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. . . "Not seaworthy?" asked reporter Piersol.The 'Atlantic Clipper' had been lightly loaded and the fuel was in the wing tanks instead of in the sea wings, so the center of gravity was high. That may have made her unstable.Next test they'd ballast. Saturday, June 4, 1938 they put 2,600 gallons of gas in the sea wing tanks, and a ton of lead shot in the passenger compartments. Tomorrow she'd fly: 6 A.M. was cast-off time.The bay was still as a mill pond. The newsmen were aboard the picket boats with questioning gaze as the boats cut the water again on the trail of the 314. Things went better on the water, but there were no indications of flight.All day the ship taxied back and forth. Occasionally it stopped while mechanics came out to work on the engines. It grew late. Eddie headed back. Then, turning into Elliott Bay, the wing tip went in the water again: Again they got it out.The newsmen demanded to see Claire Egtvedt. "What is the trouble?" they asked."Remember," Egtvedt said, "no one has operated a boat like this before. The co-pilot gunned the engines on the wrong side by mistake. We may decide to lower the tips of the sea wings some to make it steadier."André Priester of Pan American Airways stepped in. "Those troubles are trivial," he told the reporters. "The real news is in the high-speed runs. The spray curls back clean, under the sea wings. This is a real airplane—not one that covers itself with spray so it can't get off well."Tuesday the plane was loaded to 77,500 pounds, just 5,000 pounds under its maximum, and was set for flight, but there was a strong wind up. At five o'clock a message came from up-Sound that the wind was slackening. It was a good omen.Eddie headed the Clipper west. With throttles open, he skipped off the water past Duwamish Head and Alki Point, then taxied downwind. At the end of a long run he put about and prepared for a take-off to the north while Beall in the lead picket boat got the other craft into position.At 6: 17 P.M. the great roar of the Cyclones sounded across the water and Eddie was moving toward the picket boats. They raced full speed ahead to stay parallel. Salt spray in the face and high excitement aboard, they bounced through the waves as the big-hulled flying boat roared past them, sailing high on the step.Everything was rushing: water, wind, airplane. Ahead, the great hull skimmed the surface, lifted up, straight on up, steady into the air, up and up into the northern sky. Yells of applause broke into the wonderful freshness of the wind. They watched the flying Clipper sail out of sight.After a thirty-eight-minute flight, Eddie Allen landed on Lake Washington, where further testing was to be based. Beall caught up with him at Matthews Beach later in the evening."We had power to spare," said Allen. "But when I got off the water I couldn't turn. Just not enough rudder for that big body. When we got to 2,000 feet I used the ailerons and power on one side for a wide ten-mile turn."Beall looked at Allen, painfully. "I was wrong," he said. "I guess we don't know as much about control surfaces as we thought we did."The Clipper model went back in the wind tunnel with a double instead of a single tail. When the change was engineered and installed in the ship, Eddie Allen came back to fly it again. The twin rudders turned it all right, but now the plane had a peculiar, weaving course of flight, not straight and stable.There were some things you just couldn't learn in the wind tunnel. You got approximate results and then you had to try them out in flight.A central fin was added between the two tails, giving the ship a triple tail. This worked, both for control and stability. The angle of the sea wings was also lowered for better stability on the water.These were expensive changes, with six of the big planes under construction. From the cost figures, Claire Egtvedt could see plainly that the Clipper contract was going to come out with a loss. The Stratoliners would too, unless they could sell some more of them, to take advantage of the engineering and tooling that they'd already paid for.The cost of research and engineering for big airplanes, though Egtvedt thought of it as an investment for the future, was tremendous. He looked at the charts. The original 299 Flying Fortress had taken 153,000 man-hours of engineering. They had thought that was a lot. But 280,000 hours were going into the B-17B. The Clippers were taking 380,000.
Egtvedt wondered if anyone quite realized what this meant. You wanted to build something new that would be an advance to aviation, something that was needed. You had to guarantee what your new thing was going to do before you had ever built one of them. You couldn't sell enough to make it a good production job—and yet you had to put a price on it that wouldn't scare the customer clear away.You knew it would take you three or four years to finish the job. The cost of labor and materials might go up in the meantime. You had a plant full of new people who had to learn how to do the job. Then there were changes that you hadn't figured on and other changes the customer wanted. They all cost money.You had $14 million worth of orders to fill and only $4 million working capital. Your capital was already spent for plant and equipment, for materials and work in process, so you had to borrow from the banks to make your payroll.You could get more capital to work with if you could make a profit. But not if you were operating at a loss. And you were the man responsible. Everybody looked to you. Employees, stockholders, customers.Wearied and worried, Egtvedt sat at his desk and pulled out his slide rule, wishing desperately that the little white stick in the friendly brown case could solve this as it would an engineering problem, but it could not.Fred Laudan came in to say that union negotiations were deadlocked. Last year the union got an increase and now it was back for more. "Ten cents an hour or strike.""We can't do it," said Egtvedt. "Our wages are already 20 per cent above the rest of the industry average.""We've told them that again and again," said Laudan. "We're at the end of our rope."Egtvedt had the union spokesmen in his office and told them the facts."All right," was their reply. "We strike tomorrow." One of the men got up and stalked the floor, shouting angrily about cooperation.Egtvedt's face was white. "You just want to break the company and put your own men out of a job. I tell you"—Egtvedt's fist came down on his desk—"you walk out and there won't be any jobs to come back to."That brought a furious rebuttal. In the middle of it, burning with frustration and unaccustomed rage, Egtvedt walked out of the room. For minutes he stood at the window of his outer office, searching for calm. Finally he turned. "I guess I can go back in now."Then he gave it to them again, straight and cool. Every week's payroll required a new bank loan and this would be the last straw, they probably wouldn't be able to get any more loans. The union backed down.Jake Harman was out from Dayton to see about the B-17A which was getting its turbo-superchargers installed underneath the engine nacelles."It's going to work," said Ed Wells. "We have the structure licked and the wind-tunnel data looks good."Behind the 17A on the assembly floor were the bullet-round bodies of the first three Stratoliner transports. Lysle Wood, project engineer, and N. D. Showalter, who supervised the Stratoliner body design, were optimistic.Wells showed Jake Harman through the transport with pride. This was a good chance to give the proposed pressurized version of the B-17 a plug."We can get you better than three hundred miles per hour at 25,000 feet, and a bomb load of 9,900 pounds," he told Harman.Jake didn't spark. "Got some bad news for you on that," he said finally. "The War Department turned down Oliver Echols' request for a pressurized bomber project." Then he added, "This won't make you happy either: they've asked us to put no four-engine bombers in our estimates for fiscal 1940 and '41."Ed Wells went back to his engineering.
Hitler was shouting at Nurnberg about rebuilding an empire strong enough to last a thousand years. "The German Reich has slumbered long. The German people is now awakened and has offered itself as wearer of its own millennial crown."Hitler's shrill voice drilled sharp into the ears of Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. The President wanted to know how much the airplane industry could expand its production if need should come. Then he called in his military men. If it was going to be war, it would be in the air, he told them.Hap Arnold, made chief of the Air Corps when Oscar Westover was killed in an accident, listened soberly, glad that the White House realized this. Oscar Westover had said that the future of aviation, both military and civil, was "indelibly linked with the success of the big airplane," and he'd called the Flying Fortress "the most successful type of plane, everything considered," ever developed for the Air Corps.But Arnold was concerned about Boeing's ability to produce. None of the B-17Bs was delivered yet, not even the B-17A; only the first thirteen B-17s. He asked Boeing to work out a license agreement with the Consolidated Aircraft Company in San Diego, so they could produce the B-17 if need be.Consolidated engineers were quick with an alternate plan. "The Fortress design is four years old," they said. "Let us design something new that's faster, longer range. We could get it out in a hurry." Arnold couldn't deny that that made sense.Consolidated got started on the B-24. A replacement for the B-17?Strange, that at the hour the warning bell was ringing in Europe and in Washington, the future of the Flying Fortress should be in doubt.Still, new things were happening. On December 31, 1938, Eddie Allen and a crew of four took the first Stratoliner up. The flight went well. The B-17A with its turbos was also finally proved out and made ready for delivery in January. Finally the Atlantic Clipper was tested and approved by the Civil Aeronautics Authority. It, too, would be delivered in January.The year finished with a $500,000 loss and Claire Egtvedt felt the horns of a dilemma. The only hope of recovering the loss was to keep the B-17 in production. But the 17 might be losing out.Egtvedt had memories of what had happened to the B-9 and the 247. The only way they could prevent that would be to come up with a new bomber design. But that would take time and money. They didn't have the money to do it without Army support, and passage of time simply meant more loss. The commercial ships were dragging them more and more in the red.To gain a little more freedom to grapple with the problem, Egtvedt put Bob Minshall in the job of assistant general manager, a position Monteith had resigned because of ill health. Jack Kylstra became chief engineer.Egtvedt set out with Ed Wells to talk to the Army about the pressurized bomber design based on the B-17 and the Stratoliner. The new plane would at least use the wings and tail surfaces they were already making.Oliver Echols was unenthusiastic. "The only official requirement I have is for 3,000 miles range and three hundred miles per hour," he said. "That's the specification Consolidated is designing to. It's only a shade better than the B-17B. Your improved model could do that easily.But that isn't what we need. What we need we've known for a long time. We need at least 4,000, better 5,000, miles. And we don't want to sacrifice speed and altitude to get it. We need better armament. Nothing less than fifty-caliber. Tail guns especially.""We can put in a lot of armament and cut down the performance, or we can keep the performance up and stay out of the fighters' way," said Wells. "Which is better?""Both," said Echols. "We ought to have both."At Langley Field, Bob Olds was equally earnest. "Our job," he said, "is to defend these coasts. If there's an aircraft carrier approaching our shores, we have to be able to go out and bomb it before it gets close. Thank God, we have the B-17. It's the only thing that can do it."But we're skating on thin ice. We have to bomb them by daylight, and we only have enough radius to reach the carrier on its last day. We want radius enough to work them over the second day out. But we haven't been able to get any money for that kind of airplane."The operating people always talked about radius rather than range. The radius was the distance to the target, plus the return trip, plus allowance for spare fuel, military load, head winds, and contingencies. The B-17 had a range of 3,000 miles but the Air Corps called its radius 1,000 miles. To do what Bob Olds was talking about would require a range of 5,000 miles.
Egtvedt and Wells took stock on the way back. "It's obvious the airplane they're buying and the airplane they need are two different things," said Wells.Egtvedt knew it, too, but the idea came hard. More new development. More research. More expense. High speed and long range both, Echols wanted. You couldn't do it with any conventional design. They were going to have to head out again into the unknown."On everything we've done so far," Claire said, "we've started out with a purpose—an honest purpose. That's what we've got to keep doing. We've got to build the airplane that we think best meets the need."Back in Seattle, Wells got Giff Emery, now heading the preliminary design group, started on a superbomber study. "See if you can find some way to get the drag down," he said. "Way down." That was their only hope of accomplishing what Oliver Echols asked.They started on the engine nacelles. These were the big drag items on the wings."Let's try putting water-cooled engines inside the wings. Do away with the nacelles; just have a propeller shaft coming out."It was at least a new approach. It didn't look too promising at first. Then the engine manufacturers said they could build a flat type engine that would fit better in the wings. That brought a new ray of hope. Ralph Cram and his staff worked on the aerodynamics side. Things were beginning to go together.The day arrived for delivery of the Atlantic Clipper to Pan American Airways. It was January 29, 1939. Under a lead-gray sky, pilot Earl Ferguson lifted the big flying boat from Lake Washington on its delivery flight to Astoria, Oregon, where the ship would change hands. Frank Gledhill and other Pan American people were along to complete the transaction. Wellwood Beall, as seller, co-pilot and radio operator, was having his day.The course was set to the mouth of the Columbia River. The plan was to fly visual contact with the ground; there was no commercial airway radio beam over this route.They stayed low because of the covering clouds. It seemed odd droning along in a huge boat over hills and treetops. They were more than halfway across when the clouds darkened, and in an instant they were blind in a sky full of snow."The forecast didn't give us anything like this," said Beall. Ten minutes passed. Instead of coming out of the storm, they were getting in deeper. Pilot Ferguson veered west to be sure he was clear of some hills. The big ship was being buffeted heavily. Another five minutes passed.Beall wanted the worst way to know where they were. What were the wind drift and the new compass heading doing to them? His heart pounded."Shall I call Grays Harbor Coast Guard to give us a bearing?" he asked Ferguson. The call might be regarded as an emergency procedure.Ferguson nodded. "Go ahead." His forehead was wrinkled. Beall requested the radio bearing from Grays Harbor. A voice blared in his earphones."You're right over us. We can see you."Relieved, they headed out to sea until they emerged from the snow cloud, then swung around under it up the huge mouth of the Columbia River. They sat down nicely opposite Astoria and anchored.A rowboat came out and took them to shore. They had to scramble up the muddy slope from the river's edge.
An Astoria banker led them to his office, where the sale was to take place by means of an elaborate telephone conference with Pan American's New York office, a New York trust company, and the Civil Aeronautics Authority in Washington. It was approaching the 2 P.M. deadline for the call.The lawyers had mimeographed a fifty-four step routine. "Is the airplane at Astoria in fit and sound condition?" asked New York. Beall affirmed that it was."Is Mr. Gledhill there to receive it?" Gledhill said "Yes.""Mr. Beall, have you the certificate of title?" An electric shock struck Beall. He'd forgotten the certificate. It flashed before his eyes, there in its metal frame on the wall of the stairway to the control cabin, out there in the middle of the river. He had no voice.Quickly, Frank Gledhill fished out a blank piece of paper and nodded vigorously to Beall. Beall stammered, "Yes, yes, I've got it here.""Will you sign it and pass it to Mr. Gledhill?" Beall signed the blank paper."Civil Aeronautics Authority, will you record the transaction?" It was recorded in Washington.The $100,000 final payment check was handed to Beall. Phones clicked. Beall looked around at worried faces."What the hell have we done here?" asked the Astoria banker."It's all right," said Gledhill. Then he turned sternly to Beall. "Beall, you happen to be the most valuable guy in the world at this moment." He grabbed Beall by the back of his coat collar. "Let's go get that damn piece of paper."Beall's feet sank ankle deep in the mud bank. What if the certificate wasn't there? What if the rowboat overturned in the choppy water? What if . . . They got out to the ship. The certificate was there. The screwdriver shook in Beall's hand as he got it off the wall. He gave it to Gledhill and sat down. Limp, happy."You need a vacation," said Gledhill. "Better come along on the maiden flight to Hong Kong."Pan American was planning to start operation first on the Pacific, then the Atlantic. On February 22, the Clipper Ship—Number Two—soared out over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. Aboard, Wellwood Beall thought of the time he had headed out this way before, five and a half years ago.Beall wished his wife Jeannie could be with him now. Hawaii, Midway, Wake, westward in the sky. Beall thought of the people at the Cathay, his words of wisdom: "Just a stunt. . . ." Those people would know better now. They'd know that he knew better.Over the blue expanse between Honolulu and Wake Island they passed above the sailing clipper 'Trade Wind.' Captain W. A. Cluthe circled a salute.With stops en route, the trip lasted three weeks. On March 1. Beall stepped onto the Pan American dock at San Francisco. The newsboys on the dock were shouting something. News of their flight?He could hear a little better now: "Nazi troops in Czechoslovakia."In Washington, an apprehensive Congress was considering Roosevelt's proposal for a half billion dollar defense program, $170 million of it for airplane procurement.Claire Egtvedt, with Jim Murray, the company's vice president and eastern representative, was holding close to Washington and Dayton. They found the Air Corps people brutally frank about Boeing's chances."You are good at design, but poor on production. You haven't delivered a single B-17B." Egtvedt felt no one realized the struggle they had with turbo-superchargers and other modifications. There had been no opportunity to work on a production basis. But the record didn't look good.They learned that the B-17 would be in the defense program, all right, but maybe its production would go to one of the California plants.The schedule now called for delivery of the first two "Bs" in May. Fred Laudan said it was going to be tough to make that. "We've got to," said Egtvedt. Laudan hired more men, though he knew that new hands couldn't get them finished.
Sales manager Fred Collins and his new assistant, Ben Pearson, were working hard to get more orders for the Stratoliner transport.Eddie Allen had finished his part of the initial testing of the Stratoliner. The pressure cabin hadn't been tried in the air yet, though it had been pumped full of air in the plant and given a ten-man rubdown with soapsuds to see if the air would bubble out at the seams. It didn't.On the weekend of Beall's return from the Clipper flight there were two representatives of the Dutch airline, KLM, in Seattle to fly in the Stratoliner. The visitors weren't so interested in the supercharging as in the control problems of a four-engine plane."What happens," asked Albert vonBaumhauer, the engineer of the two, "if you have two engines out on one side and the rudder clear over for a maximum angle of yaw"—that would have the airplane crabbing sideways—"and then you put it in a stall?"Bob Minshall looked at Ralph Cram. "You have no reason to do that with a big ship like this," said Cram. Still, vonBaumhauer wanted to know. He had made a study of this.It was agreed that they would try out various angles of yaw at low speeds, not stalling speed, and would get some measurements of forces with a spring scale attached to the control column. They would also do sideslips, stall tests, and other stability tests.It was a gloriously bright Saturday afternoon in March 19. Mount Rainier was out bold. Phones rang. The sheriff's office had a report that a giant plane had crashed in the Mount Rainier foothills near Alder, Washington. Radios went on.An eyewitness said it had fallen out of the sky in pieces. It was a four-engine plane. Hope against hope. The Stratoliner was flying in that vicinity.The sight in the mountain woods was heartrending. Sheriffs' deputies had taken Boeing test pilot Julius Barr out from the pilot's seat; vonBaumhauer, the Hollander, from the co-pilot's scat; chief engineer Jack Kylstra, Ralph Cram, Earl Ferguson, Ben Pearson, Peter Guilonard, the other KLM man, Harlan Hull, the chief pilot of TWA, Bill Doyle and Harry West, Boeing men.The stark story was pieced together. They had been near stalling speed, at the point of starting the stability tests or possibly the sideslip tests. The cabin supercharging had not been in operation, was not a factor. They had gone into a spinning dive.At an altitude of 3,000 to 5,000 feet, still with plenty of room but with hills looming black and imposing below, they had pulled out of the dive so suddenly that the wings and tail surfaces broke from the excessive loads.That bleak night, Bob Minshall who was in charge in Egtvedt's absence, asked, "What am I going to do? What am I going to do?"Claire Egtvedt came home. The President's rearmament program was authorized and the first $50 million for airplane procurement appropriated. An initial order for Consolidated B-24s was placed, before the experimental model was built.No Boeing planes were included among the orders. Neither was the first B-17B going to be out in May. In spite of everything that had been done, that schedule just couldn't be met. The plant was still operating at a loss.Ed Wells came to Egtvedt about the new superbomber design. "We've got 4,500 miles range and 390 miles an hour. It looks wonderful.But, as you said, we've started out with an honest purpose and I've got to be honest about this. It isn't a good airplane. With the engine in the wings there's no good way to retract the landing gear, and the structure isn't good around the engines.We can't make the wing any thicker. It's awfully wide already to keep the chord in proportion." The chord was the width of the wing measured from the leading edge to the trailing edge.Claire Egtvedt listened. One more blow. "Man's extremity. . ."
Lightning Strikes
"We have an opportunity here," said Eddie Allen, "that exists nowhere else. We've come to the point where we need exhaustive research. Not just on the ground. In the air. Flight research. Flight and aerodynamic research."Eddie Allen was in Bob Minshall's office. His brown eyes were earnest. He sat on the front edge of his chair, his heels hooked over the rungs, and leaned toward Minshall."You're right about that," murmured Minshall."Now," Eddie's finger shot up. "You can't do that sort of thing in small airplanes. You have to carry all kinds of instruments and equipment. The Boeing Company is the only company in the world that has a stable full of big airplanes. You have the background in big airplanes. You have the need. You have the future in big airplanes. You're the ones to do it.""Just what do you have in mind, Eddie?""The day when you build an airplane and call in a pilot like me to test it, is over. There should be a full-time, fully staffed department constantly carrying on this flight research, and the same department should carry on a constant program of wind-tunnel research. The two go hand in hand. And they should both be part of the process of designing the plane, not just testing it.""Would you be willing to head up a department like that?""I'd like nothing better," said Eddie. "On one condition. We should be free to do our own work. We should report directly to you, not to Engineering. We may want to explore some ideas they wouldn't approve. But of course we'll work very closely with Engineering."Minshall talked to Egtvedt about it. Egtvedt okayed the plan, and they made Eddie Allen director of aerodynamics and flight research. Wellwood Beall took Jack Kylstra's empty chair as chief engineer, with Ed Wells as assistant chief. Lysle Wood had Beall's old job as chief commercial projects engineer and N. D. Showalter was chief of military projects.There was a spirit to go ahead. Showalter was a pilot, too. Eddie Allen asked him if he'd go along to test the Number Two Stratoliner.Quick-stepping little Arthur Price, the pre-flight inspector who had given the final O.K. on every plane since 1930, looked up from his checklists like a bookkeeper and nodded, "She's ready."Eddie and Showalter repeated the stall tests and found the ship came out nice and straight. They tried the cabin superchargers at high altitude. It felt wonderful. Over-the-weather flying was here to stay.Eddie said he wanted to work on the extreme angles of yaw but he'd start in the wind tunnel. They should fix the plane so it couldn't get into those extreme angles even in test flights, if that was what the pilots were doing up there the day of the crash.A new $ 16,000 ten-foot wind-tunnel model of the airplane was built, with propellers powered by little electric motors and with remote control on its tail surfaces—something they hadn't had before.Eddie didn't recruit a team. The men he needed gathered around him. George Schairer, an aerodynamicist who had left Consolidated, asked Eddie for a job. Eddie took him on, told him to spend most of his time with the new model in the University of Washington wind tunnel.Schairer did wind tunnel testing and they came up with a new stabilizing dorsal fin not only for the Stratoliner but for the B-17S as well. "What should be more stable than a plane you have to aim bombs from?" asked Eddie.George Schairer at twenty-five was proving a brilliant analyst. He looked the part, with a high forehead, thin-rimmed glasses. Schairer talked with Beall and Wells about the pressurized superbomber studies. The problem was how to get the drag of the airplane low enough. When they had tried putting the flat engines inside the wing they had cut out the usual nacelle drag and slicked up the body, but still hadn't reached the performance goal."Had you thought of going at it the other way around?" asked Schairer. "The wing itself is your biggest item of drag. Instead of enlarging the wing and putting the engines in it to get rid of the nacelles, why not make the wing just as small as we can and then go to work to clean up the nacelles?"Beall looked at the ceiling. Wells studied the tabletop."That's what we did at Consolidated on the B-24. Used a high aspect ratio"—aspect ratio was the ratio of the wing length to its chord—"long and narrow, just the opposite of what you have here."
Consolidated's B-24 bomber, Schairer explained, was going to employ an airfoil section, or wing cross-section, developed by David R. Davis, a consulting engineer. It had what they called laminar flow—made the air lie down flat over almost all of its surface. Davis called it a "wonder wing.""I thought it was just a lot of fast talk," said Schairer, "until I went in the wind tunnel with it against the best one of ours. Davis beat us hands down.""Can we buy it from Davis?" asked Beall."I'll ask him."Eddie Allen and Schairer made studies of what the new wing would do for the superbomber. They got 390 miles an hour and pushed the range up to 5,333 miles, with 2,000 pounds of bombs.They'd have to make the wing carry forty-seven pounds of load per square foot to do it. That was stretching it pretty far compared to the thirty-two pounds per square foot in the Fortress and thirty-four in the internal engine plan. But it would give them the performance they were looking for.The problems of untried flat engines, structure around the engines, place to retract the landing gear, were swept neatly away. The internal engine plans went into a bottom drawer. But negotiations with Davis were slow. Finally Beall said, "Let's develop our own wing. We don't need the Davis patents. We can work out something better."Schairer and Eddie Allen got at the job.The old enthusiasm was returning. That could work out any problem. They were on the right track now for a superbomber. The new design was given the designation of Model 341. Meanwhile, Pan American opened transatlantic air travel with the big 314 Clippers and the B-17B Flying Fortresses were being delivered.In Washington, the GHQ Air Force was put with the rest of the Air Corps under General Hap Arnold. In August the Air Corps staged a big air show at Wright Field, at which Bill Irvine was named project officer to recapture some world records for the U. S.Jake Harman and Stanley Umstead flew the B-17B from Los Angeles to New York in a record nine hours, fourteen minutes.Bill Irvine took the B-17A to 33,400 feet altitude and 259 miles per hour with load. Major Caleb Haynes entered the B-15 in the heavyweight carrying brackets.When the four-day celebration was over, six new world records had been set, five of them with the big Boeings, one with a Grumman amphibian.The President's rearmament program was going ahead, and it seemed inconceivable that the Flying Fortress would not be ordered in greater numbers.Lawyer Bill Allen went to talk things over with Egtvedt. "Why don't you try to get Phil Johnson back in the company?" Allen suggested. "The need now is production. That's Phil's long suit."The proposal rocked Egtvedt at first. But then, what Bill Allen was saying was true. Production was Phil's long suit. He had what the company needed now, maybe what the country needed.Egtvedt had to admit that his own heart had never quite left Engineering. If he were relieved of the management burden he could better counsel the young engineers, better help in creating and selling the new superbomber. That was the company's need too. That might even be the country's greatest need.Egtvedt talked to Phil, who had been in Canada for two years getting Trans-Canada Air Lines started. Phil was not eager. He was all set for retirement. This was late August, 1939.Then . . . September 1, out of false stillness, Blitzkrieg. Lightning struck Poland. Foot soldiers ran without direction from under Hitler's screaming dive bombers. Europe, all the world, went into shock.Communist Russia attacked Poland's rear. Nazi tanks raced on. Blitzkrieg.September 8, President Roosevelt declared a state of national emergency. On September , Phil Johnson became president of Boeing Airplane Company with Claire Egtvedt as chairman.


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Florida Crazies: Man Who Killed Himself In University Of Central Florida Dorm Room Full Of Explosives Planned On Massacre
Apparently, the man who was found dead in UCF dorm room the other day with all the firearms and explosives had planned to blow up the school and kill everyone, but somehow killed himself instead!
According to ABC News:
A planned massacre was thwarted today at the University of Central Florida where a student who had assembled an arsenal, including a high capacity drum magazine and home made bombs, took his own life as cops closed in on him. James Oliver Seevakumaran, who was in the process of being kicked out of his dorm on the UCF campus, had written out a timeline and elaborate plan for how to harm the greatest number of individuals during the planned attack, university Police Chief Richard Beary said today.
The suspect accumulated multiple weapons, including American Tactical .22 caliber assault rifle and a High Point .45 caliber handgun, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and high capacity magazines, including a drum magazine similar to the type used in the movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo. Seevakumaran, 30, had also assembled four homemade improvised explosive devices which officials described as Molotov cocktail-type incendiaries believed to be lined with shrapnel. Seevakumaran planned to use all of the weapons after pulling a fire alarm to draw students out of their rooms very early this morning, police said.
Shortly after midnight, he activated a fire alarm in the building to enact his plan and then returned to his apartment to retrieve his weapons, according to Beary. Campus police were responding to the fire alarm call at the dorm when Seevakumaran's roommate called 911 to say that Seevakumaran had pointed a gun at him, causing the roommate to flee to the bathroom and lock himself inside. Police believe that Seevakumaran planned to go out into the hallway as students evacuated and fire the weapons and detonate bombs.
Instead, police arrived at the suspect's apartment in Tower 1 with the knowledge that there was a report of a man with a gun. Beary said that officers were armed when they entered Seevakumaran's apartment. They freed the roommate from the bathroom and found Seevakumaran dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, Beary said.
"What we think is his timeline got off, the rapid response of law enforcement maybe have changed his ability to think quickly on his feet," Beary said. The roommate told police that Seevakumaran, whose family lives in Florida, had exhibited some anti-social behavior but that the roommates had never seen him with weapons or act violently.
The university said that he had been enrolled as a student at UCF from fall 2010 to fall 2012. He did not enroll for the spring 2013 term, and the university was in the process of moving him out of the residence hall. A spokesman said that the university takes a "compassionate" position toward students that are no longer enrolled, instead of forcing them off campus immediately.
Police said Seevakumaran obtained the weapons at an Orlando area gun shop, and that he began amassing ammunition in early February. Classes resumed at the University of Central Florida today after police removed the bombs and an assault weapon from a dorm. The campus was reopened around noon. A bomb squad from the Orange County Sheriff's Department removed the explosive devices.
"University police responded immediately when we received a fire alarm call and a subsequent 911 call," Beary said in a statement released in the morning by the school. "The safety of our students in Tower 1 and our entire campus community is our top priority." Students who were evacuated from their dorm rooms in the Tower 1 residence hall were housed at the UCF Arena until they were allowed back into their rooms, the school said.
Well thankfully he killed himself before he had the chance to kill all those innocent students in college just trying to get an education. SMH.
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subset: commoncrawl


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In this cooking game you must master the art of BBQ cooking. Cook the meat until it looks delicious and then make sure you get it off the BBQ before it burns and serve it up with a nice salad.
Your guests are very fussy, so if you under or over cook it the meat will be ruined. Remember to cook both sides and make sure you don't burn either of them!
Cook as much meat as you can before time runs out. If you burn five slices of meat it's game over.
>> Back to cooking games.


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I can't believe I had a whole day to craft last week- the time was well spent and I absolutely fell in love with some of the new products that had been burning a hole in their delivery box!
One of the cards I created was based on this week's sketch at Atlantic Hearts.
I grabbed the new items in front of me and set to work!
I started off with a Colonial White card base, and added some of the papers from the Rustic Home Fundamentals. I also added some of the All Together Complements for the flowers and the decorative strip.
The leaves were stamped in Chocolate ink from the September Stamp of the Month Blessed Beyond Measure, and the sentiment was also stamped in Chocolate ink from one of the Flower Market exclusive stamp sets.
I really like the rustic simplicity of this card, and I will be playing more with this colour combination! Fingers crossed I get another day all to myself to craft again soon- I have been flat out this month and September is looking even busier.
Thanks for stopping by today!


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Including Campaign Manager Data Using the Automated Database System (ADB)
1: Overview
The automated database management system makes it very easy to include tab-delimited sample files into your survey. The system can be used to automatically lock down the survey and capture all external respondent data based on a single
source variable.
sourcevariable is the only one that works with ADB, source is automatically applied to lists uploaded to the Campaign Manager."
For example, given the following data file:
source list co firstName postal address abc123 1 us John 2468 Appreciate Ave.
Once the system is enabled, we can send John an invitation to the survey with only the
source variable appended to the URL. For example:
The link above is equivalent to and will result in the same behavior as if we had sent John the following URL:
When John enters the survey with his source variable appended to the URL, he will automatically fall into the <samplesource> that matches the list value found in the file (e.g. 1) and his external data will be available for us to pipe into the survey or store into the data. For example, the following syntax is acceptable after the first page of the survey:
<checkbox label="AddressValidation" atleast="1"> <title>
According to our records, your name is ${adb.firstName} and you live at ${adb['postal address']}.

Is this information still accurate?
 </title> <row label="r1">Yes</row> <row label="r2">No</row> </checkbox>
The code above produces the following result:
Continue reading to learn how you can incorporate the automated database system into your next project.
2: Enabling the Automated Database System
To enable the automated database system, set the comma-separated
lists attribute in the main <survey> tag to 1 or more of:
|The name of the tab-delimited text file located in your survey directory (e.g. selfserve/9d3/proj1234/SAMPLE_FILE.txt). You cannot reference any file from any other directory or project.
<survey ... lists="us-sample.txt,jp-sample.txt">
|This will implicitly add all files located in the project's mail/ directory in alphabetical order. These files must be properly named with the 'list' or 'seedlist' prefix and '.txt' suffix (e.g. list-us.txt, list-sampleco.txt, list5.txt, etc...).
<survey ... lists="mail">
All sample data files must be tab-delimited, encoded in UTF-8, and include (at the minimum) two columns for source and list. The source should be unique across all sample data files and will be matched case sensitively (e.g. "abc123" is not the same as "ABC123"). If the source variables are not unique, the first match will be used.
Column field names are also case sensitive (e.g. "MyVar" is distinct from "myvar").
3: Survey Options
With the automated database system enabled, we'll need to make a few more adjustments to our survey in order to reference the sample data we wish to append.
3.1: Configuring Sample Sources
adb="1" on all of the sample sources that you wish to load data for. For example:
<samplesources> <samplesource list="1" title="Sample Co." adb="1"> <exit cond="qualified">...</exit> <exit cond="terminated">...</exit> <exit cond="overquota">...</exit> </samplesource> </samplesources>
At least one <samplesource> must have this value set if
lists is specified in the <survey> element. Sample sources that do not have this attribute will ignore the system entirely.
When a respondent enters the survey with a source variable, the key is looked up in all of the available sample files. If a match is found, the system will look inside the data file for the
list variable to accurately line up the sample source. All of the variables (columns) specified in the sample data file will be loaded into the data as if they were specified and passed in through the respondent's URL. Any global or
extraVariables from other sample sources are not read into the data.
3.2: Utilizing Raw Data in a Survey
You can pipe raw data into a survey using the following syntax:
[adb fieldname]
fieldname is the name of the field.
3.3: Locking Down the Survey
If you explicitly specify
<var name="source"/> inside a <samplesource>, the source must exist in one of the sample files but does not have to be unique. This means that the same source will be allowed to complete the survey multiple times. You should also specify
browserDupes="" in such a case.
If the source variable is not explicitly defined, then the source variable is validated against the sample data files and must be unique.
If you intend to lock the survey down by source, do not leave any open sample sources. Instead, require an explicit selection of the list to use.
Learn more: Configuring Sample Source
3.4: Accessing the Raw Data with Python
Use the following syntax to retrieve the value for the "field_name" column for the current respondent:
Use the following syntax to retrieve the value for a "field name" column that is not a valid Python identifier:
adb["field name"]
All values are escaped by default. To reference a value without escaping its entities, add "_unsafe" to the variable's name when referencing it (e.g.
adb['field name_unsafe']).
For example:
<pipe label="name"> <case label="c1" cond="adb.firstName != ''">${adb.firstName}</case> <case label="c2" cond="1">anonymous survey taker</case> </pipe> <exec> # check "state" field to see if respondent is local to California if adb.state == "CA": vLocation.val = "Local" else: vLocation.val = "Out of state" # check "country of origin" field to see if born in US if "US" in adb["country of origin"]: vBornInUS.r1.val = 1 # check "age" field to see if eligible for senior discounts if adb.age != "" and int(adb.age) gt 55: vSeniorCitizen.r1.val = 1 </exec>
All values returned will be represented by a string. An empty string will be returned if the variable cannot be found inside the data file.
You must first convert the value to an integer to perform any numerical operations such as comparisons. For example:
int(adb.age) gt 55
3.5: Saving Data in a Question
The automated database system works like a <datasource> element.
For example, if the data file contained a "user_type" column with values 1 and 2, then we can create the following question to store this data into:
<radio label="vQ10" title="User Type" dataSource="adb" dataRef="user_type"> <row label="r1">User Type 1</row> <row label="r2">User Type 2</row> </radio>
In the example above, we set the
dataSource attribute to "adb" and specified the name of the column to reference using the
dataRef attribute.
If the data values start at 0 rather than 1, then we can specify the
value attribute to accurately capture this data. For example, if the values for the "user_type" column were 0 and 1, we can use the following question to store this data into:
<radio label="vQ10" title="User Type" dataSource="adb" dataRef="user_type"> <row label="r1" value="0">User Type 1</row> <row label="r2" value="1">User Type 2</row> </radio>
If the data values are not integers, then we can specify the
dataValue attribute to accurately capture this data. For example, to properly store the data for the "co" field, we can use the following question:
<radio label="vQ11" title="Country" dataSource="adb" dataRef="co"> <row label="r1" dataValue="us,america,usa">US</row> <row label="r2" dataValue="uk">UK</row> <row label="r3" dataValue="jp,japan">JP</row> </radio>
dataValue matching is case-insensitive (e.g. "US" is equivalent to "us"). You may specify multiple values by separating them with a comma (e.g.
After sending out the survey invitations and before the respondent begins taking the survey, you can update any of the respondent variables or add new ones that will be loaded into the survey. In the event where you need to make a change but the respondents have already begun taking the survey, you can create a <virtual> question to read in any updated data.
To use the automated database system within a virtual question, specify
dataVirtual="1". For example:
<radio label="vQ11" title="Country" dataSource="adb" dataRef="co" dataVirtual="1"> <row label="r1" dataValue="us,america,usa">US</row> <row label="r2" dataValue="uk">UK</row> <row label="r3" dataValue="jp,japan">JP</row> </radio>
If you need to split the Field Report by a specific variable from your data file, then include the variable inside the survey's
extraVariables attribute or inside the <samplesource> using the <var/> tag. For example:
<samplesources> <samplesource list="1" title="Sample Co." adb="1"> <var name="variable_from_data_file" values="0,1,2"/> <exit cond="qualified">...</exit> <exit cond="terminated">...</exit> <exit cond="overquota">...</exit> </samplesource> </samplesources>
The example above is the preferred method and will enable you to split the Field Report by the "variable_from_data_file" variable with the values 0, 1 or 2. If you do not include the values attribute, then you will need to create a <virtual> question that captures the variable's data. For example:
<radio label="vvariable_from_data_file" dataSource="adb" dataRef="variable_from_data_file" dataVirtual="1"> <title>Variable From Data File</title> <row label="r1" value="0">0</row> <row label="r2" value="1">1</row> <row label="r3" value="2">2</row> </radio>
4: The Respondent's Unique URL
For enabled sample sources, only the
source variable needs to be included in the invitation link. For example:
Other variables can be specified, but they will be overwritten by the data present in the data file.
Avoid using hard-coded variables in email invitations; the field report will not understand them when using bulk splits.
source variable will be matched against the sample data files to properly pull in all of the other variables such as
firstName, etc...
If your project contains multiple sample sources and not all of them utilize the automated system, then be sure to explicitly pass in the
list variable for those respondents that are not pulled from a data file. For example, given the following sample sources:
<samplesources> <samplesource list="1" title="Sample Co." adb="1"> <exit cond="qualified">...</exit> <exit cond="terminated">...</exit> <exit cond="overquota">...</exit> </samplesource> <samplesource list="2" title="open"> <exit cond="qualified">...</exit> <exit cond="terminated">...</exit> <exit cond="overquota">...</exit> </samplesource> </samplesources>
In order to invite respondents to the survey through the "open" sample, we will need to use the link below:
[list] variable above should evaluate to
2 to use the "open" sample.
5: Technical Considerations
5.1: Sample Data Validation
lists="mail" is specified, then all data files are validated when you run
bulk test or
bulk send. The following rules apply:
- The list variable is matched to an existing sample source
- The variables used by this sample source must exist
- If a variable element is used by the sample source and it has
values="..."specified, then the list file must match those values
Variables that use the
adb.var_name or
dataSource syntax are not validated.
If you send invitations to a list and then edit the list file, those edits are not validated.
5.2: Copying Surveys
If you copy a survey to a temp directory, the copy will implicitly use the lists from the parent (main) directory. This applies to any copied survey and temporary directory named
temp-*. If this weren't the case, then you would have to copy all of the list data files to the temporary directory in order to test them.
If you are testing new list data files in your temporary directory, then specify
adbMaster="1" in the temporary survey's <survey> element. This will force the list data files to load from the temporary directory instead.
For example:
<survey ... lists="newSampleFile.txt" adbMaster="1">
5.3: Simulated Data Support
When simulated data is run, a random
source value will be picked from a random file.
5.4: Command Line Support
A script named
adb is available and allows a few tasks to be accomplished from the shell:
|adb check FILENAME
|Validates FILENAME's data against the survey found in the same directory
[user@server proj1234]$ adb check my_good_list.txt OK. [user@server proj1234]$ adb check my_bad_list.txt /selfserve/9d3/proj1234/my_bad_list.txt: 1 errors detected 0: missing source
|adb export [VARIABLE]
|Generate one big data file from all data files. Optionally, you may specify a space-separated list of column fields to export instead of the entire data set.
adb export > giant-data.txt adb export source email list > all-emails.txt
|adb search SOURCE
|Find out more information about a given source
[user@server proj1234]$ adb search abc123 found in selfserve/9d3/proj1234/my_good_list.txt source abc123 list 0 firstName John co us postal address 2468 Appreciate Ave.
|adb freq
|Output useful stats such as the top-10 frequency for every field in every list, and the percentage of those that are not blank.
[user@server proj1234]$ here adb freq filename: selfserve/9d3/proj1234/my_good_list.txt == All values of source are unique == == All values of list are unique == == All values of co are unique == == All values of firstName are unique == == All values of postal address are unique ==
5.5: Performance Data
Records used in adb are indexed using the Berkeley DB library. This allows for quick lookup via a respondent's source key.
On Decipher: Equinix Los Angeles the initial indexing of a file containing 25k records as of 2014 takes roughly 0.8 seconds.
Note: Indexing is only necessary the first time Decipher loads a file. However, if changes are made to the file it will require re-indexing.
Looking up a specific record for a respondent in the 25k indexed file took Decipher approximately 0.0025 seconds.
Another benchmark of a survey containing approximately 4.7GB of emails (roughly 13 million records) took Decipher approx. 4 minutes to initially index. Once indexed, looking up an individual record out of the 13 million possible, took 0.0037-0.0162 seconds.
Looking up a source that doesn't exist in any of the email files takes a similar amount of time as the worst case. i.e. 0.0162 seconds in this survey.
If adb is being used retroactively (i.e. post fielding in a virtual), it will take the average adb lookup time per respondent for a full virtual update. After which performance should increase with the virtual cache.
5.6: Best Practices
- Upload new lists to the main directory rather than a temp, where lists are automatically loaded from the main directory anyway. This will allow you to test the survey without duplicating files and/or making changes that need to be reverted before re-launching.
- If possible, use
lists="mail"rather than specifying lists individually to eliminate the possibility of accidentally omitting or misspelling the names of sample files.
6: What's Next?
The automated database system is a good replacement for the following methods and technologies:
Learn more:


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This post was sponsored by Bona. Thank you for supporting brands we love here at COTTAGE and VINE.
Whenever I know company is coming I make a to-do list a mile long. Cleaning is always on the list along with 27 other things. What happens is that I get so caught up in the little details like setting a pretty table or preparing the perfect dish that I run out of time to clean. Even though our house is relatively clean, the floors can get dirty in a hurry. So when guests come floors are a top priority.
Whenever I'm in a rush for time I grab my Bona dusting cloths. I've been using Bona products for years ever since my hardwood floor guy recommended it to clean my floors.
I recently tried the dusting cloths and was happy to have a quick way to eliminate dust & debris from the floors, especially the hard to reach places like under the window seat.
The banquette is another place that collects dust and is hard to reach without climbing all the way across the back. Now I can easily reach it with a stick mop.
Speaking of those hard to reach spots, the dusting cloths come in super handy in the bathroom for picking up hair, etc. As a matter of fact, they work as well on stone surfaces as they do on wood.
My tips for using Bona dust cloths is to start with less dirty surfaces first such as walls and furniture and work your way to the dirtier spaces like floors and heater vents. By design they lock away dust, dirt and hair and they are hands down a favorite time saver. You'll be amazed by how quickly you can clean without plugging in the vacuum cleaner.
P.S. Reagan thinks this is all a game.


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ViaCAD has the ability to calculate the 2D section properties for a closed collection of curves using the Verify : Properties tool. The specific properties include:
- Center of Area
- Moment of Inertia about A axis
- Moment of Inertia about B axis
- A axis vector components
- B axis vector components
To calculate the section properties from a 3D shape, you will first need to generate a 2D slice through the shape. The video below demonstrates how to create a section cut through a 3D part which is then used to calculate the section properties.


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Though it's true that traveling entails money, it doesn't mean that only rich people has the sole right to enjoy the world. Everybody deserves a treat and the poor needs a lot of it even. Just like me. Poverty sucks, and it sucks a lot more when you do nothing about it. Traveling just get in my way because of my job but it got me hooked because it relieves me from boredom and stress.
Here is how I made my travels possible, the poor traveler's way:
1. Resources. Just a little enough. (And what is exactly "a little enough"?) It could be a savings, a sideline, allowance (for students). While it's true that I owe much of my travels to my job, the fact is that I seldom enjoyed it because I am attached to the schedule of activities prepared by the event organizers. It spoils the fun. Big time! So I make sure I travel on my own itinerary. And I backed-up my finances with my savings. It doesn't need to be lavish. I don't have the right. I'm just averaging a regular wage just like those blue-collar employees.
2. Budgeting and Planning. Planning ahead my trips and allocating a budget for it is a relevant step. I did researches on possible expenses like the transport fare, accommodation, food, souvenir expenses, and miscellaneous fees so I will know how much it would cost me and how much I would spend. Then make a cut in my daily expenses to save something for the trip.
3. Network scanning. Most of the time, it is my friends who are behind my travels. Before deciding on a target place for travel, I usually assess how many friends do I have in those places. They are of big help when it comes to expenses especially if I need a volunteer guide in touring around. Besides, traveling alone will be costly and boring so I invite some friends who could share the fun and expenses with me.
4. Advance booking. Fares are usually very very very low if purchased 3-4 months ahead the target flight. If you are targeting a domestic travel, fares are relatively lower and cheaper if purchased days ahead the scheduled trip. When the date is agreed and fixed, I booked tickets ahead of time so I'm sure I get a sure slot. If you know somebody in the transport service where you can get discounted rates, it is a leveraging factor -a cut in the budget.
Now start your tour! Be a tourist while you are alive.
But, traveling doesn't need to be anywhere far. Interesting places that are relatively cheaper with the same guaranteed satisfaction compared to other places could be just around the corner near you. Start traveling within your place so you will appreciate more the places that you will be visiting. We got so many holidays and long weekends that you can make use of.
Will I qualify to become an expert travel advisor? :D


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I'm hanging on to this one for now. It will eventually be made into a small pillow. I try and keep a few pieces aside that are already stitched to use as gifts for family and friends as the need arises. So into the drawer it goes!
I also wanted to show you the needlework that I spotted on the altar of a church I was at recently. Our choir went to a small church in Quebec which is only open during the summer months to sing an evensong. I had seen this altar before but never had my camera or phone with me to take a picture.
It was quite beautiful and almost looked like a tapestry of some sort.
Earlier in the month I headed out on a road trip to Syracuse, NY to meet up with some of my US stitching friends as well as some from Sudbury, Ontario. We choose Syracuse for our meetup because it is the most central spot for all of us to get to. We spend the weekend catching up, visiting the local cross stitch store and stitching of course. Here's a pic of the entire group who met.
One of the things we enjoy doing during our weekend is stopping by a tag sale that takes place in Rome, NY where our friend Misi has several booths. Misi is known for her amazing candles, potpourri, and scented decor. In addition there are some lovely antique items for sale. Misi also made all of the bee skeps and stepping stones you see in the photos.
Cathy found this sweet watering can and although you can't see it she also found a tobacco basket.
I love this stepping stone!
Here is sweet Misi packaging up my order.
Following the tag sale we stop in Fayetteville at A Stitcher's Garden cross stitch shop.
This year one of the ladies from the shop invited us to her home for a BBQ. There was a pool for the kids and we all had a blast!
Thank you so much Gail and Pat for your hospitality!
I also have to show you the wonderful belated birthday gift I received from my friend Tee. She made me the most amazing strawberry emory. It has the year and my initials on it.
She also made a gift for each of us to remember our weekend by. It's a needlebook but unlike one I've ever seen before! It has our initials, the year and some Sweet Annie tucked in a pocket.
All in all it was an awesome weekend and we can't wait for the next one.


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Sunday, November 16, 2014
Tag... You're Christmas!
14 comments:
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
what a gorgeous card..ReplyDelete
Eeep, Lyndal! An ornament shaker tag card in beautiful blue, silver, and white? Thud!! Hugs, DarnellReplyDelete
Beautiful card! That shaker tag is perfect on this card.ReplyDelete
Super stylish CAS shaker Thanks for joining us for our Anything Goes Christmas' challenge #14.ReplyDelete
Alicia (Dies R Us DT)
MaxiBelle Studio
What a wonderful card for Christmas! Love the colors and that awesome shaker tag! Great idea & love the design! Thanks for playing along with us this week over at Merry Monday! :)ReplyDelete
WOW! What a beautiful shaker tag Lyndal! Love the color ... so striking! Thanks so much for playing in our 'CHRISTMAS' challenge at Dies R Us! Please come back again soon!ReplyDelete
Darlene (DRU Blog Leader)
Oh how sweet! I love this ornament shaker card--what a clever idea! Thank you for sharing with us at Merry Monday!ReplyDelete
Totally gorgeous - I'm in love with that deep blue! Thanks for playing along with us at Merry Monday!ReplyDelete
This is GORGEOUS!!!ReplyDelete
A shaker in a tag - too cool! I love all the white space around your tag - it really highlights that gorgeous shaker. Thanks so much for joining us at Merry Monday.ReplyDelete
Absolutely beautiful tag! This is stunning! Thanks so much for joining our Christmas challenge here at Dies R Us!ReplyDelete
Oh my goodness it's fabulous!! I love the bold blue with the silver. Really stunning Lyndal!!ReplyDelete
Oh, how pretty! Love the ornament shaker.ReplyDelete


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Today, Taylor Swift turns 23, but you would never know how old the singer actually is based on her love life.
From 18-year-old Conor Kennedy to 35-year-old John Mayer, Swift is no ageist when it comes to who she will date.
After 'Dear John' came out, he publicly responded to the rumors that the song was about him, and he claimed that he didn't do anything to deserve the humiliation. Well, we're inclined to take John's side of the story now, because why would Taylor go back to someone who treated her like dirt? Yeah, her last few relationships haven't exactly worked out, but she's Taylor Swift – I'm sure she could find a boyfriend that's better than John Mayer, although she might think that he's ready for a deeper commitment now that he's cheated on and broken up with Katy Perry?
What do you guys think about Taylor and John reuniting, according to OK! Do you believe that they're getting back together, or the report is full of crock?
Of course, the rumor mill immediately churning, claiming that the two were on a date; however, nothing could be further from the truth — a source close to Taylor reveals to Hollywood EXCLUSIVELY that she was absolutely "horrified" to see him there. "When Taylor saw John it was as if she saw a ghost," our source reveals.
"She was horrified and, for a moment, contemplated leaving.
Taylor Swift got dumped by John Mayer, wrote a song about him, and then humiliated him in front of the whole world.
So they're both in the same state—again—if that matters.
Taylor Swift and John Mayer are reportedly back together, which would definitely make a first for Taylor.
You tell me: together at the Ritz Hotel in Dallas around March 9. tchlette spy in Dallas, who tweeted that they got out of a bus "together" as well.
As for Mayer, he had a concert at Staples Center Thursday and a gig in San Jose next Friday.
Although one would assume that those three factors are grounds for never speaking to each other again, Taylor and John have inexplicably started spending time together recently.


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This white paper guides you through the process of migrating from Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to Microsoft Lync Server 2010. If you intend for your Office Communications Server 2007 R2 deployment to coexist with a Lync Server 2010 deployment, this guide also includes some essential information for operating in this mixed environment.
This 150 page document describes the steps generally required to accomplish each phase of migration. It does not address every possible legacy deployment topology or every possible migration scenario. Therefore, you may not need to perform every step described, or you may need to perform additional steps, depending on your deployment. This document also provides examples of verification steps. These verification steps are provided to help you understand what you need to look for to ensure that each phase completes successfully as you progress through your migration. Tailor these verification steps to your specific migration process.
This white paper was published in May 2011. Download the white paper here: Migrating from Office Communications Server 2007 R2 to Lync Server 2010. http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/confirmation.aspx?id=9109
Lync Server Resources
- Lync Server 2010 documentation in the TechNet Library
- DrRez blog
- Lync Server and Communications Server resources


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If you like, you can browse these images by category.
Bears (1) Birds (1) Blackbirds (1) Cheetahs (2) Chimpanzees (1) Deer (2) Eagles (3) Elephants (4) Falcons (1) Foxes (3) Giraffes (3) Impalas (1) Jaguars (1) King Penguins (1) Leopards (1) Lions (7) Lynx (1) Macaques (1) Marine Life (1) Monkeys (2) Owls (1) Polar Bears (3) Pronghorns (2) Rhinos (1) Sea Birds (2) Tigers (4) Whales (1) Wildebeest (1) Wolves (2)
Monday, February 10, 2014
Polar Bear Swimming Around Sea Ice
Paul Souders wins the BBC 2014 Wildlife Photographer of the Year: Animals in Their Environment award , for this eerie image of a polar bear swimming around ice. Taken 30 miles off the shore of Canada, it took Souders 3 days to scout for the shot.
The biggest challenge facing Polar Bears today is the Arctic warming which limits their territory. The melting polar and glacial ice from global warming is making it more difficult for them to hunt seals, which are their main food source.
Posted by Bren Parks at 1:26 PM
Labels: Polar Bears
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I mapped out the state and county locations of the Owens family. The descendants of James Owens of Booths Creek in Virginia remained in the West Virginia area for many generations. I beleive he is likely related to our Owens family. We have not been able to establish the exact relationship.
The descendants of John Owens Sr. and Jr. relocated to Kentucky and Indiana.


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And when you go long enough being uncertain of who you really are, what results is a form of subtle, long-term meditation — a persistent and necessary acceptance of whatever is arising, because you don't actually know if it was the food that made you sick, and you don't actually know if you like Eastern European cultures anymore, and you don't really know how you feel about income inequality anymore, and you don't know if your career path is the best for you or not, and you don't really know if you miss your friends back home or if you just like the idea of missing your friends back home.
And at some point, you just stop asking questions. And start listening. To the waves and the wind and the calls for love in all of the beautiful languages you will never understand.
You just let it be. And keep moving.
~ Mark Manson. 5 Lessons from Travelling


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American Color Launches Solicitation Of Votes For Prepackaged Reorganization Plan
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Press release from the issuing companyBRENTWOOD, TN (June 11, 2008) – American Color Graphics announced today that it has commenced a solicitation of votes for its prepackaged plan of reorganization (the "Plan") from its 10% Note holders.
"We are pleased with the progress both American Color and Vertis Communications are making toward our announced merger plans and by the support our noteholders have already shown for this transaction. Combining the services, talent, and expertise of the two companies will offer new opportunities for our customers, employees and suppliers," said Steve Dyott, chairman and CEO of American Color. "We look forward to the flexibility and strength we expect from the combination of the two companies' service offerings and resources."
Steve Dyott also emphasized that it will be "business as usual" during the solicitation process, that American Color's Plan calls for suppliers and employees to continue to receive amounts owed to them in the ordinary course of business, and that American Color's commitment to providing its customers superior products and uncompromising service will continue through all phases of the process.
On May 22, 2008, and as updated on May 30, 2008, American Color announced it had the support of its 10% Note holders to merge with Vertis Communications and complete its comprehensive restructuring Plan. Since then, American Color has received additional support. At this time, American Color has agreements with the holders of approximately 74% of the outstanding principal amount of its 10% Senior Second Secured Notes due 2010 (the "10% Notes") to vote to accept the Plan, subject to certain conditions. Vertis has agreements with approximately 79% of the outstanding principal amount of its 9.75% Senior Secured Second Lien Notes due 2009, 84% of the outstanding principal amount of its 10.875% Senior Notes due 2009, and 79% of the outstanding principal amount of its 13.5% Senior Subordinated Notes due 2009 to support its reorganization plan. Under the plans, holders of 10% Notes and Vertis notes will be exchanging their notes for an aggregate of $550 million in new Vertis notes and substantially all the new equity in the combined company.
The transaction is also supported by Vertis' principal stockholders and the holders of over 95% of the outstanding principal amount of Vertis Holdings' Mezzanine Notes. The consensual financial restructurings will reduce the combined companies' debt obligations (including off-balance sheet accounts receivable facilities and approximately $248 million of Vertis Holdings Mezzanine Notes) by approximately $1 billion before transaction fees and expenses. American Color and Vertis intend to commence their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases at the conclusion of the solicitation period to implement the restructuring. The restructuring transactions, including the merger, are expected to close this summer.
Votes on the Plan must be received by Financial Balloting Group LLC ("FBG"), Vertis' voting agent, before the applicable deadline. Solicitation materials are being provided to noteholders of record. 10% Note holders seeking additional information about the balloting process may contact FBG at 646.282.1800.
This press release is for informational purposes only and is not a solicitation to accept or reject the proposed prepackaged plans of reorganization referred to herein or an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities of either company. Any solicitation or offer to sell will be made pursuant to and in accordance with the solicitation and disclosure statement distributed to holders of American Color's 10% Notes and other creditors and applicable law.
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LC-A Big Book Chapter 23: We Want More LOMO LC-A's The Meeting with Vladimir Putin1 6 Share Tweet
The discussion with the prospective President of a world power was pleasant. Putin was very interested in Lomography and after approximately an hour when the meeting came to an end each party stated that production of the LOMO LC-A should be maintained. Discontinuing production of the camera would not benefit the city of St Petersburg or aid their international reputation! After the auspicious meeting, some time later another meeting took place with the political heavyweight Putin and LOMO PLC Director General Klebanov.
St Petersburg-born Vladimir Putin first met the Lomographers in March 1996 when he was Vice-Mayor of St Petersburg. As production of the LOMO LC-A was once again in jeopardy the Austrian students pulled out all the stops and succeeded in organizing a meeting with the mayor of the Russian city. When the time came for the meeting the Mayor was unfortunately tied up with business, the Lomographers were seated in front of Mr. Putin who explained the situation to them. Herr Putin who of course knew about the LOMO LC-A, found the Lomographic Society worth a listen and quickly decided that "the production of the camera has to go on!". A few meetings with Klebanov, the man in charge, secured the ongoing production of LOMO LC-A and everything was settled for the Lomographic adventure to continue. Vladimir Putin is married, has two daughters and is in a leading position in the biggest country of the world. Mr. Putin never leaves the house without his LOMO LC-A – as he once confessed to an Austrian journalist – and almost knows the 10 Golden Rules by heart.
The Lomographers were quite surprised when in the year 2000 Lazar Zalmanov handed over this newspaper article to them and said: "'See what the Vice Prime minister of Russia has to say about Lomography". The article, published in the Moscow News in March 2000 featured an interview with the Vice Prime minister Ilya Klebanov: I think those who consider you to be the player in the St Petersburg's team of Putin have some reasons for it. What was the story of your acquaintance with him? – It was the end of 1992. That year I was appointed a General Director of LOMO PLC. At that time a new sales line of LOMO LC-A cameras was established. Three recent graduates from Vienna University had established the "Lomographic Society". They had created something akin to a new branch of art: Lomography. The idea is: you take small-sized pictures with a small, simple, cheap automatic camera and glue them on a stand with almost no order. And you get a picture of an instant section of life. They had exhibitions in Paris, Tokyo, New York, Moscow, St Petersburg, Vienna, Berlin and so on. They decided to be the exclusive buyers of our cameras. They made an application. But the problem was with the price: they asked for an unbelievably low price, lower than the cost price. We refused. But unexpectedly two Austrian members of parliament happened to be fans of Lomography. They had a meeting with Putin who was the Head of the Committee for Foreign Relations and knocked on me during this visit. Then I met Putin at a conference. He asked me: "Why not help the guys? It would be profitable for both: the factory and the city." I said: "Vladimir, I would if I could, but…". Eventually we found the solution. This was our first meeting. Then I met Putin several times, he occupied different posts in Moscow. I called him when I needed his help for the company's business and he appointed a time for a meeting, usually within the same day. It continued until the moment Sergey Stepashin invited me here. And then I started to work in Putin's team.
An emergency meeting was organised in Vienna at the student flat with provisions of Russian Vodka and Tyrolean speck. "The jury is still out!" chorused the senior Lomographers in unison and together they resolved to pull out all the stops; as from the outset, they were determined not to let this problem stop them! Together with Monika Langthaler (who at that time was one of the most important and powerful people in Austrian politics and had worked closely with the Lomographers at the large Moscow-New York exhibition) and Gerald Matt (Museums Director of Kunsthalle Wien and old friend and supporter of Lomography) the Lomographers devised the following plan: "We'll contact Anatoly Sobtschak, the Mayor of St Petersburg, and convince him of the importance of the LOMO LC-A production. He will then convince the Director General of LOMO PLC to continue production of the camera and maybe even to subsidize it. That's the only way we can save the LOMO LC-A!"
No sooner said than done; with the help of the Austrian Consul in St Petersburg, Dr. Westfält, it was possible to organize a meeting with the Mayor of the city in March 1996. On the eve of the meeting in St Petersburg, the Viennese Delegation (comprising Monika Langthaler, Gerald Matt and the Lomographers) were summoned to an official "State banquet" in the Austrian Consulate. After a short stand-up reception with champagne and hors d'oeuvres, the doors to the State banquet were finally opened. The guests could hardly believe their eyes when they saw what lay before them. An enormous table was filled with Vodka, Caviar, salmon and gherkins, wine and liquors, reindeer steak, potato delicacies and more. The Lomographers were prepared to use every trick in the book for the important meeting the following day! You can obviously imagine that the mood in the crowded banqueting hall soon reached its high point and they partied until the early hours of the morning. To this day none of the participants are able to give a very detailed account of that evening!
Early the next morning the Consul's State limousine, flagged with the Austrian Imperial Regalia, drove up to the doors of the LOMO PLC works to drop off the Viennese group for their appointment with the Mayor of St Petersburg and Director General Klebanov. Afterwards it continued directly at the Mayor's town hall. Hardly had the group (comprising Director General Klebanov, his advisor, Consul Dr. Westfält, Langthaler, Matt and the Lomographers) arrived when they suffered a great disappointment; Mayor Sobtschak was unavailable. Only his deputy and Minister for External Relations had time to discuss the lomographic matter. The amiable, somewhat cynical and German speaking man was called Vladimir Putin.
The discussion with the prospective President of a world power was pleasant. Putin was very interested in Lomography and after approximately an hour when the meeting came to an end each party stated that production of the LOMO LC-A should be maintained. Discontinuing production of the camera would not benefit the city of St Petersburg or aid their international reputation! After the auspicious meeting, some time later another meeting took place with the political heavyweight Putin and LOMO PLC Director General Klebanov. Both were agreed on the future of the LOMO LC-A, that recalculations concerning the production of the camera should be carried out and that they find a compromise with the Viennese Lomographers. However, the LOMO LC-A appeared not to have been the only point of discussion. A few years later, the future Russian President Putin appointed Ilya Iosifovich Klebanov in his Cabinet and made him Deputy Prime Minister of Russia. So the meeting instigated by the Lomographers (who had simply not wanted to give in) between both prospective partners is said to have been their first point of contact!
Years later, Putin told an Austrian journalist that he carried a LOMO LC-A with him on a daily basis and that he was still very interested in Lomography. It is important to bear in mind that in general you are not likely to find people in the world who want to support campaigns, such as the Lomographer's "Save the LOMO LC-A". However, in Russia it is the contrary even during periods of political and economic crisis. Despite difficult economic circumstances, the interest and fun of the culture and strange ideas was and is unbowed – and that's exactly why the Lomographers love Russia and the Russians!
To digress briefly from the Putin-Meeting: Directly after the meeting the travelling Viennese delegation and the St Petersburg team split up and each went their separate way (to work, to shop or to enjoy the culture). The Viennese had arranged to meet at 6pm in cafe "Vienna" (where else) at the Hotel Nevskji, Nevskji Prospekt, which boasts a variety of sensational cakes and desserts. As usual, the senior Lomographers came late, even the Museums Director Gerald arrived a little late and unusually for the normally punctual politician, Monika, she also didn't reach the cafe in time. All of them met at the same time in front of cafe "Vienna", approximately 20 minutes too late. The café was closed and remarkably there were lots of police around. "Technical problems" was the reason given for the café being closed. However, when three longish grey boxes were carried out of the café a little later, it became clear that it wasn't just technical problems. Back in Vienna the Lomographers read in the newspaper that at exactly 6pm a Mafia shootout had taken place in that very cafe, where two senior Mafioso from St Petersburg and a British businessman were killed. The businessman had been very unfortunate; he was deaf and dumb and failed to hide himself. In view of these facts and their close escape from death thanks to the conviviality of the Viennese, it can only be said: "Long live the traditional Viennese coffee houses and the Austrian culture of being late!"
Have the full glory of the book here
written by ungrumpy on 2011-01-18 #history #lc-a #library #lomography #excerpt


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The Health and Safety Risk Map was developed as a key tool in the identification of high-level risks and controls. The risk map was used by LOCOG to prioritise its efforts on the key health and safety risks that could...
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The Food Safety and Sustainability Standard outlined expectations and requirements for all catering provision across the Olympic Park. The Standard applied to all contractors that supplied catering facilities as part of their management of welfare arrangements.
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The ODA Food Safety and Sustainability Scorecard was part of the audit tools used to monitor performance against the requirements of the Food Safety and Sustainability Standard. The scorecard was also used by caterers to determine targets and improve their...
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The Behavioural Safety Maturity Assessment Matrix was developed to identify where Tier One contractors were on the behavioural safety 'journey' and to help them recognise what needed to be enhanced with their own behaviour and safety culture activities.
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Ghost Creek Course at Pumpkin Ridge in North Plains, OR
The Stats
Tee Time: September 22, 2013, 12:20, 61 F, rain
Designer: Robert E. Cupp (1992)
Playing Partners: Jon Johansen
Tees: Blue, Par 71 (72.1 rating/139 slope/6,386 yards)
Course Handicap: 11 (9.0 index)
Stats: 93 (50-43); 34 putts; 6/13 fairways; 4/18 greens; 6 penalty strokes
The Course
Ahh rain. My luck of dry days in the northwest this year finally ran out as autumn began. I guess it's my fault for tempting mother nature with a round 3 weeks into the NFL season. I've gotten frustrated living in the desert; 100 degrees day in and day out gets old after four or so months. You have to golf at the crack of dawn and still drink like a camel just to avoid heat stroke. Even working in the garage or taking the dog on a quick walk gets you sweating enough to need a cold shower. But 18 holes and 4 hours in a steady, 60-degree downpour? Continue reading Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club


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Radio and Television Stations Extending Their Brands in the New Digital Media Marketplace
As we move into 2011, radio and television broadcasters, in particular, must be looking back fondly to 2010. After a disastrous 2009, local radio stations saw a 5.0% revenue increase and television stations saw a 17.0% increase. While this success was welcomed, radio and television broadcasters know it will be some time until the total industry revenues reach prerecession levels and that moving forward the competition for both audiences and advertisers will continue to increase. What can radio and television do to extend their brands and secure more revenues?
Broadcasters must continue to assess the significant assets they already have for "extending their local brand" into digital/interactive areas. For example, broadcasters have a well-known local brand which the local community turns to for local news and weather content. A recent Rasmussen poll just confirmed that, by a wide margin, the leading source of weather news for a majority of Americans is their local television channel-proving that the local station and its content are extremely valuable assets. Enhancing these assets, broadcasters have local sales staffs that have relationships with local advertisers, which gives them "feet on the ground" to sell to advertisers.
With all these advantages, many local broadcasters are already having success expanding and extending their brands. BIA/Kelsey's Media Access Pro™ database monitors the number of television and radio stations airing multicast programming streams, and so far, there are more than 1,600 multicast television and 2,100 multicast radio programming streams. With this additional programming, local radio and television stations are able to offer more and varied opportunities to local advertisers.
Radio and television stations are not only offering more opportunities over the airwaves, but also over the Internet. They are developing various types of websites that are of particular local interest. Hyperlocal websites, developed by local broadcasters, are being used as advertising vehicles for local businesses that cannot afford the stations' over-the-air advertising. These local sites are being fed by content already being produced by the local stations and are being heavily cross-promoted on the local stations. Stations are also using social media outlets to reach their customers on a more continuous and interactive basis-capitalizing on social media's value of keeping a station top of mind.
Will these radio and television stations be successful in extending their brands? Certainly some have already made significant inroads, and prospects for continued expansion are promising. Others are just beginning to move into these areas so their success is not necessarily guaranteed. Even if all of the efforts do not succeed, local radio and television stations need to investigate and experiment with new lines of business. Success in the new local media marketplace will no longer be guaranteed with just an over-the-air presence.


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February 24, 2018 @ 2:15 pm
Follow the home nations in the Natwest 6 Nations 2018 rugby tournament live at The George at Tiffield.
All home nations games shown live.
All welcome.
Free entry.
Saturday February 24th Ireland v Wales 2:15pm
Saturday February 24th Scotland v England 4:45pm
Saturday March 10th Ireland v Scotland 2:15pm
Saturday March 10th France v England 4:45pm
Sunday March 11th Wales v Italy 3pm
Saturday March 17th Italy v Scotland 12:30pm
Saturday March 17th England v Ireland 2:45pm
Saturday March 17th Wales v France 5pm


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Charles D. Poston, "Father of Arizona"
Charles Debrille Poston (1825–1902) is considered the Father of Arizona due to his prominent role in procuring Arizona's Territorial status. Poston was also one of the area's first white explorers, arriving in 1853 on a mining exploration trip.
Exploration and Riches
Tales of the California Gold Rush drew Charles Poston, a young lawyer in Kentucky, west to find his fortune. Far from being a solitary prospector who relied on luck, Poston, the son of a printer, learned the fundamentals of mining from an office in California. He arrived in San Francisco in the early 1850s and received funding from French bankers to explore the land that would become the Arizona Territory—before the Gadsden Purchase had officially made these areas part of America! After several false starts (including a shipwreck near the Mexican port of Guaymas and being detained by Mexican authorities) he located Spanish mine workings near Ajo and other mines in what is now the Santa Cruz Valley in Pima County. On the same trip, he met the commander of Fort Yuma, Samuel Heintzelman, and helped to found Colorado City, now Yuma. Using Heintzelman's connections and making several trips back east, he was able to put together the Sonora Exploring and Mining Company. He set up headquarters in Tubac in 1854 with Heintzelman as company president. His was the first mining company to invest capital and develop mines in the area.
Early on, Poston distinguished himself as a shrewd dweller in a wild place. His mining camp in the Cerro Colorado Mountains near Tubac, called the Heintzelman Mine (renamed the Silver Queen Mine), quickly grew to 800. By 1858, the camp employed over 1,000 Mexican miners and excavated an estimated $3,000 worth of silver a day. Poston ruled his outpost, importing a printing press, printing his own money (the currency was called boletas), performing marriages and even baptisms. In his memoirs, Poston reports, "We had no law but love and no occupation but labor. No government, no taxes, no public debt, no politics."
In one anecdote, Father Macheboeuf, a Catholic priest, arrived from Santa Fe and declared all of the marriages performed by Poston to be illegal. In response, Poston reportedly "donated" $700 to the priest, who re-performed the wedding ceremonies.
Creating the Arizona Territory
In 1861, rising tensions between miners and the Apache people forced abandonment of the settlement. Poston left after his brother was killed by Mexican outlaws. Poston went to Washington, D.C. where he became an aide for Heintzelman, now a General. Asked to help persuade President Lincoln to create the Arizona Territory, he threw himself into the task of convincing Washington of the worth and value of the area. In 1863, his efforts were successful, and President Lincoln signed the Arizona Territory into law.
Poston then returned to Arizona as the Territory's first Superintendent of Indian Affairs, where he worked hard to resolve conflicts and improve relations between American Indians and the influx of Mexican and new American settlers. In July 1864, he was elected as Arizona's first delegate to Congress (though he was defeated a few months later).
In 1868, Poston was invited to study agriculture and irrigation techniques in Asia as part of a special envoy. In India, he encountered Zoroastrianism, an ancient monotheistic faith founded in Persia, and became an ardent adherent to the religion. He stayed abroad until 1876, practicing law in England.
He returned to Arizona in 1877 to head the U.S. land office in Florence. From 1890 to 1895 he worked in Phoenix as agent of the Department of Agriculture. Poston helped establish the Society of Arizona Pioneers in 1886, which later became the Arizona Pioneer Historical Society and became part of the Arizona Historical Society.
Poston's Butte
Poston's behavior became increasingly eccentric. Suffering the loss of several family members, he sank deep into poverty after leaving the Department of Agriculture. Noting his valuable service to the Territory, the Arizona Legislature voted to pay him a pension in 1899. Upon his death in 1902 he was buried in a pauper's grave. In 1925 his remains were relocated to a pyramid-shaped monument near Florence, where he had planned to establish a Zoroastrian Temple of the Sun. The location, once known as Primrose Hill, is now named Poston's Butte. Going north on State Route 79, a historical marker just north of the Gila River gives information about the pyramid on the top of Poston's Butte and the man interred beneath it.


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Traffic sucks, so why not start your morning off with some music? You provide the toast and we'll provide the jams.
What a lovely Valentine's Day gift: De La Soul is releasing its entire catalog for free on their website for one day only. It seems back in the day De La Soul signed a bunch of fuzzy contracts hindering proper clearances of their music, which is why you can't get it on iTunes or Amazon now. I never realized that.
I definitely plan on loading up when the download links go live. In the meantime, enjoy this catchy jam that samples about 100 songs.


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A super cute store in Causeway Bay with tons of greeneries on the exterior has been catching my attention recently. The fact that there is always a short line of girls outside waiting to get in makes me even more curious. I'm talking about the Innisfree store in Causeway Bay close to Forever21 and across from Hysan Place.
Yesterday while hanging out with my girlfriend before dinner, we decided to check it out. We found out that we can become a member with a $100 HKD purchase. The membership is a point system where you get 1 point for every $100 HKD you spend. And once you get 10 points, you can use it as $10 HKD. The perk is really not that amazing but since it's quite easy to join, we joined nonetheless cause how can you say no to a cute beauty store? fml...
I spent a total of $105 HKD.
- 2 sheet masks ($10 each)
- 3 capsule sleeping packs ($20 each)
- 1 nail polish ($25)
Sheet masks in Acai Berry and Gold Kiwi
I'm super excited to try these. I got the Jejubija & Aloe, Pomegranate, and Rice. These are sleeping packs that should be applied before sleeptime and can be left on until the morning. There are other types of capsules that have to be washed off after 10 to 20 minutes. Those ones are $15 rather than $20 each. I didn't get those ones cause knowing myself, I'm too lazy to wash it off... -_- Each capsule can be used two to three times.
Last but not least, I picked up a nail polish. I've been really liking dark polishes lately. This one is in number 104. The colour is an indigo colour. Depending on the light, it's either dark purple or dark blue. There is also small specs of sparkles inside. Super pretty - it reminds me of the galaxy. There are also tons of choices that resemble the Deborah Lippmann polishes glitter polishes.
Hope you enjoyed my haul :) I'll try and do some reviews soon.
Much Love.
Much Love.