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Texas Department of Public Safety Security Alarm and Electronic Access License B05938
Texas Fire Alarm License ACR 1405
Security Access Control Systems
Scurity access control systems is a major issue when leasing office space, not just in the Houston area, but around the country and is certainly the preferred method of controlling office buildings. With a small 32 door system you can easily upgrade to a 64, 128 on up to as much as 600 doors. No need to lose the investment of a small system only to replace it due to growth. Entrance Controls has been in the business of providing security access control systems for well over 20 years right here in the Houston area and we can design a system to fit your needs today and tomorrow.
We've listened to our customers over the years and have molded our security access control systems in direct response to our customers needs. Some companies set their standards and that's the way things are. Not us. Just listening to customers is not enough, you have to move and put your what the customer wants in motion. That's the reason we're where we are today, and the reason we'll be here tomorrow. We absolutely believe that listening to customers is the greatest tool you'll ever have when building a company. We listen, we respond and it shows.


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And Happy 2019! Last summer I never thought I'd be saying or writing those words. In case anyone missed the excitement of my health issues, in mid-June of 2018 I was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, metastasized. I wrote about it in a blog here .
I didn't include that my oncologist had told me I only had four to six weeks to live. But a month later I wrote about what it meant to know you had a short time to live. I'd updated my will and related legal documents after my husband, Bob, had died in April, so all that was in order. I signed a DNR and posted it on my refrigerator – what one does in Maine, and maybe other places.
In late July and early August my daughters all came to see me "to say good-bye." Most of them choose silver, jewelry, paintings, etc., to "remember me by" and shipped them out. I donated books and reference materials to a museum in Maine, and to several libraries that had supported me over the years. A local used book store bought my collection of mystery books. Bob's art supplies went to some family members and two Maine community art programs. I tossed out a lot of files, and, most important to me, I self-published two historical novels for young people that my current agent wasn't interested in selling, and my previous publishers of books for young people didn't want.
My daughter Liz, who'd been engaged for 16 years, even got married. I remember telling her to move her wedding date a week up, in case I didn't make it longer. She was married August 9 in the front yard of my home in Maine.
It was a lovely and special day, and a tiny wedding. The wedding gown I'd bought for her 15 years ago still fit, and the groom ordered a tux from E-Bay — and it all worked. (I wrote a blog about it, of course!)
My next hope was that I'd see my two books — CONTRARY WINDS and FOR FREEDOM ALONE — in published form. I did. I bought a wig to wear to appearances, and even made a full-day school visit in September.
When I was still alive in October, my oncologist ordered more scans and — amazing! No; I wasn't cured. But the cancerous lesions were gone from my liver, where they'd threatened an infection that would kill me quickly, and some pancreatic lesions were also gone. Clearly the doc hadn't expected that to happen.
Liz was still with me. She got a job in a Maine supermarket and drove me to chemo appointments, did our laundry, and drove me crazy asking me how I was feeling and had It taken my pills? (Although that was all appreciated.) I made a few library appearances, and Skype visits. And in November, with transportation provided by fellow Maine Crime Writers Dick Cass and Bruce Coffin, I went to Crime Bake in Massachusetts and moderated a panel. My agent asked me which book I was going to finish next. (I have two under contract.) We decided on the next Mainely Needlepoint book — the ninth in the series.
Two of my other daughters decided to join me for Christmas "the way we celebrated when we were growing up." That meant I spent December using the strength I had to bake cookies and pies and muffins, and then had a party Christmas Eve and food Christmas Day. I didn't get much writing done in December. But we had Christmas in Maine.
By New Year's all of my daughter had returned to their homes. The editor of the Mainely Needlepoint series called to say the manuscript I was working on (THREAD AND BURIED) was scheduled for publication in October of 2019, the cover was done, and all other books scheduled to be published that day were in production. Could he have the manuscript by February 1? Optimistically, I took a deep breath and told him I'd try.
It took several days to take down Christmas decorations (a neighbor and his daughter took the tree out) and then I got to work. I wrote about 70 pages before I started to have pains — not pains connected to my pancreas or liver, though. I figured "no big deal," although I was exhausted, couldn't write more than a page or so, and started taking pain meds. After a few days of serious pain, I called my doctor, went in to see him, and was told I had a kidney infection. Messed up immune systems are part of this whole chemo deal. So I went on heavy antibiotics, and rested more. (Couldn't do much else.) I lost almost 2 weeks of writing.
January 16, almost exactly seven moths after I'd been diagnosed, and having been off chemo for 6 weeks, I went back for more scans — and the results were the same as October. In other words — good. I was still dying, but the process was much slower than originally thought. I started chemo again. I also started acupuncture, to help with the neuropathy that was challenging my walking and typing.
So — I'm still here! My editor will not have my full manuscript February 1; he's extended my deadline to March 1, or ASAP, and moved my publication date out. Frankly, he doesn't have much choice. I've also started the process to self-publish my one remaining "finished but never published" manuscript: an adult mystery set in 1865 New York State, JUSTICE & MERCY. I hope it'll be available in March. And my next Needlepoint mystery, THREAD ON ARRVAL, will ship April 30. It's all set, and may be pre-ordered.
So, now you know all that's been happening. And, the bottom line is still clear.
I'm still here. And, slowly but surely, I'm writing on.

subset: commoncrawl


text: Both teachers and parents appreciate how effectively Practice Makes Perfect Writing Paragraphs Grade 5 helps students master skills in writing. Topics covered include: planning a paragraph, topic sentence, supporting sentences, concluding sentence, revising a paragraph, proofreading, editing, and more. You get activities that are great for independent work in class, homework assignments, or extra practice to get ahead. Test practice pages are included! Reproducible. 48 pages.


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A Photographic Survey - A Challenge For Posterity
Thursday, on Shades Of The Departed, will be dedicated to many things,
and nothing in particular.
In this week's edition of Twice Told Tuesday, Shades reprinted an article about a project commenced by the Dundee Photographic Society to carry out a comprehensive photographic survey of that Scottish city. The purpose was to illustrate life in the city in 1903, a permanent record for generations to come. It was a time consuming and expensive project for the time.
Looking around at my small town, Preston, Washington, I realized there is no photographic survey illustrating life here to leave a permanent record for generations to come. What a terrible shame that is, with digital cameras and blogs the cost to recreate such a project today is made up of time and sweat equity, very little money.
We take our daily lives for granted. Nothing really happens, we think, so who would be interested? Will the generations that follow want to know what Preston, Washington's, or Anyplace, USA's, daily life looked like? I believe they will.
Just as we search for a glimpse of our ancestor's daily lives, a hundred years from now someone, someplace, will search for ours. Here in Preston, Washington, we are leaving a terrible void and I would like to change that.
If you live in a large city, taking on a photographic survey of the entire city would require many hands and many cameras, but you could certainly document your community within that city.
What would your photographic survey contain? I have gotten a map of Preston and am marking the areas of daily community life. I intend to start that photographic survey, today - here. I will include buildings, churches, businesses, signs, street scenes, anything that will illustrate daily life in the Preston of 2008. I will continually add to that survey. Generations to come will have an accurate photographic history of my little corner of the world.
of your community's daily life for posterity,
for generations to come.
Preston is located in a bowl with hills on all sides and the Raging River running along the valley floor. While alternately referred to as the "Ranging Trickle," the river has more than earned its "Raging" title. The town was established around the Preston Mill, owned by a Swedish immigrant named August Lovegren.
On the street where I live is Preston's Vasa Hall. Vasa Hall is a Swedish social gathering place and home of our local Swedish Meatball Feast. Parking is at a premium on my street on Feast Day. People come from miles around to sample the Swedish meatballs.
Down the road, over the Raging River, and through the woods is the Preston Baptist Church. The church was established in 1900 on land donated by August Lovegren. Lovegren envisioned a model community guided by Baptist principles.
Part of the King County Parks system, the Preston Community Center is a historic log building, surrounded by a small park. The Center is home to the Preston Community Club which is dedicated to advancing and protecting the rural atmosphere of our small town.
The Historic Preston Cemetery is located at Latitude: 47.525N Longitude: -121.929W. A transcription of the cemetery has been completed, but it is in need of a photographic survey. Thanks to Terry Thornton's Friday From The Collectors article, A Monumental Task, I will undertake this survey (Once it stops raining - rain is a way of life here in Preston. Washington state is known for its hundred shades of green, that require a hundred shades of gray).
So, tell me, are you up to the task? Is there a Photographic Survey of your hometown in your future?
If you do commence such a survey, please contact me so that I can list all the surveys in progress for future generations.


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FT 08-O Encroachment?: College Football as a Window on American History, Society, and Culture
Paul Vasquez, Department of Political Science
There are many different ways to study the history of the United States. As college football teams on campuses around the country embark on another season this autumn, we will explore American history in the late 19th and 20th centuries by examining developments related to this popular pastime and form of entertainment. In some cases, the points of examination will be ways in which the American experience influenced activities related to college football. At other times, we will also study some ways in which college football shaped the course of American history, society, and culture.
We will begin by examining the cultural origins of college football in the United States and its spread across the country, including factors related to popular interest in the sport. Next, we will examine how reforms made in collegiate football during the Progressive Era attempted to reform the game out of concern for the health of the players. As we move deeper into the 20th century we will examine college football with regards to mass media and public perception of the game, the decline of amateurism in the sport and rise of big business as well as the influence of American wars on the sport. Finally, we will examine the sport with regard to race and gender relations, the integrity of higher education, and recent debates regarding identity politics and political correctness. Note: As part of this course, students will be required to accompany a class field trip to the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, Indiana, on a Sunday to be determined. The trip will conducted on either October 26 or November 2.
Credits: 1


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An international team of scientists, led by researchers from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, analyzed ancient human genomes from 38 northern Europeans dating from approximately 7,500 to 500 BCE. The study, published today in Nature Communications, found that Scandinavia was initially settled via a southern and a northern route and that the arrival of agriculture in northern Europe was facilitated by movements of farmers and pastoralists into the region.
Northern Europe could be considered a late bloomer in some aspects of human history: initial settlement by hunter-gatherers occurred only about 11,000 years ago, after the retreat of the lingering ice sheets from the Pleistocene, and while agriculture was already widespread in Central Europe 7,000 years ago, this development reached Southern Scandinavia and the Eastern Baltic only millennia later.
Several recent studies of ancient human genomes have dealt with the prehistoric population movements that brought new technology and subsistence strategies into Europe, but how they impacted the very north of the continent has still been poorly understood.
For this study, the research team, which included scientists from Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia and Sweden, assembled genomic data from 38 ancient northern Europeans, from mobile hunter-gatherers of the Mesolithic (approximately 12,000 to 7,000 years ago) and the first Neolithic farmers in southern Sweden (approximately 6,000 to 5,300 years ago) to the metallurgists of the Late Bronze Age in the Eastern Baltic (approximately 1300 to 500 BCE). This allowed the researchers to uncover surprising aspects of the population dynamics of prehistoric northern Europe.
Two routes of settlement for Scandinavia
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Previous analysis of ancient human genomes has revealed that two genetically differentiated groups of hunter-gatherers lived in Europe during the Mesolithic: the so-called Western Hunter-Gatherers excavated in locations from Iberia to Hungary, and the so-called Eastern Hunter-Gatherers excavated in Karelia in north-western Russia. Surprisingly, the results of the current study show that Mesolithic hunter-gatherers from Lithuania appear very similar to their Western neighbors, despite their geographic proximity to Russia. The ancestry of contemporary Scandinavian hunter-gatherers, on the other hand, was comprised from both Western and Eastern Hunter-Gatherers.
"Eastern Hunter-Gatherers were not present on the eastern Baltic coast, but a genetic component from them is present in Scandinavia. This suggests that the people carrying this genetic component took a northern route through Fennoscandia into the southern part of the Scandinavian peninsula. There they genetically mixed with Western Hunter-Gatherers who came from the South, and together they formed the Scandinavian Hunter-Gatherers," explains Johannes Krause, Director of the Department of Archaeogenetics at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, and senior author of the study.
Agriculture and animal herding – cultural imports by incoming people
Large-scale farming first started in southern Scandinavia around 6,000 years ago, about one millennium after it was already common in Central Europe. In the Eastern Baltic, the inhabitants relied solely on hunting, gathering and fishing for another 1000 years. Although some have argued that the use of the new subsistence strategy was a local development by foragers, possibly adopting the practices of their farming neighbors, the genetic evidence uncovered in the present study tells a different story.
The earliest farmers in Sweden are not descended from Mesolithic Scandinavians, but show a genetic profile similar to that of Central European agriculturalists. Thus it appears that Central Europeans migrated to Scandinavia and brought farming technology with them. These early Scandinavian farmers, like the Central European agriculturalists, inherited a substantial portion of their genes from Anatolian farmers, who first spread into Europe around 8,200 years ago and set in motion the cultural transition to agriculture known as the Neolithic Revolution.
Similarly, a near-total genetic turnover is seen in the Eastern Baltic with the advent of large-scale agro-pastoralism. While they did not mix genetically with Central European or Scandinavian farmers, beginning around 2,900 BCE the individuals in the Eastern Baltic derive large parts of their ancestry from nomadic pastoralists of the Pontic-Caspian steppe.
"Interestingly, we find an increase of local Eastern Baltic hunter-gatherer ancestry in this population at the onset of the Bronze Age," states Alissa Mittnik of the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, lead author of the study. "The local population was not completely replaced but coexisted and eventually mixed with the newcomers."
This study emphasizes the regional differences of cultural transitions and sets the stage for more in-depth studies of later periods in northern European prehistory, such as the Iron Age and Viking Age.
Provided by:
Max Planck Society
More information:
Alissa Mittnik et al, The genetic prehistory of the Baltic Sea region, Nature Communications (2018). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-02825-9
Skull included in this study from Ölsund, Hälsingland, Sweden, dating to around 2,300 BCE, in the ancient DNA laboratory at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
Credit: Alissa Mittnik


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Austria: 100 cars pile-up on snow-hit A1 motorway
At least one person died in a pile-up involving about 100 vehicles on snow-hit Austrian motorway A1.
Emergency officials said the crash scene on the west-bound A1 west of Vienna stretched for more than 2 km (1.2 miles).
Six regional fire departments have been at the scene with ambulances and an emergency services helicopter, broadcaster ORF said.
A spell of freezing weather is causing disruption across Europe.
Austrian officials said the accident happened near St Poelten, about 60 km from the capital, and involved about 40 lorries and 60 cars.
Franz Resperger of the Lower Austrian fire department said the icy carriageway was a likely factor in the crash.
In southern Austria, at least 29 people were injured – six seriously – in two accidents inside road tunnels in the state of Styria, ORF reported. The A2 motorway, which runs through the tunnels, was blocked in both directions.
Elsewhere, record-breaking snowfall in the Ukrainian capital Kiev has caused traffic chaos and seen many residents taking to skis instead, AFP news agency reported
Heavy snow blanketing three regions of Romania has closed schools and disrupted road traffic.
The freezing weather has also caused chaos on Serbia's northern border with Hungary where lorries queued for hours amid heavy snowfall.
Black ice coating roads in neighboring Croatia has caused a spate of accidents, national TV reports said.


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One of the key features of the African digital renaissance is that it is increasingly home grown. In other sectors of the African economy, such as mining or agribusiness, much of the know-how is imported and the wealth extracted. But Africa's 700 million or so mobile subscribers use services that are provided locally, and they are also downloading more applications that are developed locally.
One of the main sources of locally developed applications is the technology hubs that are springing up across Africa. In a recent project carried out for the Botswana Innovation Hub, we worked with two of the longer established labs, the research arm of *iHub_in Kenya and BongoHive in Zambia, to create a map of tech hubs. To our surprise, there are now around 90 tech hubs across the continent, and more than half of Africa economies have at least one. South Africa was the first to make it into double figures but other countries are not far behind. Indeed, hubs such as MEST in Ghana, the Co-creation hub in Nigeria or *iHub_ in Kenya are widely regarded as models, and the latter was recently named by Fast Company magazine as one of the most innovative companies. It has impressed the Kenyan government enough for it to commit to establishing a tech hub in each of its 47 counties.
As might be expected, tech hubs vary a lot in their scale, objectives and business models. Some, like Smart Xchange in South Africa, aspire to be fully-fledged ICT business incubators, offering office space for start-ups to grow. Most, like Hive CoLab in Uganda, might be better described as pre-incubators, or co-working spaces, where entrepreneurs come together to shape and refine business ideas. Some, like Rlabs or Jokkolabs, seek to grow through a franchise model, while others look to external seed funding from commercial partners, such as the Nokia Greenhouse Nairobi or from non-for-profits, such as infoDev's mobile applications labs (mLabs) in Nairobi and Pretoria. Other tech hubs begin life in universities, like the iLab at Strathmore, one of Kenya's premier private universities. Increasingly, governments are seeking to get directly involved in funding tech hubs, attracted in part by the jobs that can be created, particularly for young people, or the chance to create a new MPesa, Kenya's mobile money service. Botswana Innovation Hub is an example of a government-driven initiative, now transitioning to a more sustainable model, with assistance from the World Bank under a reimbursable advisory services contract aimed at promoting economic diversity and competitiveness in Botswana's economy.
The list of hubs is growing on an almost weekly basis, and BongoHive maintains a current list based on a crowdsourcing model. But tech hubs also disappear, particularly those that are based on informal gatherings of developers, or hackerspaces. A high failure rate is an inevitable consequence of innovation, and the testing of ideas. A recent World Bank Group report, on the business models of tech hubs, provides some lessons on how to improve sustainability. *iHub_, in Kenya, lists more than 150 companies that can trace their origins to ideas incubated there, among its 13'000+ members. In the longer term, it is the companies that tech hubs give birth to that will be the lasting legacy. So which will be the legacy-makers among today's generation of African Tech Hubs? Send us your thoughts and join the conversation.
Thanks Tim for the good work. I would like people to appreciate the effort first before they criticize that said, I am part of a start up called Dignited in Uganda that has a special project of curating all Hubs in Africa in a more interactive way and this info was helpful in that regard. You can check out what we are doing www.dignited.com/hubs
I believe that Hubs have an important role to play with even though most of them survive on Aid which I don't believe in
Is their a correlation with economic success to the tech-hub scene?
Does the hubs have links?
Here is the new list of IT tech hubs that shall change the world.
Here is a 2014 publication featuring some hubs that closed shop as far back as 2012. What does it take to verify info on Africa before publishing?
Please let us know which hubs you think should be removed.
Your information is outdated by at least 2 years, otherwise it's a great collaborative effort between hubs, we should have much more!
Thanks for your comment. We are aware that the information in the map is incomplete, and probably could never be complete given the pace of change. But the aim of publishing the map now is to attract additional information so that we can add the new or missing tech hubs and remove those that no longer exist
How come the two hubs in Zimbabwe are omitted?
Please send details so that we can add them to the map.
Assessing the legacy of any tech hubs worldwide leave alone Africa by Companies/Startups it has given birth to, is judging a fish by abilities to climb a tree.
The eco-system is very diverse even if we just focus on East Africa and respective skills of members within communities are influenced by various other factors way long before emergent of co-working spaces.
I think you're right in pointing to the fact that the typology of existing tech hubs is quite diverse, and we tried to highlight this in the text. There are many possible results measures, such as outreach, sponsorship, funding attracted etc, but in the longer term, the number of start-ups that emerge, directly or indirectly, is a good measure of sustainability and success.
A little research might have helped. See http://crowdos.com.ng/wanted/area.php?url=hubs-coworking-spaces
Dear Tim - an important piece of work. Congratulations to you and your team. By the way, The Innnovation Hub is Africa's leading science and technology park and home to a number of tech and business incubators including mLab Southern Africa, Maxum Business Incubator, Climate Innovation Centre. The Innovation Hub (www.theinnovationhub.com) is different entity from The Hub (I am sure you are aware of that). What is however interesting is that each of past series of this map, there is no mention of The Innovation Hub, as a tech hub. I am hoping that this input is useful. Alternatively, a criteria for what qualifies as a tech hub would also be useful.
Thanks for this clarification. There are of course many types of business incubator, some specialised -- like Climate Innovation Centres -- and others general purpose. Although the Innovation Hub could probably fall into the general purpose category, I think there is a strong case to be made for including it in the map because of its tech focus. So we'll add it in the next edition, in addition to mLab South Africa, which is hosted by the Innovation Hub.
www.focushub.net is another starting out in the Niger-Delta of Nigeria.
The list of incubation / ICT hubs in Nigeria is incomplete and does not represent actual facts.
Please let us know what additional tech hubs you think should be added in Nigeria and which ones might be withdrawn.
kopo kopo is a perfect example of a successful company from I hub KENYA
Due to World Bank Research and experience, what are the key components to create the first incubator in an African country?
There is no single recipe that works well everywhere, but the infoDev study of mLabs and mHubs in Africa, available at http://www.infodev.org/mobile, identifies many of the key components. These include ensuring a good throughflow of potential entrepreneurs, offering a convivial environment for collaboration, and having a reliable, high-speed internet connection.
I'm trying to understand what you mean by the different names under Tanzania. Kinu is http://www.kinu.co.tz/, that's clear. TANZICT Innovation Space is nowadays called Buni Hub, http://buni.or.tz/. DTBi is an incubator http://www.teknohama.or.tz/. Both Buni and DTBi are in COSTECH which is the Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology, so it doesn't make sense that COSTECH is on the list separately. And what is Dar es Salaam Innovation Space?
You forgot 3 other hubs all from Zimbabwe.
One of which is SkiHub from Bulawayo
Thanks Tim and your team for sharing this, and definitely appreciate the work that goes into pulling something like this together. A request for those posting comments - where information is not accurate please offer what the correction should be, as this would be helpful for future reference. The landscape is changing rapidly as I am sure you are all aware...
Great job Tim and team, I can appreciate how much effort goes into pulling something like this together. A little request to those with comments - if you have corrections please advise what they should be. As I'm sure you are aware, the landscape is changing very rapidly.
Strange for an article discussing the potential legacy of these many, many hubs -- some of which have now operated for years -- without mentioning a single profitable company, or even widely used application, which has arisen from them. Or mentioning the combined revenues of businesses created, or profits, or users of the apps created, ... or indeed ANY of the standard measures of entrepreneurial success.
Are the only profitable businesses created the hubs themselves, funded by aid money? Perhaps we need a new word to describe this phenomenon: "aidtrepreneurship".
By way of comparison we could look at another industry much less discussed: large-scale agriculture. For example, the horticulture industry just in Kenya produced $3 billion in revenue in 2012 (up from $2 billion in 2011) and employs more than 4 million people, exporting flowers, fruits and vegetables abroad (http://www.economist.com/news/business/21600187-forces-reshaping-one-af…).
How does this exciting African innovation industry fostered by the many IT hubs compare to such vibrant and productive businesses in terms of revenue, profit, and employment?
And which industry is contributing more to the prosperity and development of Africa?
You raise some interesting points concerning the relative contribution of different sectors of the economy for future growth. Agribusiness incubators are a major focus of the World Bank's work, as you would see, for instance, in the Agribusiness Innovation Sourcebook, or infoDev's Agribusiness Innovation Program (see: http://www.infodev.org/agribusiness). The infoDev study on mLabs and mHubs, cited in the blog, and the GSMA study (at: http://www.gsma.com/newsroom/digital-entrepreneurship-in-kenya-2014/) provide some preliminary findings on the contribution of the tech hubs to economic growth. The example of Kopo Kopo, which was incubated at the mLab East Africa before outgrowing that space, which was cited by another commenter, is a good example of a high growth company that has emerged from a tech hub. But it will take some time to judge the long-term effects of what is a relatively recent phenomenon.
interesting mention wrt 'creating the next mPesa'.. curious how that lawsuit turned-out.. as I recall the original founder took Vodacom to court in Nairobi circa 2009.. @_@
Good job for this information for most but it would have alot more interesting if more recent data is used as regards Nigeria, Our Incubator at the Abuja Technology Village called Enspire Incubator has been in existence for quite a while now and currently manages the Abuja Techies/ Innovation ecosystem.
Currently we are driving a more hands on policy favourable to startups from Incubators and also fostering innovation across our region (I am sure you know all these).
Anyway it would be encouraging to see an update of this map.
Since 02/10/2015 there is hub, incubator and IT Lab in Libreville(Gabon), organized in a large Non-Profit Organization called Aitic (African Intelligent Technologies and Innovation Coordination). It isan Artificial Intelligence based technology hub.
Do you have any information on incubated firms by gender from any of these hubs?
sabihub Benin city, Edo state, Nigeria
Great initiative


text:
Inclination :)
Proud to be British. But not after the World Cup, that was a disaster.
I tend to keep literary characters in my basement and anime characters in my attic.
If you read what I write, it would make me very happy indeed. If you leave a review, I will jump for joy.
Find me also at:


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Volvo XC90 that was revealed yesterday and will be released in a week in a limited edition of 1927 cars...I want one of those!
Photo by dear Magnus Mårding.
onsdag 27 augusti 2014
tisdag 26 augusti 2014
& Other Stories
& Other Stories brand, pictures and graphic profile and they just opened a Pinterest account where I found these amazing pictures from their Paris Atelier..No wonder they are good when they get to work in this office ..
kl. 13:42 12 kommentarer
kl. 12:33 4 kommentarer
My Ice Bucket Challenge
About 12 years ago my mother called me and said that when jogging the last days she had felt a sticky feeling in her toe and that she had the weirdest feeling that something was wrong and was now going to the hospital to check it out. I remember thinking she was acting hypochondric.
The day efter I was called to the hospital to be with her when they told her she had ALS and only a few years left to live. It seemed so unreal at the moment, we were laughing on our way home, saying how could it ever be possible for someone to die from a numb toe. Now I know, she died two years later. ALS is a fatal, cruel disease with no cure.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is amazing and are spreading the awareness in a fantastic way. I can't bring myself to dump ice on my head, this is still way to sad for me but I challenge all my friends and readers, please help fighting for a cure. Dump ice and donate!
(I Sverige smsa ALS till 72901).
kl. 10:22 6 kommentarer
måndag 25 augusti 2014
New posters
kl. 11:06 7 kommentarer
söndag 24 augusti 2014
Prenumerera på: Inlägg (Atom)


text:
Top Items:
No IE onboard Windows 7 in Europe — European buyers of Windows 7 will have to download and install a web browser for themselves. — Bowing to European competition rules, Microsoft Windows 7 will ship without Internet Explorer. — The company said it would make it easy for PC makers …
Discussion: CNET News, Techgeist, CrunchGear, Mac|Life all, VentureBeat, Switched, Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, PC World and Mashable!
Michael Klurfeld / Techgeist: European Version of Windows 7 To Ship Without IE.
Devin Coldewey / CrunchGear: Microsoft: No IE included with European Windows 7
Arvind Srinivasan / Mac|Life all: Safari Downloaded 11 million Times
Gregg Keizer / PC World: European Buyers will Get Windows 7 Solo
EU Press Room:
Antitrust: Commission statement on Microsoft Internet Explorer announcement
Antitrust: Commission statement on Microsoft Internet Explorer announcement
Jason Mick / DailyTech: EU Plans to Prosecute Microsoft On More Antitrust Charges Despite IE Decision
Michael Hickins / InformationWeek: Microsoft Not Going Down In The Fifth
Chris Williams / The Register: Opera applauds scepticism on MS browser pledge
Sharon Pian Chan / Seattle Times: Microsoft removes Internet Explorer from European Windows 7
Ina Fried / CNET News: Who wins, loses with browser-less Windows 7
Mary Jo Foley / All about Microsoft: European regulators, Opera weigh in on Microsoft's Windows 7 E plan
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: Great Move, EC. Now We Have to Download IE Ourselves...
John Murrell / GMSV: New Windows 7 E, now with less hegemony! (2)
Tim Smalley / bit-tech.net: MS to ship Windows 7 in EU without IE
David Hunter / Microsoft News Tracker: No Web browser for EU versions of Windows 7
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch:
Why Europe Won't Go Browserless This Fall
Why Europe Won't Go Browserless This Fall
Discussion: Robert X. Cringely's blog and The Register
Robert X. Cringely / Robert X. Cringely's blog: Microsoft to tour Europe sans browsers
John Oates / The Register: EC rejects Microsoft's browser promises
Associated Press:
E.U. Criticizes Microsoft Plan to Remove Browser
E.U. Criticizes Microsoft Plan to Remove Browser
Discussion: CNET News, OStatic blogs and Electronista
Paul Meller / Computerworld:
Microsoft trying to set own antitrust remedy, says Opera CEO
Microsoft trying to set own antitrust remedy, says Opera CEO
Discussion: blogs.ft.com, PC World, iTnews Australia, InfoWorld, BetaNews, Tech Beat, ITworld.com, eWeek and Boy Genius Report
Richard Waters / blogs.ft.com: Mozilla casts doubt on Microsoft's browser gambit
Madeline Bennett / iTnews Australia: Opera and Mozilla unimpressed by IE unbundling plans
Scott M. Fulton, III / BetaNews: Earth to Europe: You won. Microsoft complied. Live with it.
Stephen Wildstrom / Tech Beat: Microsoft Competitors Win, But European Consumers May Lose
Gregg Keizer / ITworld.com: 'Preposterous' EU charges forced 'puckish' Microsoft move, says antitrust expert
Nicholas Kolakowski / eWeek: Microsoft Windows 7 E Not Enough, Opera Says
Todd Wilder / Apple:
Safari 4 Downloads Top 11 Million in Three Days — Apple® today announced that more than 11 million copies of Safari® 4 have been downloaded in the first three days of its release, including more than six million downloads of Safari for Windows. Safari 4 is the world's fastest …
Robin Wauters / TechCrunch: Browser Wars Continue: Apple Claims 11 Million Downloads For New Safari In 3 Days
Jim Dalrymple / CNET News: Apple's Safari 4 tops 11 million downloads in 3 days
Antone Gonsalves / InformationWeek: Of New Safari's 11 Million Downloads, More Than Half On Windows
Dennis Sellers / Macsimum News: WWDC: Safari 4 downloads top 11 million in three days
Charles Jade / TheAppleBlog: Safari 4 Sees Huge Demand, 11 Million Downloads So Far
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: Safari 4 More Popular Among Window Users Than Mac Users
Dan Frommer / Silicon Alley Insider: No Firefox, But Not Shabby: Apple Claims 11 Million Safari Downloads In 3 Days
Eric Slivka / MacRumors: Safari 4 Tops 11 Million Downloads in First Three Days
Chauncey Dupree / 9 to 5 Mac: 11 million Safari 4 downloads, more than half are Windows users
Asa Dotzler:
11 million downloads in 3 days
11 million downloads in 3 days
Discussion: TG Daily
Wolfgang Gruener / TG Daily: Apple at its best: Safari 4 an "incredible" success
Pthurrott / SuperSite Blog:
11 million Safari downloads? Um. Sort of
11 million Safari downloads? Um. Sort of
Robert Strohmeyer / Macworld: Safari 4 download stat is pure hype
Robert Strohmeyer / PC World: New MacBook Pro Can Boot From an SD Card. (Duh. So Can PCs.)
David Sarno / L.A. Times Tech Blog:
Twitpocalypse? Nah. — Grabbed from Twitpocalypse.com. — Are we in for a massive Twitpocalypse that will destroy the fabric of our fragile 140-character universe? Not likely, says the guy who originated the semi-hoax. — Martin Dufort, CEO of Canadian application developer Wherecloud …
Discussion: TechCrunch, The SiliconANGLE and The Social Path, Thanks:atul
MG Siegler / TechCrunch: Twitpocalypse Not Now: Crisis Averted
Mark 'Rizzn' Hopkins / The SiliconANGLE: The Apocalypse Will Be Scheduled [Are You Kidding Me?]
David Griner / The Social Path: The looming Twitpocalypse (and other overhyped news).
MG Siegler / TechCrunch:
Twitter Moves Up The Twitpocalypse. All Hell May Break Loose Today. — Twitter users, the Twitpocalypse is upon us. — Twitpocalypse is the name given to a bug that's about to be exposed. Apparently, it's similar to the Y2K bug in its nature, and stems from the fact that every tweet sent out has a unique numeric identifier.
Discussion: Ars Technica, CNET News, Mashable!, Twitter API, Gawker, The Social Times, Gadgetwise, Pulse2, TUAW and broadstuff, Thanks:cozz
Rafe Needleman / CNET News: Is the Twitpocalypse nigh? Update: Mostly No
Pete Cashmore / Mashable!: Twitpocalypse NOW! Twitter App Armageddon Strikes (Maybe)
Ryan Tate / Gawker: The Night of Nerd Reckoning
Kristen Nicole / The Social Times: Twitpocalypse Going Down Today. Are You Ready?
Azadeh Ensha / Gadgetwise: Twitpocalypse? Yeah, Like Y2K
Mike Schramm / TUAW: Beware the coming Twitpocalypse
Alan Patrick / broadstuff: What is a Social Media Expert these days?
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
MySpace Is In Far Worse Shape Than Its New Executives Thought — Running MySpace, new CEO Owen Van Natta and News Corp. (NWS) digital head Jon Miller are beginning to realize they have taken on a much bigger challenge than they initially thought, sources close to both executives tell us.
Ryan Tate / Gawker: New MySpace Regime Lowers Expectations
Andy Plesser / Beet.TV: MySpace Has been a "Calamity for News Corp," Michael Wolff
MySpace: Hundreds of jobs on the line as struggling social …
MySpace: Hundreds of jobs on the line as struggling social …
Discussion: DailyFinance and TechCrunch
Anthony Massucci / DailyFinance: Massucci's Take: MySpace problems may spread to Facebook, Twitter
Jason Kincaid / TechCrunch: Massive Layoffs Coming To MySpace - 25% Or More May Be Cut
Eric Eldon / VentureBeat:
Against real-time: Facebook to sort of bring back the old site design — Facebook is backing away from its March site redesign, a source tells me. That's the redesign the one that focused users' homepages on a quickly updating "stream" of status updates — and was trying to take on microblogging service Twitter, as the source put it.
Discussion: Mashable!
Adam Ostrow / Mashable!: Rumor: Facebook to "Undo" Twitter-like Homepage
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider:
Sorry, There's No Way To Save The TV Business — The traditional TV industry—cable companies, networks, and broadcasters—is where the newspaper industry was about five years ago: — In denial. — There are murmurings on the edges about how longstanding business models will come under pressure …
Discussion: Lucas Gonze's blog, Thanks:atul
Lucas Gonze / Lucas Gonze's blog: media apocalypse — Henry Blodget feels that television is so f**king f**ked:
Neil Hughes / AppleInsider:
New study shows iPhone users to be in a class by themselves — iPhone users are richer, younger, and perhaps even more productive at work than those who use competing smartphones, according to a new study released Friday. — The study ($750 fee) from independent market analysis company …
Discussion: The Register, Apple 2.0 and VentureBeat
Rik Myslewski / The Register: iPhone owners are superior beings, says survey
Philip Elmer-DeWitt / Apple 2.0: How are iPhone owners different? Forrester counts the ways
Aidan Malley / AppleInsider:
Best Buy to offer Apple's iPhone 3G S with insurance — Those who want added protection for their new iPhone 3G S units on launch day will have the option of queuing up at Best Buy to purchase both Apple's device as well as a rare accident insurance plan, albeit one which may cost almost as much as the phone itself.
Discussion: Tech Trader Daily, MobileCrunch, Gizmodo, The iPhone Blog, Mac|Life all, jkOnTheRun, Macsimum News and Gearlog
Tiernan Ray / Tech Trader Daily: Palm's Pre is Nice, But Not All That
John Herrman / Gizmodo: Smartphone Buyers Guide: The Best of the Best
Jeremy Sikora / The iPhone Blog: Best Buy to Offer iPhone 3G S Insurance
Arvind Srinivasan / Mac|Life all: Best Buy Offers Insurance for iPhone 3G S
James Kendrick / jkOnTheRun: Can You Work For a Month Using Just Your Smartphone?
Dennis Sellers / Macsimum News: Best Buy to offer Black Tie service for iPhone 3G S
Brian Heater / Gearlog: Get iPhone 3G S Insurance From Best Buy
Wall Street Journal:
Tax Man's Target: The Mobile Phone — The use of company-issued mobile phones could trigger new federal income taxes on millions of Americans as a "fringe benefit," spurring efforts by the wireless industry and others to kill the idea. — The Internal Revenue Service proposed …
Discussion: Electronista, FierceWireless, MobileCrunch, Between the Lines, mocoNews, Washington Post, MobileBurn.com, DailyFinance and deal architect
Phil Goldstein / FierceWireless: IRS may tax work cell phones as a 'fringe benefit'
Nicholas Deleon / MobileCrunch: IRS moves to collect taxes on your work-provided cellphone
Larry Dignan / Between the Lines: IRS eyes taxing your work mobile phone
Dianne See Morrison / mocoNews: Got A Company-Paid Cellphone? The IRS Wants To Tax Your Personal Calls
Brian James Kirk / MobileBurn.com: IRS proposes taxing workers for company-issued cell phones
Douglas McIntyre / DailyFinance: IRS wants to tax cell phone use
Stacey Higginbotham / GigaOM:
When the Cell Phone Is the Office Phone, Taxing It Is Wrong
When the Cell Phone Is the Office Phone, Taxing It Is Wrong
Discussion: Mobile Messaging 2.0
Eric Eldon / VentureBeat:
Social game company Zynga says it's not planning for IPO — Rumors circulated earlier today that leading social game company Zynga could have an initial public offering within 18 months. Here's what chief executive Mark Pincus says in response: "Zynga is a young company focused …
Nicholas Carlson / Silicon Alley Insider:
Zynga Could IPO In 18 Months
Zynga Could IPO In 18 Months
Discussion: Virtual Worlds News
Curt Feldman / Virtual Worlds News: Report: Zynga IPO TBA, er...N-O-T
DELL-Stefanie N / Direct2Dell:
@DellOutlet Surpasses $2 Million on Twitter — There was some buzz back in December around Dell generating over $1 million in revenue by posting offers and responding to questions on Twitter.com/DellOutlet— there's still mention of it on Twitter even today.
Marisa Taylor / Digits: Dell Sells $3 Million Through Twitter
Austin Modine / The Register: Dell tweets $3m in revenues
Henry Blodget / Silicon Alley Insider: Twitter Sells $3 Million Of Computers For Dell
John C Abell / Epicenter: Dude — Dell's Making Money Off Twitter!
Claire Cain Miller / Bits: Dell Says It Has Earned $3 Million From Twitter
Jordan Golson / GigaOM: Notable News From the Tech World
Marshall Kirkpatrick / ReadWriteWeb: Social Media ROI: Dell's $3m on Twitter and Four Better Examples
Antone Gonsalves / InformationWeek: Dell Makes $3 Million From Twitter-Related Sales
Brian Kraemer / ChannelWeb: Dell Does $3 Million In Sales Through Twitter
Jose Vilches / TechSpot: Dell makes $3 million in sales through Twitter
Daniela Barbosa / unstruc chitchatting …: Making Money on Twitter US$1,441.62 per tweet
Michelle Kessler / Technology Live: Twitter isn't making money, but Dell@Twitter is
Geno Prussakov / the Econsultancy blog: Dell eclipses $3 million in Twitter-driven sales
Joe Mandese / MediaPost:
RSS Feeds Nielsen Online Ire, Glitch Inflated Times, USA Today, Fox Numbers — RSS is an acronym that stands for the online publishing term really simple syndication, but it recently proved to be anything but simple for online audience researcher Nielsen. In an especially embarrassing glitch …
Discussion: Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim, Thanks:atul
Jordan McCollum / Andy Beal's Marketing Pilgrim: Nielsen Glitch Leads to Newer New System
Tricia Duryee / mocoNews:
AT&T Says Forget About Cheaper Data Rates For The iPhone 3G S — AT&T (NYSE: T) may want iPhone sales to continue at a fast clip, and it may want to extend its exclusive contract with Apple (NSDQ: AAPL), but it is not willing to drop data plan rates for the phone in order to do that.
Discussion: Dow Jones Newswires, IntoMobile, Webomatica, FierceWireless and DSLreports
Will Park / IntoMobile: AT&T 'happy' with data plan pricing
Jason Kaneshiro / Webomatica: Why I'm Annoyed At AT&T: They Can't Handle The iPhone
Phil Goldstein / FierceWireless: AT&T won't change iPhone data plan rates
Joseph Tartakoff / paidContent.org:
Microsoft Internal Startup Exec To Leave — Sanjay Parthasarathy, the Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT) corporate vice president who oversees the company's Startup Business Accelerator group—which was set up last year with the charter of building new businesses for the company—is leaving Microsoft, paidContent has learned.
Discussion: CNET News and TechFlash, Thanks:c_santiago
Ina Fried / CNET News: Longtime Microsoft executive leaving company
Google Mobile Blog:
Snack time with the new iGoogle for Android and iPhone — We like iGoogle because it lets us "snack" on interesting information all day long. We can read a little bit of news here and there, glance at finance portfolios, take a look at the weather forecast, and then do a Google search.
Discussion: InformationWeek, iTnews Australia, CNET News, ReadWriteWeb, Local Mobile Search, Search Engine Land, Search Engine Roundtable, Search Engine Journal, geeksugar, Google Operating System, Softpedia News, IntoMobile, FierceMobileContent, Android Central, MobileContentToday and CellPassion, Thanks:atul
Thomas Claburn / InformationWeek: Google Releases Improved iGoogle For Mobile
Josh Lowensohn / CNET News: A finger-friendly iGoogle returns to iPhone and Android handsets
Greg Sterling / Local Mobile Search: iGoogle Relaunch Creates More Useful 'Wapplication'
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Land: Yet Another Mobile iGoogle For iPhones & Android
Barry Schwartz / Search Engine Roundtable: 6 Months Later, Google Finally Releases a New Mobile iGoogle
Alex Chitu / Google Operating System: Yet Another Mobile iGoogle
Dusan Belic / IntoMobile: Google updates Gmail, iGoogle for Android and iPhone
Jason Ankeny / FierceMobileContent: iGoogle for iPhone and Android beta debuts
Casey Chan / Android Central: Improved iGoogle for Android
Todd Ogasawara / MobileContentToday: Google's iGoogle Portal Page Enhanced for Android & iPhone
Robert D. Hof / Business Week:
Google's Grab for the Display Ad Market — The search king aims to unseat Yahoo and Microsoft with new, ultratargeted banner ads. Will Web publishers and online ad agencies bite? — For all its success selling text ads alongside search results, Google (GOOG) can't seem to make a go of it anywhere else in the ad world.
Discussion: AdExchanger.com and Entrepreneur Watch
Richard Brandt / Entrepreneur Watch: Google's ad future
Larry Magid / CNET News:
Bing modified to enable porn filtering — After plenty of coverage about how its Bing search engine makes it all too easy for kids to find and view porn, Microsoft has made some changes that will make it easier for parents to block or monitor what their kids are viewing on the site.
Discussion: BetaNews and Bing Community
Angela Gunn / BetaNews: Bing makes a change, and the videos get G-rated again
Mark Hachman / PC Magazine:
China's Filtering Software Contains Pirated Code — Does 'Green Dam' steal code from CyberSitter? And what are PC OEMs to do? — Post a — The "Green Dam" filtering software that the Chinese government is reportedly requiring for all PCs sold there contains pirated code, a U.S. software manufacturer claimed Friday.
Discussion: CNET News and InformationWeek
Tom Espiner / CNET News: The botnet threat in China's censorship software
Thomas Claburn / InformationWeek: China 'Green Dam' Censorware Called Security Risk
Justin Smith / Inside Facebook:
"Spam King" Sanford Wallace Files for Bankruptcy as Judge Rules Facebook's Lawsuit Can Proceed — Earlier this year, we first covered the news that Facebook had filed a federal lawsuit against famed "Spam King" Sanford Wallace, Adam Arzoomanian, and Scott Shaw for crimes under the CAN-SPAM Act …
Discussion: CNET News and All Facebook, Thanks:atul
Elinor Mills / CNET News: 'Spam king' could face criminal charges in Facebook case
Eric Engleman / TechFlash:
Amazon.com settles with Toys "R" Us, will pay $51 million — Amazon.com has settled its longstanding lawsuit with Toys "R" Us and will pay the toy company $51 million, Amazon said in a regulatory filing Friday. The two companies formed a major ecommerce alliance in 2000 but the partnership dissolved …
Discussion: The Register, TechCrunch, CNET News, Associated Press, Digital Daily, Seattle Times and Reuters
Austin Modine / The Register: Amazon pays $51m to settle Toys R Us divorce
Erick Schonfeld / TechCrunch: Dotcom Hangover: Amazon Pays $51 Million To End Long-Standing Battle …
Greg Sandoval / CNET News: Amazon to pay $51 million to settle Toys 'R' Us suit
John Paczkowski / Digital Daily: Toys R Us Takes Ball, Amazon's $51 million, Goes Home
Amy Martinez / Seattle Times: Amazon settles long-standing dispute with Toys R Us
Justin Smith / Inside Facebook:
Facebook Vanity URLs Will be Available to Pages With Under 1,000 Fans in 2 Weeks — The Facebook username landrush starts tonight at 12:01am EDT, and with it comes potentially the best one-time opportunity for businesses to improve their Facebook identity and SEO by getting a good Facebook vanity URL.
Discussion: All Facebook, CNET News and Screenwerk
Nick O'Neill / All Facebook: Facebook Comments On Generic Page Feeds Being Disabled
Rafe Needleman / CNET News: Your Facebook business name: Already reserved?
Greg Sterling / Screenwerk: SMBs CAN Get Vanity URLs


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Squirrels have fuzzy tails.
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would that mean I need 168 Volts from my power source
How would a pneumatic limb compare to a motor one?
So I'll just order 27 servos rated 14 kg/cm and a 6V12AH battery. It IS an overkill, but adjusting leg length means taking full advantage of it. If my calculations are right and each leg must cope with 1 kg in worst case, 14 cm is max length between two servos on parallel axes (not max length of the leg... right?....) In that case, the absolute maximum mass it can lift is 12 kg (itself included).


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[There was a video here]
Usher brings a fan onstage to serenade her. Sexily, he takes her into his arms. Reclining, she grinds against him, then lifts her leg and flicks her foot over his head, stripper-style—only to kick him in the face.
The woman, who attended Usher's Madison Square Garden concert on Monday, can be seen apologizing frantically in the above video. After a moment of stunned silence, Usher recovers: "We play rough in bed," he murmurs throatily. "Kick each other in the face." The crowd laughs, and the silky serenade slow-beats on. [Celebitchy, Celebuzz, YouTube]


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Iowa Workforce Development offers a variety of services to Iowans at our IowaWORKS Centers, the heart of the workforce development system. IowaWORKS staff can help you with a variety of needs, including the following:
- find a new or better job
- explore and choose a career
- access training
- get information needed to succeed in today's economy
IowaJobs.org is now IowaWORKS.gov
IowaWORKS is the #1 source of jobs in Iowa. Find a career matching your skills and experience or explore training opportunities to help you get the job you want. Search Iowa's largest job bank 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
IowaJobs Microsites
US.jobs by the National Labor Exchange
Search for job openings from other states, as well as Iowa, at usnlx.com.
Create a Resume
A resume is a marketing tool that conveys why an individual is the right person for the job. Our resume building tool requires no writing skills and instead, relies on a prompt-and-response approach to create descriptive, skills-based information. Create your resume by logging into IowaWORKS website.
Career Exploration
Whether a student searching for your first career or an established job-seeker considering a career change, find some great tools and resources for exploring careers
Iowa Labor Market Information - Career Exploration Resources
Resource Guide for Job Seekers
Register for Work
You must register for work when you apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits and are no longer attached to an employer. You may register for work at IowaWORKS website.
If you do not live in Iowa, you must register for work with the nearest One-Stop Career Center in the state where you reside. You can find workforce services near you by using America's Service Locator.
Completing your work registration is a separate process from applying for UI benefits.
Review these Frequently Asked Questions about Unemployment Insurance and registering for work.


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While looking for helicopter tour Kona Hawaii all you need to do is select the company that can offer you with affordable tours. Also they should guide you with list of things to carry.
Helicopter ride can be fantastic experience, especially when you love flying. Imagine you being in air and viewing some of the finest beauty of the world. Helicopter tour Kona Hawaii can allow you to make most out of your ride by having glance at beauty of nature bestowed by God. Hawaii can be a best location, when you planning some surprise for your spouse or want to create some cozy moments. It can be like icing on the cake when you consider going for plane or helicopter tour in Hawaii. Nowadays people do consider opting for plane tour in order to enjoy a budgeted vacation.
Following are some of the steps you need to follow before you opt for helicopter tour Kona Hawaii:
Reliable Helicopter Company:
Helicopter Company you select must be capable enough to render you with quality and timely services. Cooperative members in the company can allow you to gain complete information related to the helicopter ride and money involved in it. They can also suggest you with certain measures like opting for plane tour in order to save some bucks. While searching for Hawaii Helicopter Company, see to it that they provide guide who can instruct you about the place. First thing you need to do is go online and checkout the ongoing rates for such tours.
Comfort Zone:
You are in Hawaii to have fun and spend some quality time with your loved ones. Helicopter tour Kona Hawaii can give you this opportunity but only when you select the correct company. Nature is with you and is offering some excellent view from air which can create lifetime memorable moments for you. But would you be comfortable in a plane ride or a helicopter ride? If you have comfortable window seat then it can become easy to explore nature with your loved ones. Before coming to final conclusion do inquire about the comfort measures.
Things to Carry:
There is no need to pack your bag with heavy luggage. During helicopter tour Kona Hawaii all you need to do is carry camera and shades with you. The eye catchy view of nature need to be captured in your camera and so this is the most important thing you need to carry. Sun screen lotion is optional which you can carry as per your requirement. If you have other bags with you then it is advisable to keep it in car itself.


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Learn how to knit or crochet a cosy headband at my upcoming workshop. There's still a few spots left so get in touch to book now! See flyer for details :o)
Wednesday, 26 October 2011
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Crochet Tea Set
An 8 page crochet pdf pattern so you can make this adorable tea set which includes a mini tea cosy (for a 350ml teapot), with a matching set of 6 coasters and 6 egg warmers. My pattern includes photos, notes, list of materials, a key to stitches (UK terminology) and detailed instructions.
Monday, 10 October 2011
Frankly Folksy
The new Folksy online magazine 'Frankly' has just been launched today and guess who is on the front page?!!! Check out the full Chi Chi Dee Handmade interview here :o)
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"The bloodbath in Karachi continues," blogs Murtaza Haider at Pakistan's Dawn.
The death toll in the last week alone has reached over 100. … in Pakistan's largest city. The citizens appear helpless, the government looks impotent, and the future looks grimmer by the day. While the resurgence of violence in Karachi is a recent phenomenon, the rest of Pakistan had been engulfed in senseless violence since 2003. No fewer than 36,000 Pakistanis have died in violent deaths in the past eight years, making Pakistan the hotbed of religious, political, and ethnic violence.
Haider links to this mind-numbing 2011 timeline of militant activity in Pakistan, with all the killing that implies. What's the answer? In a subsequent blog post at Dawn, Ahmad Ali Khalid writes:
Today as we look at the tragic situation in Karachi an attitude has come to the fore. … 'We need a strong man' is a common plea by ordinary Pakistanis.
Nor are they kidding around.
To sort out the bloodbath in Karachi some would have us believe that more spilling of blood is necessary by calling in the Army. A popular call has been one of mass execution of politicians [yikes! – RW] by the Army and then a messianic ushering in of a glorious leader who can quash any sort of dissent.
Khalid understands "the call for a 'strongman' – it is only natural when jungle law is the norm in a city like Karachi." But
The 'strongman syndrome' is an insidious threat to Pakistan's already fragile if not dysfunctional quasi democratic system. It is what paves the way for autocrats and ensures their survival. The 'strongman syndrome' is the glue for the social contract between a dictator and his peoples – it is a deadly rot that crushes the democratic spirit.
Khalid gets off a good one with that last line. Then he concludes that Karachi's
… deliverance will only come about with more democracy and more dialogue – it will only come about when political parties are held to account and the rule of law established.
Nevertheless, there's no end in sight to the violence. Hamza Ameer reports at Asia Times Online:
Al-Qaeda-linked 313 Brigade has appointed a new chief, Shah Sahib, following the death of its commander Ilyas Kashmiri in a United States-operated drone attack in the South Waziristan tribal area of Pakistan in June.
And he's wasting no time picking up where Kashmiri left off.
… Sahib, a well-known Taliban commander, has been selected to initiate major alliances and finalize consultations ahead of Eid – the end of the holy Muslim fasting month of Ramadan – to launch fresh assaults against the Pakistan security forces. … a major assault is now expected to be launched immediately after Eid. … As Pakistan reels from floods, political paralysis, unrest in the major city port of Karachi and sectarian violence in Balochistan province, militants are preparing to escalate their activities on both sides of the border.


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Carter, Rosalynn, 1927-Variant names
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Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter (b. Eleanor Rosalynn Smith, August 18, 1927, Plains, GA) has worked for more than three decades to improve the quality of life for people around the world. Today, she is an advocate for mental health, caregiving, early childhood immunization, human rights, and conflict resolution through her work at The Carter Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The center is a private, nonprofit institution founded by former President and Mrs. Jimmy Carter in 1982.
A full partner with the president in all the center's activities, the former first lady is a member of The Carter Center Board of Trustees. She created and chairs The Carter Center's Mental Health Task Force, an advisory body of experts, consumers, and advocates promoting positive change in the mental health field. Each year, she hosts the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy, bringing together leaders of the nation's mental health organizations to address critical issues. Mrs. Carter emerged as a driving force for mental health when, during the Carter administration, she became active honorary chair of the President's Commission on Mental Health, which resulted in passage of the Mental Health Systems Act of 1980.
She served on the Policy Advisory Board of The Atlanta Project (TAP), a program of The Carter Center addressing the social ills associated with poverty and quality of life citywide, from the program's inception in 1991 until its transfer to Georgia State University in 1999. In 1988, she convened with three other former first ladies the "Women and the Constitution" conference at The Carter Center to assess that document's impact on women. Outside the center, Mrs. Carter is president of the board of directors for the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving (RCI) at Georgia Southwestern State University, which was established in her honor on the campus of her alma mater in Americus, Georgia. Through research, education, and training, the RCI promotes the mental health and well-being of individuals, families, and professional caregivers; delineates effective caregiving practices; builds public awareness of caregiving needs; and advances public and social policies that enhance caring communities. A mother of four, she has maintained a life long dedication to issues affecting women and children. In 1991, she launched with Mrs. Betty Bumpers, wife of former U.S. Senator Dale Bumpers of Arkansas, "Every Child By Two," a nationwide campaign to publicize the need for early childhood immunizations. She also works with Habitat for Humanity, participating in the annual one-week Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Work Project that began in 1984 building homes for the needy, and Project Interconnections, a public/private nonprofit partnership to provide housing for homeless people who are mentally ill. She served as distinguished centennial lecturer at Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, from 1988 1992 and is currently a distinguished fellow at the Emory University Department of Women's Studies in Atlanta.
Since graduating from Georgia Southwestern College in 1946, Mrs. Carter has received many honors, among them the Volunteer of the Decade Award from the National Mental Health Association; the Award of Merit for Support of the Equal Rights Amendment from the National Organization for Women; the Notre Dame Award for International Service; the Eleanor Roosevelt Living World Award from Peace Links; the Kiwanis World Service Medal from Kiwanis International Foundation; the Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service; the Georgia Woman of the Year Award from the Georgia Commission on Women; the Rhoda and Bernard Sarnat International Prize in Mental Health from the Institute of Medicine; the United States Surgeon General's Medallion; and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor. In 2001 she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
She has written five books: her autobiography First Lady from Plains; Everything To Gain: Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life, a book about life after the White House co-authored with President Carter; Helping Yourself Help Others: A Book For Caregivers (with Susan K. Golant); Helping Someone with Mental Illness: A Compassionate Guide for Family, Friends, and Caregivers (with Susan K. Golant), which was selected as the winner of the 1999 American Society of Journalists and Authors Outstanding Book Award in the service category; and Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis (with Susan K. Golant and Kathryn E. Cade). She continues to travel and speak throughout the world, is a deacon at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, and enjoys fly-fishing, bird-watching, swimming, and biking in her free time.
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If you're an American, you probably store eggs in the refrigerator – and wouldn't think of doing it any other way. Yet, the US is one of the only countries where chicken eggs are kept refrigerated. In much of Europe, for instance, eggs are often stored right on the counter, at room temperature. But then, US eggs would be illegal in Europe due to an egg-washing process that may actually make them more susceptible to contamination with bacteria like Salmonella.
In the US, Eggs Are Refrigerated to Help Reduce Salmonella Risks
If an egg is infected with salmonella, the bacteria will multiply more quickly if the egg is stored at room temperature instead of in the refrigerator, particularly if they're stored for longer than 21 days.1 This is why, in the US, public health agencies advise keeping your eggs in the fridge.
And the truth is, the way most eggs are raised in the US – in industrial concentrated animal feeding operations or CAFOs – the risk of salmonella contamination rises.
In CAFOs, egg-laying hens are often crammed into tiny quarters with less space to stand upon than the computer screen you are looking at. Disease is rampant, and the birds ARE filthy — not because of their nature, but because we have removed them from their natural habitat and compromised their innate resistance to disease.
Eggs from such large flocks (30,000 birds or more… and some actually house millions of hens) and eggs from caged hens have many times more salmonella bacteria than eggs from smaller flocks, organically fed and free-ranging flocks.
They're also more likely to be antibiotic-resistant strains, due to the flock's routine exposure to such drugs. It is because of these disease-promoting practices that the US also employs egg washing – a technique that's actually banned in Europe.
Why Are American Eggs Washed, When Egg Washing Is Banned in Much of Europe?
When you have eggs from tens of thousands of chickens – or more — all under one roof, there's a good chance they're going to get feces and other contaminants on them. The US solution, rather than reducing the size of the flocks and ensuring better sanitation and access to the outdoors, is to wash the eggs. But this isn't as innocuous as it sounds.
As the eggs are scrubbed, rinsed, dried, and spritzed with a chlorine mist, its protective cuticle may be compromised. This is a natural barrier that comes from the mother hen that lays the egg, and it acts as a shield against bacteria.
It even contains antimicrobial properties. US egg-washing strips this natural protectant from the egg, which may actually make it more likely to become contaminated. According to European Union (EU) guidelines:
"Such damage may favor trans-shell contamination with bacteria and moisture loss and thereby increase the risk to consumers, particularly if subsequent drying and storage conditions are not optimal."
Industrial egg washing, by the way, is banned in much of Europe, not only because of potential damage to the eggs' cuticles but also because it might allow for more "sloppy" egg-producing practices. The chief executive of Britain's Egg Industry Council told Forbes:2
"In Europe, the understanding is that [prohibiting the washing and cleaning of eggs] actually encourages good husbandry on farms. It's in the farmers' best interests then to produce the cleanest eggs possible, as no one is going to buy their eggs if they're dirty."
In the US, of course, you'd have no way of knowing whether your bright-white grocery-store eggs were covered in filth before they arrived in your kitchen. Plus, about 10 percent of US eggs are treated with mineral or vegetable oil, basically as a way to "replace" the protective cuticle that's just been washed off.
Unfortunately, since an eggshell contains approximately 7,500 pores or openings, once the natural cuticle has been removed what's put ON your egg goes INTO your egg. Meaning, whatever the eggshell comes into contact with can cross over this semi-permeable membrane and end up in your scrambled eggs, from chlorine to mineral oil to dish soap — to salmonella.
The Other Reason Why the EU Recommends Constant Room Temperature Egg Storage
European egg marketing regulations state that storing eggs in cold storage and then leaving them out at room temperature could lead to condensation, which could promote the growth of bacteria on the shell that could probably get into the egg as well. As io9 reported, the EU therefore advises storing eggs at a constant non-refrigerated temperature:3
"EU guidelines therefore stipulate that eggs should be transported and stored at as constant a temperature as possible – a temperature between 66.2 °F and 69.8°F in the winter and between 69.8°F and 73.4°F in the summer."
So, despite what you may have heard, eggs that are fresh and have an intact cuticle do not need to be refrigerated, as long as you are going to consume them within a relatively short period of time.
In the US, refrigeration of eggs became the cultural norm when mass production caused eggs to travel long distances and sit in storage for weeks to months before arriving at your superstore. The general lack of cleanliness of CAFOs has increased the likelihood that your eggs have come into contact with pathogens, amplifying the need for disinfection and refrigeration.
So, IF your eggs are very fresh, and IF their cuticle is intact, you do not have to refrigerate them. According to Hilary Thesmar, director of the American Egg Board's Egg Safety Center:4
"The bottom line is shelf life. The shelf life for an unrefrigerated egg is 7 to 10 days and for refrigerated, it's 30 to 45 days. A good rule of thumb is one day at room temperature is equal to one week under refrigeration."
Eggs purchased from grocery stores are typically already three weeks old, or older. USDA-certified eggs must have a pack date on the carton, and a sell-by date. Realize that the eggs were often laid many days prior to the pack date.
Most grocery-store eggs in the US should not be left unrefrigerated because they've had their cuticles essentially washed off. If your eggs are fresh from the organic farm, with intact cuticles, and will be consumed within a few days, you can simply leave them on the counter or in a cool cupboard.
Are US Organic Eggs Washed?
Organic flocks are typically much smaller than the massive commercial flocks (typically by an order or two of magnitude) where bacteria flourish, which is part of the reason why eggs from truly organic free-range chickens are FAR less likely to contain dangerous bacteria such as salmonella. Their nutrient content is also much higher than commercially raised eggs, which is most likely the result of the differences in diet between organic free ranging, pastured hens and commercially farmed hens.
As far as washing, detergents and other chemicals used for "wet cleaning" organic eggs must either be non-synthetic or among the allowed synthetics on the National List of allowed non-agricultural substances, which can include chlorine, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and others. Some farmers report rinsing eggs very quickly in water, just to dislodge any debris, and believe this is adequate. Others use a dry brushing process — no liquids at all — just a brush, sandpaper, or a loofah sponge.
Since most organic egg producers are typically interested in producing high-quality eggs, many of them—especially small, local farming operations—have implemented gentle washing methods that don't compromise the cuticle. However, you certainly can't tell by looking at them what type of washing process they may have gone through. The only way to know if your eggs have been washed or oiled (and using what agents) is to ask the producer — and the only way to do that is to buy from small local farmers you have direct contact with.
Locally Raised Eggs Are Usually Best
The key here is to buy your eggs locally; this is typically even preferable to organic eggs from the grocery store. About the only time I purchase eggs from the store is when I am travelling or for some reason I miss my local egg pickup. Finding high-quality organic eggs locally is getting easier, as virtually every rural area has individuals with chickens. If you live in an urban area, visiting the local health food stores is typically the quickest route to finding the high quality local egg sources.
Farmers markets and food coops are another great way to meet the people who produce your food. With face-to-face contact, you can get your questions answered and know exactly what you're buying. Better yet, visit the farm — ask for a tour. If they have nothing to hide, they should be eager to show you their operation.
Eggs ARE a Highly Nutritious Food
The issue of whether or not to refrigerate your eggs becomes a moot point if you've been scared into believing that eggs are bad for your health. I want to address this briefly, as there is a major misconception that you must avoid foods like eggs and saturated fat to protect your heart. Eggs are an incredible source of high-quality protein and fat—nutrients that many are deficient in. And I believe eggs are a nearly ideal fuel source for most of us. The evidence clearly shows that eggs are one of the most healthful foods you can eat, and can actually help prevent disease, including heart disease. For example, previous studies have found that:
-Consumption of more than six eggs per week does not increase the risk of stroke and ischemic stroke5
-Eating two eggs a day does not adversely affect endothelial function (an aggregate measure of cardiac risk) in healthy adults, supporting the view that dietary cholesterol may be less detrimental to cardiovascular health than previously thought6
-Proteins in cooked eggs are converted by gastrointestinal enzymes, producing peptides that act as ACE inhibitors (common prescription medications for lowering blood pressure)7
-A survey of South Carolina adults found no correlation of blood cholesterol levels with "bad" dietary habits, such as use of red meat, animal fats, fried foods, butter, eggs, whole milk, bacon, sausage, and cheese8
As for how to eat your eggs for optimal health, ideally the yolks should be consumed raw, as the heat will damage many of the highly perishable nutrients in the yolk. Additionally, the cholesterol in the yolk can be oxidized with high temperatures, especially when it is in contact with the iron present in the whites and cooked, as in scrambled eggs, and such oxidation contributes to chronic inflammation in your body.
However, if you're eating raw eggs, they MUST be organic pastured eggs. You do not want to consume conventionally raised eggs raw, as they're much more likely to be contaminated with pathogens. The next best option to raw is to eat them soft-boiled or gently cooked "sunny side up" with very runny yolks. One final caveat: I would strongly encourage you to avoid all omega-3 eggs, as they typically come from chickens that are fed poor-quality sources of omega-3 fats that are already oxidized. Omega-3 eggs are also more likely to perish faster than non-omega-3 eggs.
By Dr. Mercola via Real Farmacy
1 Epidemiol Infect. 1991 Jun;106(3):489-96
2 Forbes October 25, 2012
3 io9.com November 15, 2013
4 News Observer April 22, 2009
5 HealthCorrelator.blogspot.com August 20, 2012
6 International Journal of Cardiology 2005 Mar 10;99(1):65-70
7 Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 2009, 57 (2), pp 471–477
8 Journal of Nutrition Nov 1990, 120:11S:1433-1436


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Tablets are now nearly as popular as desktops and laptops for buying items on the Web, according to data from Web merchandising firm Monetate.
In the second quarter of 2012, 3.17% of tablet users on the Web made an online purchase, while 3.34% made purchases from desktops and laptops, Monetate's data shows.
"Tablets are truly a competitor for the desktop [and laptop], with Web tablet users converting [to buy] at nearly the same rate," said Monetate's chief marketing officer Kurt Heinemann in an interview.
The average order value from a tablet in the second quarter also was larger than from a desktop or laptop, and much larger than in previous quarters, he noted. Tablet buyers spent an average of $96.11 for a purchase in the second quarter of 2012, while traditional Web buyers spent an average of $91.86.
Total Web traffic still remains much higher for desktops and laptops, but has grown dramatically for smartphones and tablets in the past year as more devices have hit the market, Heinemann said. In the second quarter of 2011, tablets and smartphones accounted for 6.53% of Web traffic, but jumped to 16.08% in the second quarter this year.
"That is a major hockey stick in terms of growth," Heinemann said. "We are now in the first stages of the Web experience moving to tablets and smartphones. We're just hitting a boom. That 16% number will definitely go into the 20s by the first quarter of 2013."
Monetate derived its data from an estimated 100 million e-commerce sessions. Monetate provides software and guidance to more than 150 retailers and other Web merchandisers, helping them customize ad campaigns for better sales. The company works with such Web retailers as Best Buy, QVC, The Sports Authority and Petco, among others.
The research shows that smartphones are principally used for researching products to buy, while tablets, which can be "more visual and more tactile" because of their large touchscreens, are easier for users in moving around a Web site, Heinemann said. Smartphone purchases are only about a third as frequent as purchases made with a tablet, even though the average order value on a smartphone is slightly greater than with a tablet, Monetate found.
Monetate encouraged businesses that sell on the Web to plan for adapting to touch-centric tablets as the devices grow in popularity and as a way to make purchases. One big difference with a touchscreen tablet over a pointer or mouse on a laptop or PC is that there's no "mouse-over" capability with a tablet, whereas a pointer on a laptop or a mouse on a desktop can hover over something on a Web page to make a ghost image appear with more detailed information. A user's finger on a touch tablet can't hover over something for more information.
Heinemann predicted that with the impact of the Google Nexus 7 tablet, which went on sale in mid-July, the smaller iPad tablet expected from Apple, and next-generation tablets coming from Amazon, there will be a "meteoric rise" in tablet use and purchasing.
He also predicted that Microsoft's Surface tablets will be too expensive compared to the Nexus 7 priced at $199, and are already too "late to the dance" to have much impact.
While Monetate evaluates Web traffic and Web purchases, Heinemann said he's keenly aware that apps used for online purchases are more appropriate for certain businesses that sell online.
"Travel is perfect for apps purchases, such as buying an airline ticket, but when businesses start going into areas for more broad retail needs, the Web is still good," Heinemann said. "We don't think you'll see as much retail app development. Browsing is losing share to apps [for purchases], but apps are not a major value for the core retailers out there."
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at @matthamblen or subscribe to Matt's RSS feed. His email address is email@example.com.
See more by Matt Hamblen on Computerworld.com.


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PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh police say a man tried to carjack a plainclothes officer near filming for the latest Batman movie — and allegedly told him it was part of the script.
Detective Robert DiGiacomo was in an unmarked vehicle around 7:15 p.m. Saturday, looking for a suspect in an assault. That's when police say a man opened the car door, sat down and told the officer to get out.
The officer drew his gun and ordered the suspect, 21-year-old Micah Calamosca, out of the car. He says the suspect told him he was part of filming for "The Dark Knight Rises" and that taking the vehicle was in the script.
Calamosco was taken into custody and faces a charge of robbery of a motor vehicle. It's unclear if he has an attorney.


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Gear Review: Osprey Aether 70/Ariel 65 Weeklong Pack
Don't worry, the updates to these tried-and-true packs are worthy.
Heavy Duty
When Osprey told us it was updating its stellar Aether and Ariel series, we worried it was fixing something that wasn't broken. But one tester comment is all it took for us to stop fretting: "I carried the previous Aether on Denali in 2005, and, believe me, this new model handles bulkier gear and hauls even more weight, up to 60 pounds, without an ounce hanging on my shoulders."
Credit the wider packbag, a more thickly padded backpanel, and a thicker hipbelt. Testers also loved the long main-compartment zipper, which makes it easy to access any area of the pack, and the lumbar straps (not hipbelt stabilizers) that run from the lower packbag to the hipbelt. The straps focus payload onto your lower back, so you can stand up straight, instead of hunching under the weight.
External features are also dialed. "I could reach the stretchy bottle pockets easily, and nothing ever fell out," says one tester. "And copious webbing let me lash on bulky items." Our Sawtooths tester sums it up best: "It's the most comfortable 60 pounds I have ever carried." Nitpick: The hipbelt stabilizer straps are difficult to adjust. $259; 4,200 cu. in. ; 5 lbs.


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Last week, President Obama's Thin Mint declaration had Girl Scout cookie fans in an uproar. But whether you love Tagalongs or Do-Si-Dos, in the thick of summer our beloved treats are nowhere to be found. Problem is, Girl Scout troops haven't been selling their signature cookies since February, so for many of us, surviving the next six months without them will be our top concern. Here, then, is a brief history of these iconic American cookies, and for you die-hard cookie monsters who can't wait until winter, we've included a recipe so you can make your own.
"Girls should be partners and comrades, rather than dolls."
In 1917, just five years after the Girl Scouts were founded, the first documented cookie sale was held by a troop in Muskogee, Oklahoma. These girls sold baked goods made in their own home kitchens, and used their funds to purchase handkerchiefs for soldiers serving in World War I. The practice soon expanded to troops in other states and became an integral part of the organization, with celebrities like First Lady Grace Coolidge and Babe Ruth helping to promote the annual cookie sales.
Among the first published Girl Scout cookie recipes was the "Butter Trefoil" cookie, a simple shortbread sugar cookie in the shape of the official Girl Scout emblem. Originally printed in 1922, the recipe accompanied an interview with the organization's Chicago regional director, who estimated the cost of ingredients between 26 and 36 cents per batch. Over the years, in addition to a variety of recipes, the national Girl Scouts organization produced scores of cookie cutters, posters advertising the sales, and standardized cookie packaging.
Girl Scout collector Carol Altvater explains that initially, "when they started selling cookies en masse, different councils would actually contract with local bakeries to make official Girl Scout cookies. A group could just go to any bakery in their city and ask, 'Would you make Girl Scout cookies for us?' There were a bunch of Girl Scout cookbooks at that time, and all of them had cookie recipes." In 1936, the national Girl Scouts organization embraced the fundraisers and licensed the first commercial bakery to produce treats for sales nationwide.
Although ingredient rationing during World War II forced the councils to sell calendars rather than baked goods, by 1948 there were 29 licensed bakeries churning out official Girl Scout cookies. Thin Mints, the current top-sellers and the President's favorites, were introduced in the 1950s, while another fan favorite known as Samoas or Caramel deLites, depending on the region, were created in the 1970s.
While cookie sales are generally the most visible side of the Girl Scouts, they're just one method of raising money for a host of other activities. After paying the bakers for their product, every dollar made stays with a troop's local Girl Scout Council, with a smaller percentage returning to the specific troop who earned it. These edible fundraisers provide money for everything from troop uniforms to outdoor activities, as a slogan from the 1960s nicely sums it up: "Cookie money is camping money." Today, around 200 million boxes of the cookies are sold each year, bringing in close to $760 million in revenue. In addition to providing necessary funds to further the organization's many goals, cookie sales directly teach scouts a variety of entrepreneurial skills, including money management, business ethics, and goal-setting.
The organization's founder, Juliette Gordon Low, always intended for the girls to learn specific skills like these which would help them to succeed independently, whether it was at home-making or running their own businesses. Low's initial inspiration came from her friendship with the illustrious Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who started an organization in the U.K. for boys to learn outdoor skills, first aid, and honorable values which he dubbed the Boy Scouts. When his group was inaugurated, over 6,000 girls registered to join, convincing Baden-Powell to form a parallel organization called the Girl Guides, led by his sister Agnes. Low was enthralled with Baden-Powell's vision, described by Agnes as training girls to be "partners and comrades, rather than dolls."
Starting in a small Scottish town she visited during the summer of 1911, Low began inviting neighbor girls into her home to learn skills like knot-tying, map-reading, and flag-signaling. Primarily the children of impoverished rural families, these young women were eventually expected to leave the countryside in order to do mind-numbing work in factories. Low hoped that learning hands-on domestic skills would increase their chances of sustaining themselves in their own hometowns.
After returning to her home in Savannah, Georgia, Low formally established the American version of the Girl Guides in March of 1912. She had already begun work on a new version of the Girl Guide handbook, creating her own updated guidelines and incorporating segments by local naturalist W.J. Hoxie. The organization's name was switched to Girl Scouts the following year, and women across the country were soon contacting Low to start their own troops. These earliest members designed, cut, and sewed their own uniforms, as well as the first trefoil badges. This original three-leaved emblem signified a "Tenderfoot," or girl who was new to the scouting world.
Over the following century, from the first homemade batches to the millions of cookies produced by commercial bakeries today, the Girl Scouts witnessed sweeping shifts in American society including advances in civil rights and opportunities for women. Ernie Altvater sees his collection as a direct chronicle of this evolution, "a timeline of the radical changes that the Girl Scouts have made." He says that "they've always done what the girls wanted and needed. As society changed, so did the uniform; so did the program; so did the handbooks. Everything is constantly changing. Low was once asked if she thought Girl Scouts would always be the same, and she said, 'I wouldn't be surprised that if I were alive in the year 2000, Girl Scouts would be walking around in purple uniforms.'"
Though the uniforms are still green, Carol and Ernie Altvater admit they just purchased their first Girl Scout flash drive. Recent additions to the program's merit badge awards include such contemporary categories as Netiquette, Locavore, and Environmental Health. Both Carol and Ernie emphasize that Girl Scouts has always been open to changing along with its members. To that end, Carol relates a tale of Low's initial encouragement to an adult volunteer. "One of the first troop leaders asked Low, 'But what am I going to do with the girls?' and she said, 'You're going to do whatever the girls want to do.' And that has always been the key to the success of Girl Scouting–doing what the girls want."
In the Girl Scouts' first promotional film from 1918, called "The Golden Eaglet," a young girl uses her "scout's pace," when seeking help in an emergency, alternating ten steps walking with ten steps running. In many ways, the Girl Scouts have maintained this quickened pace from their founding clear to the present. Public attention recently returned to the Boy Scouts of America's policy of excluding LGBTQ members or leaders from the organization despite protests from within and without. Conversely, last fall the Girl Scouts of Colorado published a statement through GLAAD announcing that "if a child identifies as a girl and the child's family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout." By inviting transgender children into its ranks, the Girl Scouts signaled a continued commitment to growth and inclusion.
This legacy of change is visible not only in the history books, but in Girl Scout memorabilia as well. In order to allow modern scouts to experience this evolution and interact with the organization's history, collectors like Ellen DeMaio, Ernie and Carol Altvater, and Merana Cadorette have all made their collections available to troops. As Cadorette says, "history in school is generally about adults, but using Girls Scout items shows the girls what children their age wore; handbooks describe tasks girls did or could be expected to try; and things they played with evoke a time before computers and the digital age."
Ernie Altvater points out that although the group's older slogans or policies may seem objectionable today, they accurately reflected the organization's priorities at the time. He explains that "In the late 1930s, their advertising slogan on billboards and publicity material read, 'Girl Scouts: Half a million future homemakers.'" To modern ears this might sound like a bad joke, but in the 1930s being a capable homemaker was what many girls desired, and the Girl Scouts taught them skills to do it well. As trite as it may seem, this was not necessarily an easy task, particularly in a day before washing machines, baby monitors, and mass-produced cookies.
Which brings us back to the empty place in our stomachs, longing to be filled with a familiar Samoa or Do-Si-Do. Fanatics will go to long lengths to satisfy their cookie cravings–Ellen DeMaio says that she kept some Thin Mint bakery samples in a tin for years, "just to smell the cookies."
So how can you get your hands on those yummy treats during summer vacation? Easy: Try making them yourself, using the oldest known recipe for simple shortbread trefoils. You might not get the warm fuzzy feeling that comes from knowing your purchase put a pocket knife in the hands of a skirted scout, but right now, it's all about the cookies.
1922 Butter Trefoil Recipe (courtesy the official Girl Scouts website)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)
2 eggs
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.
5 comments so far
Thin mints…I'll empty a box quick.
Dave Says:
Many successful women learned their first leadership skills in the Girl Scouts. Wish I'd kept my Brownie outfit!
Tamra-Shae Oatman Says:
"cookie sales directly teach scouts a variety of entrepreneurial skills, including money management, business ethics, and goal-setting"
For nearly 20 years I worked in two different offices where a manager would prominently post a sign-up sheet for his or her daughter's GS cookie sales. Never saw or heard from the actual Girl Scout, before or after the sales. What do you suppose those scouts learned from this?
Quinn Says:
It teaches the most important of all entrepreneurial skills, Networking. Obviously it teaches the power of networking and how to use one's personal network to accomplish objectives and reach goals. Priceless!
Rennie Says:
I am looking for the Peanut Butter Cookie recipe that was in the GS cookbook Late 1940's or early 1950's.
Patricia Reed Says:


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ECPAT UK - Every Child Protected Against Trafficking
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