'll run into dozens of people who will ask, "How were your holidays?"
Over the past month, three people I love have died in separate events, and another family member is gravely ill. Assuming that I can refrain from crying at the question, how do I answer? "Fine" is not possible; "You don't want to know" just invites more questions.
Is there a friendly way to say "Please don't ask" to a casual questioner? I can't possibly explain the circumstances over and over without dissolving, and yet pretending that nothing unusual has happened is also beyond me.
GENTLE READER: It is strange, now that you draw it to Miss Manners' attention, that "Don't ask" inevitably provokes the reply, "Why -- what happened?"
You should therefore practice a vague, low-key answer, such as, "Not great, family illness and such." Oddly enough, this is less likely to produce an inquiry, especially as you should head one off by immediately following this with, "How was yours?"
However, it will suggest to others that the proper mode will be complaining, rather than bragging. Listening to whatever they can muster in the way of woes -- dinner was overcooked, someone brought a toddler with sniffles who is bound to have infected everyone -- will be the price of your privacy.
(Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, firstname.lastname@example.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)


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Man City dealt final blow in Dortmund receiving a bitter 1-0 defeat
Manchester City's European season ended in ignominy when they lost their final Champions League group match 1-0 to a below-strength Borussia Dortmund and a goal from reserve striker Julian Schieber on Tuesday.
Schieber, starting only his second game for the club, slid home Jakub Blaszczykowski's cross as the English champions again looked out of their depth at European level.
Big-spending City, eliminated before kickoff and out in the group stage for the second season running, finished bottom of Group D with only three points and missed out on the consolation of qualifying for the much-maligned Europa League.
Bundesliga champions Dortmund rested Polish trio Robert Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek, while Mario Goetze was ruled out along with Neven Subotic, Sebastian Kehl and Sven Bender.
Mario Balotelli, booed incessantly after coming on as a second-half substitute, summed up City's evening when he was booked in stoppage-time for petulantly throwing the ball to the ground when a decision went against him.
"Was it the same old story? Yes. I don't know why," Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart told Sky Sports. "I'd love to answer it. We need to address it though.
"The intensity was there but once they scored it disappeared which is a shame as we have showed we are a side that can come from behind. Of course we have let ourselves down, because we haven't even got in the Europa League.
"There was a hunger to win tonight and if that meant Europa League than great. But we have got bigger issues than that. We were up against a weakened team and we had to win."
Schieber's only previous goal for Dortmund had come against lower league opposition in the German Cup.
Dortmund, who had already secured top spot, completed their impressive campaign with four wins and two draws and must be considered contenders to win the title for the second time.
Like City, the Germans were eliminated at the group stage last season but unlike their opponents have clearly learned from that experience.
"I'm glad the coach gave me the chance, that I repaid his trust in me and that it worked out," said 23-year-old Schieber after scoring his first Champions League goal. "We played well and won against a good team."
Dortmund's philosophy is a complete contrast to City with CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke telling Reuters that the club would not exchange its freedom and independence to have an outside investor.
"That is our culture and the culture of our 75,000 members. Being free and independent is German heritage," he said.
The English champions started with Carlos Tevez partnering Edin Dzeko in attack and Sergio Aguero on the bench.
Dortmund had the best chance of an uninspiring first half when Marco Reus cut inside his marker and scraped the outside of the post with a low left-foot shot.
Mats Hummels just failed to make contact with Marcel Schmelzer's free kick, then Joe Hart tipped away an Ivan Perisic volley and saved Kevin Grosskreutz's shot at the foot of the post as Dortmund made an electrifying start to the second half.
The goal duly arrived when halftime substitute Blaszczykowski burst down the right and sent over an inviting low cross which Schieber turned in from six metres.
"What we have achieved is mad," said Dortmund's charismatic coach Juergen Klopp, with his customary three days' growth of stubble on his chin. "I think we've earned ourselves a bit of respect."
Tevez slipped through three defenders but his shot was parried by goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller in a rare moment of City inspiration.
The Argentine forced another stop from Weidenfeller with a shot on the run from the left but it was a poor effort from a club which has spent so lavishly on players over the last few years.
(For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at@AO Sportsand on Facebook atAhramOnlineSports)


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Minecraft 1.6.2 Official Download
This update fixes a lot of bugs and issues! Notable:
- Fixed horses getting hurt by walls
- Fixed animals escaping their pens
- Improved sprinting behavior
- Ctrl + left-click on Mac now acts as right-click
Minecraft for Windows
Download Minecraft.exe. Place it anywhere you want, then run it.
Minecraft for Mac OS X
Download Minecraft.dmg.
Minecraft for Linux / Other
Download Minecraft.jar (86 KB). The jar is executable and should work as-is, also please use Oracle's JVM.
The Minecraft launcher was updated 01 July 2013. To get latest version of the game, make sure that you have downloaded the latest version of the launcher from the link above.
Multiplayer Server
If you're running on Windows and just want to set up a server easily, download minecraft_server.1.6.2.exe and run it.
If you want to run the server on any other OS or without GUI it's a bit more involved. First make sure you can use java from the command line. On Linux and Mac OS X this should already be set up but on Windows you might have to tinker with the PATH environment variable. Download and run minecraft_server.1.6.2.jar with java -Xmx1024M -Xms1024M -jar minecraft_server.jar nogui.


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|Home ▸ Catalog ▸ |Themes & Provenance| ▸ |Birds| ▸ |Owl||View Options: | | |
Owls on Ancient Coins
Owls are depicted on many different ancient coin types but the most prolific types are the coins of ancient Athens. The ancient slang names for the coins of Athens were "owls" (but in Greek of course) and "girls" (referring to Athena on the obverse, also in Greek). "Owls" were so popular as a central currency of the ancient world that the design remained essentially unchanged and somewhat archaic long after other cities began to produce coins of a more refined artistic style. "Owls" of Athens are still very popular. For collectors, they are perhaps the most popular ancient coin type.