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Saturday, August 4, 2012
Terminator V - End of Sanity
Color was everything.
Here is how the pirates were able to take whatever they wanted from anybody else: they had the best boats in the world and they were much meaner than anybody else, and they had gunpowder, which was a mixture of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulphur. They touched this seemingly listless powder with fire, and it turned violently into gas. This gas blew projectiles out of metal tubes at terrific velocities. The projectiles cut through meat and bone very easily, so the pirates could wreck the wiring or the bellows or the plumbing of a human being, even when he was far away.
The chief weapon of the sea pirates, however, was their capacity to astonish. Nobody else could believe, until it was much too late, how heartless and greedy they were."
- Excerpt from Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Back in the eighties I often played computer games on the old ZX Spectrum with my school friends, games of a level of sophistication (given the memory capacity of 48K) that would almost certainly elicit guffaws of derision from teenagers now. Many of the games were variations on the classic Invaders theme, namely blowing up aliens in some kind of war.
This pleasant reminiscence was brought on by something rather more sinister. In an article in today's Guardian by Rory Carroll some light was shed on the thoughts and feelings of so-called 'drone operators', pilots who, with joysticks, headsets and computer screens, have become minions of the only man in the world who claims with his kill list a legitimate, God-like power over life and death, Barack Obama.
Some of their words:
"There's not a lot of time for emotion here. There's a war going on and we have a job to do," says Weaver, a veteran F15 fighter pilot.
"I've flown manned aircraft and believe me this, in terms of combat, is more up close and personal."
'Up close and personal'. 'There's a war on'. 'We have a job to do'. Does any of that sound familiar to you? To me it sounds like something some bloodthirsty fool in a Hollywood war/action movie would say.
"It wasn't the sexy thing to be seated in a ground control station. But we're changing a lot of minds," says Captain Chad, 29, another instructor. "People are seeing our capabilities and what we're doing."
A certain defensiveness mingles with the pride. Asked about accusations that drone strikes are extrajudicial executions, or assassinations, Weaver stiffens. "That's for the politicians to consider. We follow the orders of our civilian leaders."
All bristle at any suggestion that waging war by remote control requires less bravery than traditional combat.
"There are different types of courage," says Jon, a lieutenant colonel, standing in an officers' bar adorned with a replica medieval suit of armour, a framed tomahawk and oil paintings of John Wayne and Clint Eastwood. "Ours requires moral courage. We take moral and legal risks. If I pull the trigger and I'm wrong I have to live with the consequences."
First, I reject any moral argument about war as that implies that it can be noble. There is no nobility in war. It is invariably waged either for territory, resources or control/hegemony, and justified with lies; none of these things can be called noble.
Indeed, war is closer to theft, and metaphorically to rape. The idea that it is 'cowardly' not to look your enemy in the eye as you kill him is bogus. The same argument could be applied to using bows and arrows instead of swords - advancements in military technology will always be taken advantage of - and in the only kind of war that I would personally fight in - one of self-defense/survival, I would most certainly use every strategic advantage I could to maximize the chances of victory.
Note also the cognitive dissonance in the three last quoted paragraphs: on one hand they disavow responsibility because 'it's for the politicians to consider' and 'we follow the orders of our civilian leaders' and on the other we have 'we take moral and legal risks' and 'if I pull the trigger and I'm wrong I have to live with the consequences'.
This is known as the Nuremberg Defense, namely the idea that soldiers are not responsible for their actions because they were just obeying orders. At the Nuremberg Trials of 1945-6, this defense was rejected as a means of lower-ranking soldiers escaping culpability, although it could lead to reduced punishments in some cases.
Two things need to be pointed out to these pilots. First, the fact that highly imperfect intelligence and unreliable informants can lead to the tragic loss of innocent life, as indeed it has done on a large scale. To take but one example of many, read the first four paragraphs of this article (which I strongly recommend you read in full) by Clive Stafford Smith, the founder of Reprieve:
Last October I was at a jirga in Islamabad where 80 people from Waziristan had assembled to talk about the US Predator drones that buzz around overhead, periodically delivering death by Hellfire missile. A jirga is the traditional forum for discussing and resolving disputes, part parliament, part court of law. The turbaned tribal elders were joined by their young sons on a rare foray out of their region to meet outsiders and discuss the killing. The isolation of the Waziris is almost total – no western journalist has been to Miranshah for several years.
At our meeting I spoke as the representative westerner. I reported the CIA claim that not one single innocent civilian had been killed in over a year. I did not need to understand Pashtu to translate the snorts of derision when this claim was translated.
During the day I shook the hand of a 16-year-old kid from Waziristan named Tariq Aziz. One of his cousins had died in a missile strike, and he wanted to know what he could do to bring the truth to the west. At the Reprieve charity, we have a transparency project: importing cameras to the region to try to export the truth back out. Tariq wanted to take part, but I thought him too young.
Then, three days later, the CIA announced that it had eliminated "four militants". In truth there were only two victims: Tariq had been driving his 12-year-old cousin to their aunt's house when the Hellfire missile killed them both. This came just 24 hours after the CIA boasted of eliminating six other "militants" – actually, four chromite workers driving home from work. In both cases a local informant apparently tagged the car with a GPS monitor and lied to earn his fee.
Moral courage indeed.
The second thing these pilots need to hear is the tale of Ehren Watada, the first commissioned officer in the US armed forces to refuse to deploy to Iraq on the grounds that he believed the war to be illegal and therefore did not wish to make himself party to a war crime.
That is moral courage.
Watada was brought before a court-martial, which ended in a mistrial, and he was discharged. Watada had the nobility and courage to stand up for his beliefs and listen to his conscience in full knowledge as an officer of the wider damaging implications of his decision with regard to chain of command, discipline and morale.
Perhaps these pilots have forgotten that there is little thing called due process, a fundamental tenet of law and justice: a person is suspected of a crime, brought before an open and fair court at the earliest opportunity, found guilty or not guilty after examination of all testimony and evidence, and sentenced in a manner consistent with legal precedent. The moment we dispense with these notions of justice is the same moment that we lose the right to name ourselves a civilized people.
But it was this quote from one of the pilots that chilled me to the bone:
"On the drive home I would decompress. Listen to music, take a deep breath, compartmentalise so I could make the transition to husband, father, family man."
As one Guardian reader (Lostindenmark) commented below the line, I would like to ask this individual: "And what do you turn into when you travel in the other direction?" Perhaps he turns into something like this piece of work.
Drones are the future of warfare for NATO and the major powers. Becoming a ground soldier in a large army would be an unwise career move as any large force could easily be bombed into the next world en masse without a single casualty suffered now that NATO powers already have literally thousands of these flying robots. Such an uneven balance in favor of NATO and the US will inevitably lead to developments by its opponents (China, Russia etc.) of other weapons to redress the balance, thereby making the world an infinitely more dangerous place.
The sociopaths who control the key strategic arms of global society have to be removed. We can no longer afford to simply talk about it. A future of endlessly escalating war beckons unless we act. As someone who has researched deeply the concept of direct democracy as well its alternatives, I know all too well that the only way to remove power from these corrupt regimes is through a grassroots movement towards direct democracy as described in my free book. The alternative, with regard to drone technology, is not only endless war and the killing of innocents, but also surveillance drones flitting overhead watching the moves of everyone below them 24/7. Is this the kind of society you want for you and your kids? Me neither.
Orwell is now spinning faster than Jenny. Stop thinking and talking, and act now.
'The 99.99998271% - Why the Time is Right for Direct Democracy' by Simon Wood is available for free download. In this 70-page book, the current state of human rights and democracy is discussed, and a simple method of implementing direct democracy is suggested.
Simon Wood on twitter (@simonwood11) and Facebook or at his blog. The Direct Democracy Alliance, a group dedicated to creating national/global direct democracy, is now also on twitter: (@DDA4586)
1 comment:
- AnonymousAugust 4, 2012 at 1:12 AM
The last statement is exactly it. I have to boost my morale regularly to continue to inform and encourage people to understand that a real and definite change is imperative. I do this because I'm frustrated with everyone simply sharing info yet failing to act. What good does having all this info provide if it merely only resides inside the brain and never escapes into the light of day of action? Simply knowing is not enough. For example a person may gain knowledge that they are predispositioned to being diabetic. If that person does nothing with this knowledge what was the point in learning of it in the first place? They become diabetic and yet they didn't have to be. By doing nothing, they did indeed do something. They allowed the disease to flourish. They are accomplices to the crime against their own body. Just as people are aware that things are terrible, they do nothing with it and therefore allow it to continue. What good does spending all the time planning but never taking action in response to the knowledge? When will their long thought out planning serve a catalyst to actual physical change? What I've said time and again is that for every action not taken by you one will be taken by another and not necessarily to your benefit. -BexReplyDelete


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|[San Francisco California, courtesy Oracle Corporation]
Coming Soon: OpenWorld 2015 (for Remote Management)The place to be will be Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco, California during October 25-29.OpenWorld will offer many seminars to attend, but there is also JavaOne! Register & Fly to one of the most anticipated conferences of 2015. Why is this so anticipated?
Seminars & SessionsThere are a variety of seminars, conferences, and hands-on lab activities for just about everything imaginable. For people who are involved in Network, Systems, Database, and Application Management - the most applicable items are listed below. If you find some of these interesting, then you don't want to miss it!
For the Network, Operating System, Database, and Application Management staff:
Way Beyond the Basics: Oracle Enterprise Manager Monitoring Best Practices [CON9721]Oracle Enterprise Manager: One Manager to Rule Them All - Ops Center and Oracle VM Manager.
Ana Maria Mccollum, Director of Product Management, OracleOracle Enterprise Manager monitoring plays a critical role in enabling IT to provide highly available services to its business. As enterprises optimize their monitoring processes and evolve to adopt Oracle Cloud Platform services, Oracle Enterprise Manager continues to meet these new requirements with significant planned enhancements in monitoring. These include enhancements to metric extensions, adaptive thresholds, user-defined target properties, and corrective actions as well as new capabilities such as the incident manager dashboard, auto event grouping, the export/import of rule sets, and brownouts for planned/unplanned outages. In addition to new features, this session reviews best practices for implementing an effective and scalable monitoring solution.Conference Session
Upgrading Oracle Enterprise Manager: Why and How [CON9729]Do you use Oracle Middleware? Oracle offers Middleware as a Service with Oracle Enterprise Manager.
Akanksha Sheoran Kaler, Principal Product Manager, OracleThe upcoming release of Oracle Enterprise Manager brings, for the first time, a converged management for Oracle hardware and software. It also includes exciting new enhancements to uninterrupted monitoring, hybrid cloud management, and engineered systems management that make the upgrade worth it. This session outlines the new capabilities and provides best practices to seamlessly upgrade your existing environment to the upcoming release of Oracle Enterprise Manager.Conference Session
Realizing MWaaS on the Private Cloud Using Oracle Enterprise Manager [CON4627]Security for Network Management on your mind? Oracle Solaris 11 with Security Auditing Framework.
David Nims, UNIX Platform Architect, FiservUmesh Panwar, Sr. Platform Engineer, FiservWojciech Serafin, OracleProvisioning a large number of middleware assets across multiple environments in a homogeneous way could be a challenging task for the IT organization. Enterprises are looking for an automated process for provisioning these assets within their data center and managing all application lifecycle management tasks using prebuilt flows. This session discusses how Fiserv, a worldwide provider of financial services technology, leveraged Oracle Enterprise Manager to provision and manage more than 500 middleware domains. The solution provided enterprise capabilities for automated, fast, simple, flexible, and reliable deployments based on the Oracle Enterprise Deployment Guide and significantly reduced time to market to provision new applications on its private cloud.Conference Session
Assessing, Reporting, and Customizing the Security Compliance in Oracle Solaris 11.2 [HOL4645]Use Java for Network & Systems Management (NSM)? Optimize using Solaris 11 with DTrace.
Qianqian Chen, OracleLing-yun Li, Principal Software Engineer, OracleRichard Liu, Senior Software Engineer, OracleReport Compliance is one of the new security features introduced in Oracle Solaris 11.2 that provides a framework for assessing and reporting the compliance of an Oracle Solaris system to a given security benchmark. In this lab, learn how to install the Report Compliance tool, run an assessment on the hosting Oracle Solaris against the Oracle Solaris baseline benchmark, generate an HTML report for review, and rerun the assessment after a quick remediation. And last, learn how to customize the benchmark by adding a user-defined check. After this lab, you will understand what Report Compliance is and how to use it to audit the security compliance of an Oracle Solaris system, and have an overall idea of how to customize a benchmark in case of need.HOL (Hands-on Lab) Session
Uncover JDK 8 Secrets Using DTrace on Oracle Solaris 11 [HOL6427]How big can you make your Java based NSM? Scaling success stories by other applications.
Gary Wang, Manager, OracleYu Wang, Software Engineer, OracleXiao-song Zhu, Principal Software Engineer, OracleJDK 8 is the most innovative version of Java ever. It brings many new features to the Java platform, such as Lambda Expressions, Streams, and Functional Interfaces. For the programmers, these features are easy to use; however, it is hard to understand their internal mechanisms. In this lab, learn how to use the Oracle Solaris 11 DTrace feature to find out how a Java Virtual Machine (JVM) implements these new features, including Streams Pipeline, Lambda Parallelism, Lazy Evaluation, and Recursion Optimizing.HOL (Hands-on Lab) Session
Scaling to 1,000,000 Concurrent Users on the JVM [CON7220]
Jo Voordeckers, Senior Software Engineer, LivefyreLivefyre built a platform that powers real-time comments and curated social media for some of the largest websites, such as CNN, Fox, Sky, CBS, Coca-Cola, HBO, CNET, Universal Music Group, and Break. On average it deals with one million concurrent users on its systems. Java EE will get you a long way, but with these numbers, the company needed to resort to some often-overlooked computer science tricks and techniques to scale its microservices architecture to handle as many as 100,000 active concurrent connections per JVM. This session covers some of the data structures, patterns, best practices, and datastores that Livefyre uses to make this all happen and keep it running. If you're in a company with growing scalability pains, this session is for you.Conference Session
Got Engineered Systems? Take care of them.
Monitor Engineered Systems from a Single Pane of Glass: Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c [UGF10288]Alfredo Krieg, Sr. Oracle Enterprise Cloud Administrator, The Sherwin Williams CompanyOracle Enterprise Manger 12c provides comprehensive and centralized monitoring capabilities for Oracle engineered systems including Oracle Exadata Database Machine, Oracle Exalogic Elastic Cloud, and Oracle Exalytics In-Memory Machine. This presentation outlines the steps required to discover and monitor Oracle engineered systems, as well as the challenges faced and the benefits of using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control 12c to provide Oracle Exadata health-check reports.User Group Forum Session
Got Databases? Best practices for managing hundreds or thousands.
How to Upgrade Hundreds or Thousands of Databases in a Reasonable Amount of Time [CON8375]Mike Dietrich, Master Product Manager, OracleRoy Swonger, Sr Director, Software Development, OracleMany customers now have database environments numbering in the hundreds or even thousands. This session addresses the challenge of maintaining technical currency of such an environment while also containing upgrade and migration costs at a reasonable level. Learn from Oracle Database upgrade experts about product features, options, tools, techniques, and services that can help you maintain control of your database environment. You will also see examples of how real customers are successfully meeting this challenge today.Conference Session
Network & Systems Management: The Future of Oracle Enterprise Manager.
The Future of Oracle Enterprise Manager: What's Next? [CON9708]Sudip Datta, Vice President of Product Management, OracleOracle has been hard at work on the next major release of Oracle Enterprise Manager, and in this session the speakers are excited to give you a sneak preview of what's coming. Learn about top new features including Integrated Hardware Management and Federated Enterprise Manager, upcoming Oracle Cloud integrations, and improvements across private cloud and stack management capabilities. Join this session for a glimpse of the future of Oracle's on-premises private and hybrid cloud management capabilities.Conference Session
Network & Systems Management: Best Practices with High Availability for Oracle Enterprise Manager
Network & Systems Management: From hundreds to hundreds of thousands of assets using OEM.Practical Tips for Oracle Enterprise Manager High Availability and Diagnostics [CON9726]Angeline Dhanarani, Senior Product Manager, OracleMany data centers have come to rely on Oracle Enterprise Manager as their management tool for mission-critical Oracle infrastructure and applications. As such, it is critical to ensure that the Oracle Enterprise Manager deployment is highly available and secure and performs optimally. This session shares best practices for managing an Oracle Enterprise Manager deployment with reduced effort while still ensuring that objectives are met. Strategies include configuring highly available deployments, migrating to a replication-based disaster recovery solution, deploying across networks using a new multiproxy server feature, monitoring and diagnostics of critical subsystems, and securing the Oracle Enterprise Manager infrastructure.Conference Session
Scaling the Limits of the Cloud with the New Oracle Enterprise Manager [CON9731]Mithun Shankar, Senior Principal Product Manager, OracleThe cloud is BIG. The cloud is VAST. With cloud computing, the scale of IT has changed from a few hundred assets to hundreds of thousands of assets. This necessitates a newly engineered monitoring, automation, and reporting framework that is nimble, scalable, and real time. The new release of Oracle Enterprise Manager introduces real-time monitoring, a scalable job system that can integrate with the industry's leading automation frameworks like Chef, and a comprehensive reporting infrastructure. This session covers these new enhancements along with anecdotal experiences from Oracle's own cloud operations.Conference Session
Building your own embedded Network Management probe in Java?
Alexander Belokrylov, Principal Product Manager, OracleThis how-to session demonstrates a develop/build/deploy/debug/execute cycle set from scratch. It is based on Java ME Embedded in combination with various boards, such as the Raspberry Pi, the Freescale K64, and a device emulator. The session includes guidelines and tips on installing the Java ME Embedded SDK and runtime. It also touches on the key aspects of application development and troubleshooting in a simple demo that involves the basic concepts of working with various I/O devices.Tutorial
Oracle Enterprise Manager: Provisioning Databases, without DBA'
Gustavo Rene Antunez, DBA Team Lead, PythianWith the newest version of Oracle Database 12c and its multitenant option, we are moving toward an era of provisioning databases to our clients faster than we ever could, even leaving out the DBA and allowing the developers and project leads to provision themselves the database that they need. This presentation guides you through the different ways you can provision data from one Oracle Database to another using Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c.User Group Forum Session
Oracle Enterprise Manager: Database as a Service
PDBaaS: Oracle Database 12c, Multitenant, and Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c [CON4628]Krishna Kapa, PepsicoMalla Santosh, Manager, GCSI, EM Foundation, OracleDatabase as a service (DBaaS) offers organizations accelerated deployment, elastic capacity, greater consolidation efficiency, higher availability, and lower overall operational cost and complexity. Oracle Database 12c provides an innovative multitenant architecture featuring pluggable databases that make it easy to offer DBaaS and consolidate databases in the clouds. This session showcases the implementation of pluggable database as a service (PDBaaS) using Oracle Enterprise Manager 12c and the benefits of consolidating databases into the Oracle Database 12c multitenant architecture, rapid provisioning of pluggable databases using the self-service portal, and maintenance of the pluggable databases.Conference Session
Oracle Enterprise Manager OpsCenter, My Oracle Support, Maintenance, Upgrades, Patching.
Best Practices for Oracle Solaris Maintenance and Upgrades [CON8705]David Buxton, Principal Technical Support Engineer, OracleRaphy Pallikunnath, Manager, Solaris & Network Technology Service Center, OracleUnleash the potential of Oracle Solaris, with an insight into technical resources and proactive support tools. This session looks at best practices for maintaining and upgrading Oracle Solaris. See how to leverage the My Oracle Support portal for both reactive and proactive issues, along with how the My Oracle Support Community can put you in touch with a wealth of knowledge. Enjoy a voyage of discovery to see the benefits and possibilities of using Oracle Enterprise Manager Ops Center features to help maintain and support your data center assets.Conference Session
Oracle Enterprise Manager: Managing MySQL
Oracle Enterprise Manager for MySQL Database—Latest Features [CON4507]Carlos Proal Aguilar, Senior Software Developer, OracleThis session provides an overview of how to use the latest Oracle Enterprise Manager plugin release for MySQL Database to monitor database connections, index usage, replication status, compliance scores, and other key configuration and performance metrics.Conference Session
Oracle Enterprise Manager: Hands-On for MySQL
Practical Overview of the Latest Features of Oracle Enterprise Manager for MySQL [HOL4522]Carlos Proal Aguilar, Senior Software Developer, OracleIn this hands-on lab, participants install and use the Oracle Enterprise Manager plugin release for MySQL to monitor database connections, index usage, replication status, compliance scores, and other key configuration and performance metrics.HOL (Hands-on Lab) Session
Oracle Enterprise Manager: Monitoring Exadata
Oracle Exadata Monitoring and Management Best Practices [CON9727]Ashish Agrawal, Group Product Manager, OracleOracle Enterprise Manager uses a holistic approach to manage Oracle Exadata Database Machine, providing comprehensive performance and lifecycle management from testing and deployment to proactive monitoring and ongoing maintenance across the entire engineered system. In this session, hear about new capabilities in the upcoming Oracle Enterprise Manager plugin for Oracle Exadata that includes Oracle Exadata virtualization provisioning and monitoring, the ability to monitor the latest Oracle Exadata hardware, Exacheck (ORAchk), Exadata Sparse Cloning, and the Automatic Service Request capability for Oracle Exadata hardware targets in Oracle Enterprise Manager.Conference Session
Software Defined Networks with Security and The Cloud
Network and Security Function with Oracle SDN Virtual Network Services [HOL10372]With cloud data center architectures requiring agility and flexibility in deploying on-demand network services, the traditional approach with purpose-built physical network appliances does not meet the requirements. The Virtual Network Services feature of Oracle SDN (Software Defined Networking) provides the ability to deploy on-demand network services such as firewall, router, load balancer, virtual private network (VPN), and network address translation (NAT) in a single virtual appliance, eliminating the need for proprietary fixed function devices. With centralized management, secure multitenancy, and on-demand provisioning, this allows cloud-enabled data centers to be agile and elastic.HOL (Hands-on Lab) Session
Monitoring Oracle Exadata Platforms
Get Under the Hood with Oracle Exadata Monitoring [CON10169]Farouk Abushaban, Senior Principal Technical Analyst, OracleIn this session, learn how to quickly set up complete monitoring for your Oracle Exadata Database Machine. Our subject matter expert and global technical lead in Oracle Enterprise Manager and Oracle Exadata support shares knowledge gained from working with customer deployments worldwide. Specific topics covered include common challenges, best practices, and new features to get your complete Oracle Exadata Database Machine stack monitored using Oracle Enterprise Manager Cloud Control.Conference Session
Oracle Enterprise Manager Demonstrations and Features
Oracle Enterprise Manager: The Complete Solution and Oracle's Best-Kept Secrets [CON9715]Amit Ganesh, Vice President Enterprise Manager, OracleCome to this informative session to learn about the breadth of capabilities in Oracle Enterprise Manager from the head of Oracle Enterprise Manager Product Development. Through a series of product demonstrations, you'll gain exposure to some of the most powerful features in the Oracle Enterprise Manager product family and see how they work together as a solution. Learn how to get the most out of the features you already use every day as well as how to leverage features you might not yet know about. Finally, receive expert guidance on how to maximize your Oracle OpenWorld experience to understand all that Oracle Enterprise Manager has to offer.Conference Session
Maintaining and Supporting Oracle Enterprise Manager
Best Practices for Maintaining and Supporting Oracle Enterprise Manager [CON8671]Rachel Bridden, Principal Technical Support Engineer, OracleMarilyn Roncati, Director of Lifecycle Management, OracleIn this session, learn about best practices, tips, and tools for maintaining and getting the most out of Oracle Enterprise Manager. Experts from Oracle Support offer knowledge gained from working with Oracle customers worldwide. They look at patching, upgrades, issue resolution, and more. Specific topics covered include Oracle Enterprise Manager metrics and health checks, remote diagnostics, communities, and how to receive priority service request handling.Conference Session
Managing Security with Oracle Enterprise Manager
Raising the Ante on Security with Oracle Enterprise Manager [CON9719]Angeline Dhanarani, Senior Product Manager, OracleAna Maria Mccollum, Director of Product Management, OracleIn today's highly connected world, security is a critical area of concern for both IT and the business. Security teams demand compliance with security best practices and corporate security standards. In this session, learn practical strategies to help you adhere to these standards using Oracle Enterprise Manager. Topics include external authentication, authorization, user management, public and private roles, managing passwords, privilege delegation providers, and secure communications, with a focus on key upcoming Oracle Enterprise Manager enhancements, such as managing DBSNMP accounts, new privileges to manage users, new fine-grained database access privileges, and Transport Layer Security-based communications between Oracle Enterprise Manager components.Conference Session
Automating Solaris Management with Puppet
Automating Oracle Solaris Administration with Puppet [HOL10359]Geoffrey Gardella, Senior Quality Assurance Engineer, OracleCindy Swearingen, Senior Product Manager, OracleOracle Solaris 11 integrates Puppet, a configuration management solution that you can use to automate Oracle Solaris administration tasks. In this lab session, learn how to use Puppet to automate Oracle Solaris lifecycle management tasks.HOL (Hands-on Lab) Session

subset: commoncrawl


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First off, there is a 'frother' theme to this owing to the fact that it was an idea first conceived on that forum. Word of warning for those of you that don't know of the Frothers Unite forum, it is very much an adult forum and not 'family' friendly in many ways. It is full of good natured ranty banter of the fun type. Think of it a bit like a pub on a Friday evening!
Anyway I digress! Fluff/mission briefing:
The future, we imagine it to be a place of high technology, gently whirring processors, glowing lights and hover cars.
That future is for the privileged, the lucky ones born or their applications accepted to live on a type 1:Alpha planet.
The colonies of man spread across the stars, the most desirable and hospitable planets designated as type 1:Alpha planets, those most suited to supporting large populations, many in luxury.
Planets are then graded according to their desirability for supporting human life in ways that are equal to or better than earth. Some Terra-formed, others without need of assistance and simply colonised.
Type 2 planets are industrial planets, many are very lucky to get the Alpha grading for supporting human inhabitation. Many feature colonies in domed accommodation situated near to or next to the primary source of industry such as resource mining.
Humanity can only tolerate so much inequality. Type 1 planets being prioritised for resources and technological development leaving the others behind and in some cases struggling for basic living needs.
It was inevitable that a war would break out.
Industrialised planets started to form a Federation. The other planets remained in the Alliance. Those in between or caught being indecisive became the battleground.
Delphic 3, Type 1: Delta was one such planet. A smaller than average population and a low priority planet with decent resources. Plush enough to support life without habitat domes but dusty and warm was not seen as an ideal colony planet. It offers low level industrialised component and resource production.
The Nova-Fed saw this as a strategic easy target. Home grown Alliance forces were ill-equipped and unprepared. The invasion was short, lasting only three cycles. In the last hours many of the defenders went underground, knowing that possibly their best chance was to sabotage, make the occupation of their planet as painful and as costly as possible to their enemies.
The capital city, Delph, features a sector of sprawling industrial buildings and cargo holding areas serviced by landing pads and broken up by old, now quiet, raised highways.
Sector 13: Froth Town, is one such part of the industrialised sector. And on this day, a high ranking Nova-Fed Official has chosen to visit in a display of strength and solidarity, to inspect production and workers to ensure they understand who their new rulers are. Just in case of unrest the Nova-Fed have units in the area on standby.
The Delphic Resistance Fighters intelligence network has picked up on this and quickly identify the official as an ideal political prisoner for ransom purposes and as a show of their own strength. They must try to take him alive!


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Why The Market May Hang On By Its FingernailsPublished February 19th, 2009 in Market Internals
Once again, the indices are toying with the November 2008 lows and have everyone on tenterhooks about the resolution of this support line: will it hold again? will be broken and cause a cascade down? will it break only to trap the bears?
Yesterday I presented my reasoning why the support wouldn't hold. Today let's play devil's advocate and see why the bulls may just hang on by their fingernails for dear life.
As a reader (Russ) pointed out in the comments section, the very fact that there are now a larger percentage of S&P 500 stocks trading above their 50 day moving may be a positive sign, showing that the components that make up the index are stronger than might seem.
That would imply that the single number that represents the S&P 500 index is hiding the fact that smaller capitalization stocks are doing better than the larger capitalization stocks. Both the mid-cap and small-cap indices are trading well above their November 2008 lows.
As well, take a look at the recent chart showing the number of stocks trading at new lows:
The green arrow points to the spike in new lows that corresponded to the November 2008 low. You'll also notice that in October 2008 there was a higher number of new lows - that was in early October when the S&P 500 spiked down to 839.80 only to recover and close almost unchanged for the day.
This chart is showing that while the 'stock market' is once again near its lows, the market of stocks is still holding up surprisingly well.
We can see something similar during the last throes of the last bear market in late 2002:
Once again, the green arrow points to the spike in the number of new lows, corresponding to the low in the S&P 500 index in early October 2002. In July 2008 we saw slightly higher new lows but the market also closed slightly higher. But then, in March 2003, the number of new lows was dramatically lower as the S&P 500 index dove to retest those same lows:
Sentiment Shift
So keeping an open mind, this may very well mean the bulls get a break (finally). At the same time, technical analysis is one layer. The other that I rely on heavily is sentiment. And although in the past few weeks contrarians have little to cheer about, the most recent data from the AAII weekly survey shows a drastic change in the outlook of retail investors.
Whether it is the nerve wracking dance on the edge of the rain slick precipice or the relentless bad news that pounds us all through the mainstream media, the AAII bullishness collapsed from 33% to just 22%. Needless to say this is exactly the sort of extreme sentiment that I've been waiting for.
Enjoyed this? Don't miss the next one, grab the feed or
4 Responses to "Why The Market May Hang On By Its Fingernails"
Feb 19th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Please sign the petition AGAINST TRADER'S TAX! This is ridiculous! 0.25% on FULL AMOUNT OF ALL TRANSACTION (BUY AND SELL)?!
Feb 19th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
Ya, well, you don't know what our Dumb MF politician would do just to show that they are doing something to the people… bunch of dumb MF!
Feb 22nd, 2009 at 2:42 am
I think we going down to new lows this summer. And if the &*^^%% traders tax were to pass by some freak thing, might as well just throw it all in. Things are insane.
Please Wait


text: I`m a political junkie, and I was watching CNN when Wolf Blitzer broke the news that Prince died at the age of 57. I was born in 1957, and the Holy Trinity of 80`s Pop (Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna) were born in 1957 or 1958, and they achieved their greatest success in the 80`s. These musical icons were the soundtrack of my life not only in the 80`s, but for most of my adult life. They are of my generation, and I felt like a piece of me died when Jackson died, and now Prince ... I wish that a news anchor who knew something of the legacy and legend of Prince had delivered the devastating news. Blitzer is tailor-made for reading the political news of the day, he`s well-versed on the subject and I don`t mind a robotic delivery of political events. But somebody with no soul, and no comprehension or knowledge of Prince`s incredible body of work, is the last person on Earth I wanted to inform me that the icon had passed away. Blitzer confused Prince with another black musician who was a guitar virtuoso: All of us, of course, remember `Purple Haze` and what that did for the world of music, he said. I doubt Blitzer grooved to the music of Hendrix in the 60`s or jammed to Prince in the 80`s. I don`t fault Blitzer, it was just his luck that he happened to be on the air when the news broke. Everything about Prince dying sucks, forgive me for taking out my frustration on the hapless Blitzer.


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Satyajit Ray's films to be showcased in New York
The work of India's greatest filmmaker and one of cinema's greatest auteurs, Satyajit Ray, will be showcased in a special series by the prestigious Film Society of Lincoln Centre in New York April 15-30.entertainment Updated: Apr 06, 2009 13:06 IST
The work of India's greatest filmmaker and one of cinema's greatest auteurs, Satyajit Ray, will be showcased in a special series by the prestigious Film Society of Lincoln Centre in New York April 15-30.
Featuring over 20 films, with six in new 35 mm prints from the Academy Film Archive, "First Light: Satyajit Ray from the Apu Trilogy to the Calcutta Trilogy" concentrates on what is roughly the first half of Ray's career, when he broke out internationally as an important new voice in world cinema.
"A Ray film invites you in, but also demands that you accept it on its own terms," says Richard Pena, the Film Society's director of programming. "And those who open themselves to Ray's method are in for some of the richest experiences the cinema has to offer."
The recent spike of interest in India - from its propitious emergence as a major economic power to the worldwide success of "Slumdog Millionaire" - makes this an especially apt moment to witness and celebrate Ray's accomplishments, said the society.
Ray won the Honorary Oscar for lifetime achievement at the 1991 Academy Awards, "for his rare mastery of the art of motion pictures and for his profound humanitarian outlook, which has had an indelible influence on filmmakers and audiences throughout the world".
"First Light" opens April 15 with the film that put him on the cinematic map, "Pather Panchali" (1955), which Pauline Kael wrote was "beautiful, sometimes funny, and full of love".
With a brilliant soundtrack by Ravi Shankar, to which Wes Anderson paid tribute by using it in "The Darjeeling Limited" along with music from many other Ray films, "Pather Panchali" (Song of the Road) is the first part of the "Apu Trilogy" following a boy's adventures in a remote Bengal village.
The trilogy's second part "Aparajito" (The Unvanquished), made a year later, won the top prize at the Venice Film Festival (the Golden Lion). It follows Apu after his father passes away.
Finally, 1959's "Apur Sansar" (The World of Apu), made two films after "Aparajito", is considered by many as the trio's masterpiece, a deeply affecting portrait of a more opaque, ambiguous Apu struggling to discover his place in the world.
Other new 35 mm prints made possible by the Satyajit Ray Preservation Project at the Academy Film Archive are "The Expedition" (1962), "The Coward and the Holy Man" (1965), "The Hero" (1966), "The Adventures of Goopy and Bagha" (1968) and "Two" (1965), a rare short made for the Esso World Theatre.
The series concluding with Ray's "Calcutta Trilogy" is described as a tribute to the work of the Satyajit Ray Preservation Project at the Academy Film Archive in Los Angeles.
Together with the Satyajit Ray Film and Study Centre at the University of California, Santa Cruz, the archive has done much to preserve and promote the work of this major film artiste for future generations.
With the archive currently hard at work restoring the rest of Ray's films, the society said it hoped to be able to present a series built around the second half of his career in the not-so-distant future.
In conjunction with this series, a major conference on Ray will be held at Columbia University April 25.
The conference will include a keynote lecture from Robert Young, Silver Professor of English and Comparative Literature, New York University, and talks by Samik Banerjee, theatre, film, and arts critic; filmmakers Shyam Benegal and Mira Nair, and Sandip Ray, film director and the son of Satyajit Ray.
Ray died on 23 April 1992 in Kolkata, a city where he lived and on which he based most of his acclaimed films.
First Published: Apr 06, 2009 13:03 IST


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Breaking News
Forget the Warriors vs. Cavs debate (sure looks like the Dubs ended that on Sunday night, anyway) — it's time for the real question … the LeBron 15s or the Curry 5s?!
The two NBA Finals superstars rocked their signature shoes in Game 2 … and while Steph Curry got the win in his — does he beat the King in shoe game as well??
Take a guess at who rocked which pair of kicks over the weekend while you're pondering the question.


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Feel the earth move with Carol
IF YOU were around in the 1970s chances are you had Carol King's Tapestry in your vinyl collection.
If you weren't a child of the '70's, the music of this prolific American singer-songwriter will still be familiar.
The Grammy-award winning Tapestry is one of the best-selling albums of all time and Carol's music is a favourite choice in pop culture for everything from TV and movie soundtracks to campaigns.
Carole King's Tapestry The Concert, performed by Sydney songstress Nicki Gillis and a 7-piece band, is coming to Coffs February 17 at the Coffs Golf Club.
Hear, I Feel the Earth Move, It's Too Late, You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman, and many other King classics in an exciting, sophisticated two-hour show which stays true to the original sound of these much-loved songs. .
King wrote or co-wrote all of the songs on the album, but also wrote numerous hits for other artists including The Loco-Motion (Little Eva/Kylie Minogue), I'm Into Something Good (Herman's Hermits/Marianne Faithful), Pleasant Valley Sunday (The Monkees) and You've Got A Friend (James Taylor).
As a lead up to the performance of Tapestry, the album, these songs plus others are presented in a 45 minute set performed live by The Fabulous Nickettes.
Tickets at trybooking.com


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Thousands join public sector pay freeze strike
THOUSANDS of Scotland's public sector workers joined a UK walkout yesterday over pay demands.
Civil servants joined council staff and court workers in strike action to protest against pay freezes.
Court services were reduced, and museums and driving centres closed as members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) picketed.
They joined an estimated one million people in strike action across the public sector yesterday at the behest of trade unions such as Unite, GMB, Unison and the NUT.
Across the UK, fewer than a quarter of the PCS's 208,000 members voted in the strike ballot last month.
Yesterday, the PCS, which has 28,000 members in Scotland, called on Holyood to "break with the imposed UK austerity pay cap" in the run-up to the independence referendum.
Spokeswoman Joy Dunn said: "There has been disruption at the Scottish Government and a picket at the Scottish Parliament.
There has been disruption at the Scottish Government and a picket at the Scottish Parliament
"It has been a positive from our point of view. We had a fantastic response from our members."
The Scottish Court Service (SCS) said an estimated 26 per cent of its staff took part in the industrial action. The courts at Portree in Skye and Dingwall in Inverness-shire closed.
The National Museum of Scotland and the National War Museum in Edinburgh were also shut due to the action.
A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Within tight current budgetary constraints, we have set out a distinctive pay policy for Scotland that aims to be fair and affordable.
In contrast to the UK Government, Scottish ministers' pay policy targets those on the lowest incomes, including a commitment to the Scottish Living Wage and a minimum pay increase above one per cent for those earning less than £21,000."


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I have just consolidated my feed on feedburner. If you are a subscriber you might need to update your feed.
If you're not a subscriber there's no time like the present!
Sunday, May 31, 2009
I have just consolidated my feed on feedburner. If you are a subscriber you might need to update your feed.
Posted by Nurture Mama at 9:40 PM 0 comments
My Gospel Study in May 2009
Among other things, my gospel study in May included the following:
# Lesson 16: "Thou Shalt … Offer Up Thy Sacraments upon My Holy Day"
# Lesson 17: The Law of Tithing and the Law of the Fast
# Lesson 18: "Establish … a House of God"
# Lesson 19: The Plan of Salvation
Chapter 32: Responding to Persecution with Faith and Courage
Chapter 33: The Spiritual Gifts of Healing, tongues, Prophecy, and Discerning of Spirits
Elder Robert D. Hales: Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually
"All of us are responsible to provide for ourselves and our families in both temporal and spiritual ways. To provide providently, we must practice the principles of provident living: joyfully living within our means, being content with what we have, avoiding excessive debt, and diligently saving and preparing for rainy-day emergencies. When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior's example to serve and bless others."
"When faced with the choice to buy, consume, or engage in worldly things and activities, we all need to learn to say to one another, "We can't afford it, even though we want it!" or "We can afford it, but we don't need it—and we really don't even want it!""
Elder D. Todd Christofferson: The Power of Covenants
"Divine covenants make strong Christians. I urge each one to qualify for and receive all the priesthood ordinances you can and then faithfully keep the promises you have made by covenant. In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact. Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer. He will sustain you as you work and watch. In His own time and way He will stretch forth his hand to you, saying, "Here am I.""
President Henry B. Eyring: Adversity
"I have seen faith and courage come from a testimony that it is true that we are being prepared for eternal life. The Lord will rescue His faithful disciples. And the disciple who accepts a trial as an invitation to grow and therefore qualify for eternal life can find peace in the midst of the struggle."
Elder M. Russell Ballard: Learning the Lessons of the Past
"The voice of the Lord is clear and unmistakable. He knows you. He loves you. He wants you to be eternally happy. But according to your God-given agency, the choice is yours. Each one of you has to decide for yourself if you are going to ignore the past and suffer the painful mistakes and tragic pitfalls that have befallen previous generations, experiencing for yourself the devastating consequences of bad choices. How much better your life will be if you will follow the noble example of the faithful followers of Christ such as the sons of Helaman, Moroni, Joseph Smith, and the stalwart pioneers—and choose, as they did, to remain faithful to your Heavenly Father's commandments."
"You cannot do a Google search to gain a testimony. You can't text message faith. You gain a vibrant, life-changing testimony today the same way it has always been done. The process hasn't been changed. It comes through desire, study, prayer, obedience, and service. That is why the teachings of prophets and apostles, past and present, are as relevant to your life today as they ever have been."
President Thomas S. Monson: Be of Good Cheer
"Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you." (D&C 68:6)
"I testify to you that our promised blessings are beyond measure. Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us.
My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."
Sister Ann M. Dibb: Be Thou an Example of the Believers
"The small and simple things you choose to do today will be magnified into great and glorious blessings tomorrow. Living each day as "an example of the believers" will help you to be happy and more confident. It will strengthen your testimony, help you to keep your baptismal covenants, and prepare you to receive the blessings of the temple so that eventually you can return to your Heavenly Father."
The Friend, May 2009
Posted by Nurture Mama at 8:53 PM 0 comments
Labels: Gospel Study
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Recently Read: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
This book is truly a delight to read. Written as a series of letters, it tells the tale of the inhabitants of Guernsey, a British island occupied by the Nazi's in WWII, and Juliet Ashton, a London authoress looking for a topic for her next book. I found myself completely drawn into the characters-laughing at the absurd moments, crying at the horrors of the Nazi regime, and thrilling to the variable emotions. Thanks to Becky for initially spreading the word about this book (and I've only heard good about it from countless others since). Put it on hold at the library today!
Posted by Nurture Mama at 9:00 PM 1 comments
Labels: Recently Read
Our Favorites for Children's Book Week
In honor of Children's Book Week (I know it was actually last week, but better late then never, right?) I thought I would share a few of my most favorite books to read with my children. I hope you'll leave a comment sharing some of your favorites, too!
At the top of our list has got to be Mo Willems.
We have loved and laughed our way through every one of his books. I've posted about his books before here and here.
Laura Numeroff's "If you give a..." series of books are lots of fun. We've got the latest installment, If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, currently checked out of the library, but my favorite has to be the pig.
We went through a stage with the two-year old Ant Bug when her favorite was No, David by David Shannon. Duck on a Bike is enjoyable too.
Every trip to the library ends with one of Lynley Dodd's books in our stack: Hairy Maclary and Slinky Malinky and Scarface Claw and others. The text has such a nice rhythm and the illustrations are delightful.
Don't forget Doreen Cronin! Click, Clack, Moo and Diary of a Worm and Dooby Dooby Moo and Bounce and... Whenever the Ant Bug plays "imaginary farm" the farmer is always named in honor of Farmer Brown.
There are a number of worthy Caldecott medal winners, but I'll save that for another time.
The Sweet Bee is currently enamoroed with Eric Carle's Brown, Bear and Polar Bear books. We read them everyday and sometimes twice in between. And of course, Sandra Boynton will always be a favorite with the little ones.
Looking for some more recommendations? Check out The "Unsung"Favorites of Children's Literature over at Simple Kids. And feel free to browse through my links on the left--there are some good resources there!
Now it's your turn--please leave a comment and share some of your favorite childrens books (I'm sure they'll get added to my library hold list!)
Posted by Nurture Mama at 8:43 PM 1 comments
Labels: Books for Kids
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Scripture of the Week: John 3:5 and 3 Nephi 12:1
"Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God"
John 3:5
Jesus said "Believe in me and be baptized"
3 Nephi 12:1
These scriptures were chosen to go along with our family home evening lesson on baptism, adapted from Lesson 26 in Behold Your Little Ones: Nursery Manual.
Posted by Nurture Mama at 10:57 PM 0 comments
Labels: Scripture of the Week
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Recently Read: My Father's Dragon
Posted by Nurture Mama at 8:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: Recently Read
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Recently Read: Have a New Kid by Friday
Here are my notes from the book:
-If you want your child to take you seriously, say your words once. Only once. If you say it more than once, you're implying, "I think you're so stupid that you're not going to get it the first time, so let me tell you again. (p. 33)
-Today's children need guidance. They need accountability. They need to be taught that there are consequences for their actions (or for their inaction). (p. 35)
-The key to changing your child is changing your attitude (p. 39). The parent should stay calm and in control.
1. Say it once
2. Turn your back on your child
3. Walk away
-Decide if the behavior is a mountain or a molehill. Every child will fail, make mistakes, and embarrass you. But you don't need to hold those failures over your child's head for a lifetime. Correct the behavior and move on. What is most important, in the long run, is your child's character (p. 44).
1. Let reality be the teacher
2. Learn to respond rather than react
3. B doesn't happen until A is completed
(ex. You asked your son to mow the grass. It hasn't been done yet. Two hours later your son wants you to take him to a friends house. You say "We're not going". Then turn your back and walk away. (p. 50)
-Use consistent action, not words. You don't embarrass the child on purpose, you correct the behavior. There is no harassing, no threatening, no warning. There's no reminding, no coaxing. There are no put-downs.
Be an authoritative parent who:
-gives the child choices and formulates guidelines with him.
-provides the child with decision-making opportunities.
-develops consistent, loving discipline.
-holds the child accountable.
-let's reality be the teacher.
-conveys respect, self-worth, and love to the child and therefore enhances the child's self-esteem. (p. 59)
One thing I really appreciated about this book was the author's use of real-life examples to illustrate the principles in action. Your child says he doesn't want pork chops for dinner. As an authoritative parent you would say "I know pork chops aren't your favorite, but that's what I made for dinner tonight. If you want to make yourself something else afterward, that's fine. But thanks for sitting with us at dinner anyway. Dinner as a family is important". (p. 59)
-What's most important is your relationship, and that it is based on respect and unconditional love. So much has to do with you and how you treat your children. (p. 62)
How to Respect Your Children
-Never do for them what they can and should do for themselves.
-Don't repeat your instructions.
-Expect the best of them.
-Don't praise them.
-Encourage them.
3 Pillars of Self-worth
1. Acceptance
2. Belonging
3. Competence
Praise links a child's worth to what she does. Encouragement emphasizes the act. See the difference: "You're so smart. You built that Lego tower all by yourself!" vs. "I love what you built with your Legos. It's very creative and fun, and you did it by yourself. What are you going to build next?"
Top 10 List for getting a new kid (p. 84)
10. Be 100 percent consistent in your behavior.
9. Always follow through on what you say you will do.
8. Respond, don't react.
7. Count to 10 and ask yourself, "What would my old self do in this situation? What should the new me do?"
6. Never threaten your kids.
5. Never get angry.
4. Don't give any warnings.
3. Ask yourself,"Whose problem is this?"
2. Don't think the misbehavior will go away.
1. Keep a happy face on, even when you want to...do something else
The entire second half of the book is devoted to specific action plans for solving typical tough spots from A to Z. He covers a lot, from allowances to chores to music lessons whining.
The biggest take-home message I got from the book was to develop a positive relationship with your child, be consistent, and allow for natural consequences. So...
1. Say it once
2. Turn your back
3. Walk away
Posted by Nurture Mama at 8:00 PM 0 comments
Labels: Parenting, Recently Read
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Scripture of the Week: Helaman 3:21
"And it came to pass that he had two sons. He gave unto the eldest the name of Nephi, and unto the youngest, the name of Lehi. And they began to grow unto the Lord."
Helaman 3:21
Our family home evening lesson this week came from this lesson posted on Sugardoodle.net.
Posted by Nurture Mama at 9:33 PM 0 comments
Labels: Scripture of the Week
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Caldecott Books in April
Here are the Caldecott Medal Winner books the Ant Bug and I read during the month of April. The books we enjoyed and will likely read again are marked large.
1948: White Snow, Bright Snow, illustrated by Roger Duvoisin; text: Alvin Tresselt
1958: Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey
1965: May I Bring a Friend? illustrated by Beni Montresor; text: Beatrice Schenk de Regniers
1992: Tuesday by David Wiesner
1993: Mirette on the High Wire by Emily Arnold McCully
2002: The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
I read this one by myself and found it to be quite an amazing book.
2008: The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick
Posted by Nurture Mama at 10:35 PM 0 comments
Labels: Books for Kids
Sunday, May 3, 2009
My Gospel Study in April 2009
Among other things, my gospel study in April included the following:
Chapter 31: "God Shall Be with You Forever and Ever": The Prophet in Liberty Jail
We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord's answer will be, "You don't know everything, but you know enough"—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right. Remember Nephi's words: "I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things."
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin: Come What May, and Love It
"Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result."
"But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life.
If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness."
Silvia H. Allred: Holy Temples, Sacred Covenants
"Let us be worthy to have a current temple recommend. Let us go to the temple to seal our families eternally. Let us return to the temple as often as our circumstances will permit. Let us give our kindred dead the opportunity to receive the ordinances of exaltation. Let us enjoy the spiritual strength and the revelation we receive as we attend the temple regularly. Let us be faithful and make and keep temple covenants to receive the full blessings of the Atonement."
Labels: Gospel Study


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Residence Life
There's really nothing like life on campus at Evangel. It's more than hanging out in the residence halls, going to a football game, or enjoying lunch with friends in the student union. You see, at EU, you're always surrounded by a strong, supportive community of like-minded believers – and that's something you won't find at just any university.
Of course, the foundation of this tight-knit community is formed in the residence halls. Whether you become best friends with your roommate or you simply enjoy hanging out with the people on your floor, Evangel's residence halls provide a college experience our graduates never forget. Many of our alumni take pride in their halls and to this day will identify themselves by the floor and hall they lived in during their college years.
Over the past 10-15 years, Evangel has undergone a major, campus-wide renovation process to upgrade nearly all of our facilities, both residential and academic.
Evangel's residence halls are pristine facilities that were almost all renovated between 2005 and 2010, with a fresh renovation of Lewis Hall occurring during summer 2013. EU's buildings and facilities are as fresh and vibrant as the students, faculty, and staff who put them to good use every day.
There are also comfortable amenities for married students, with a host of campus apartments and nearby rental homes and duplexes. Even those living in "417 Hall" (commuters), will experience comfort and convenience in our commuter lounge.
Residence Halls: Burgess | Krause | Lewis | Scott | Spence | Walther
Crusader Dining Hall
Evangel's Crusader Hall opened in March 2000 and serves as EU's main on-campus dining facility. Whether you just need to stop in for a little pre-class breakfast or they're serving your favorite meal at dinner and you're on your way back for thirds, Crusader Dining Hall is a great place to fill up on food and relax with friends. It also features state-of-the-art food preparation facilities, two large conference rooms, and an executive dining room for board meetings and small private events.
The Joust
Sometimes students don't want to sit down for a full meal in the dining hall and need a slice of pizza or sub on the run instead. The Joust is the perfect place on campus to grab a quick snack, meet with friends to study, or just get in a game of foosball before heading to class. Located on the 2nd floor of the Cantrell Student Union, the Joust is a favorite hangout (and eating) spot for a number of EU students.
Five years on a boat: The adventure of Evangel's new food services director, Todd Lanning http://t.co/CE8T9fdo #sgf @AGColleges
— Evangel University (@EvangelUniv) August 29, 2012
Hanging Out
John K. Cantrell Student Union — named for a former board member and longtime friend of the University — is Evangel's student union complex. The Student Union is actually made up of two buildings. The first, Crusader Hall, is the campus dining facility.
The second half of the Student Union houses many offices important to students, including Founder's Bookstore, Student Government Association, Student Activities, Career Services, Commuter Services and the Wellness Center. The second floor of the Student Union is also home to The Joust, EU's casual dining spot that is open throughout the day for lunch, snacking, studying and hanging out with friends.
Fitness and Intramurals
Mabee Student Fitness Center
Evangel University's $2.5 million student fitness center, the Mabee Center, opened for student use on August 26, 1999. The 28,000 sq. ft. fitness center includes basketball courts, an indoor running track, racquetball court, an aerobics room and aerobics equipment, locker rooms and a mezzanine exercise area with professional fitness equipment.
Evangel also offers intramural sports leagues that provide fun, friendly competition for both men and women. Whether you have an eye-of-the-tiger, competitive spirit or you just want to have fun with friends from your floor, our intramural leagues let you play in a variety of sports and competitive levels.
And if you're a commuter interested in intramurals, have no fear – there are commuter teams and many floors "adopt" commuter students to play on their teams.


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PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) --Delegates honored law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty during a moment of silence on the Democratic National Convention's closing night.
Wayne Lipscomb, the mother of slain Philadelphia Police Officer Moses Walker, Jr., addressed the crowd.
The 19-year veteran was shot and killed during a robbery attempt in 2012.
"Moses didn't live long enough to give all of the gifts he had to give. While we're here we must do the good we can," Lipscomb said.
PHOTOS: The 2016 DNC in Philadelphia
Family members of other fallen officers also spoke, saying they never want those sacrifices to ever be forgotten.


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I have started putting the plot in place and the first chapter seems to be ready. I am following the Kurtzman style of scripting. This format allows a freedom with thinking of visual in parallel terms with the text coming along. This helps you in seeing the right balance required of both the components. I am trying to retain the past - present lapse of time used in my earlier book. Firstly, I thought that it is going to be gimmicky. But a controlled use helps to break the linear flow of narrative.
I tried some character sketches of mine. When drawing after scripting, you get much more options of depicting the character. It keeps the sketches look less stiff and enhances the qualities to be shown in it.
The second drawing of me in the house-fly killing mode is something that came out of the scripting. I quite like this one in particular. But the amount of doubts swarming in my head as I am progressing with the book is maddening. Sharing some which I listed during the scripting -
1. Am I hurrying the book by framing a timeline? When looking at good graphic novels, the time taken to finish those goes in 3-5 years timeline. Am I being too quick in the method? If I become slow, then it irritates me for not doing enough work. Where is my patience....the leap of faith?
2. Is the subject coming out well or it needs more time to evolve?
3. How much to put and what to leave? I am afraid that many things from the written script are not so helpful in the building of the plot. But its difficult to say that for sure. Is sticking to the main theme going to sacrifice the smaller sub plots? Am I losing my reader's attention?
4. And lastly....Am I good enough to do this? Good enough to pull this off... I surely can't do a half baked job here. So, have I acquired all the skills to do this book well?
Too many doubts. Charles M. Schulz can be of some help with his words -
"I never give my work to somebody else and say, "What do you think about that?" I just don't trust anybody. If I think it's funny, or if I think it's silly, I send it in anyway because I'm just trying to please myself. I never try to please a certain audience. I think that's disastrous. There's no way in the world you can anticipate what your reader is going to like or dislike."
"If I were a better artist, I'd be a painter, and if I were a better writer, I'd write books - but I'm not, so I draw cartoons!"


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- Fix issue with "module" dependency not correctly assigning exported value if it is not listed as the last dependency.
- Fix "packages" config option. Its behavior was fixed to match the docs.
- Fix module-to-name resolution to account for package mappings.
I recently started using the RequireJS code in Node beyond simple tests, working on a Node-based package tool. Once I get it up an running, I'll post more on this blog. In the meantime, there is a design sketch, and some code, but it is very rough at the moment, mostly scaffolding.


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Radius • Boston This drink is loosely based on the 20th Century cocktail, created by British bartender C.A. Tuck for the famous 20th Century Limited train, which ran from New York to Chicago from 1902 to 1967 and carried passengers such as Theodore Roosevelt, "Diamond Jim" Brady and J.P. Morgan. Plus: Ultimate Cocktail Guide
How to Make It
Moisten the outer rim of a martini glass with the pear slice and coat lightly with cocoa. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add all of the remaining ingredients. Shake well; strain into the martini glass


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A veneer is a thin layer of material that is placed over a tooth, either to improve the aesthetics of the tooth or to protect and prevent damage to a tooth's surface.
What Veneers Do:
Veneers can improve the color, shape and position of your teeth. A precise color/shade can be selected to give the desired color and improve any discolorations of the teeth. A veneer can make a chipped tooth look intact again. They can also be used to close small gaps when braces are not suitable. If one tooth is slightly out of position, a veneer can sometimes be fitted to bring it into line with the others.
Bastien Dental Care provides dental veneers in the Tallahassee, FL area. Schedule an appointment with us for a dental veneer consultation!
Directions & Contact Info
Tallahssee, Fl 32308


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SOUTH LOS ANGELES (KABC) --In an apparent kidnapping caught on camera, a woman was snatched off the street in South Los Angeles and thrown into a car with Texas plates that drove off as she struggled to escape, police said.
Los Angeles police are asking for the public's help in finding the suspect or suspects.
Witnesses and surveillance video show a sedan driving westbound on 79th Street, then stop and back up in reverse.
A man gets out of the car and grabs a woman who was walking eastbound on the south side of the street.
He picks her up in his arms and carries her to the car as she kicks her legs.
He shoves her in the front passenger door and pushes her inside, struggling to keep her in the car.
As he walks around to the driver's side, she tries to exit, but is pulled back in, apparently by a second suspect in the vehicle.
The car then drives off westbound on 79th Street.
Officer Mike Lopez said someone called 911 after they heard a woman scream. That is how authorities got their hand on surveillance video.
The incident happened Sunday around 11:50 p.m. in the 100 block of West 79th Street. The vehicle was described as a light gray four-door sedan, possibly a Chrysler 200, with a Texas license plate, possibly with the first three numbers 763.
The suspect is described only as a man in his 20s, about 6 feet tall, weighing 200 pounds. A description of the second suspect was not available.
Police urge anyone with information to call detectives at (323)786-5447 or 1-877-LAPD-24-7. Anonymous calls can be made to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.


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I've been in a bit of a style rut lately. I seem to have nothing to wear despite having zero space in my wardrobe. I feel like this happens once or twice a year. After going through my wardrobe and thinking about why I'm struggling to put together outfits, I realized that the answer was wardrobe staples. You know what I'm talking about. The idea that you should have these 5 pieces in your wardrobe that you will always wear, the pieces that you can always rely on. I like to think that my style is a combination of my wardrobe staples, pieces that have stayed with me through different seasons, whilst incorporating the latest fashion trends that I love. However, lately it seems that I'm in need of a few new staples, enabling me to put together outfits that I've been wanting to wear for some time now.
I believe in wardrobe investments. Spending a bit of money every now & then on a few items that will no doubt last me several years or more. Pieces that will go with whatever new fashion trend on the horizon. Here are a few pieces I'm hoping to get my hands on soon!
I've always had a pair of ankle boots in my wardrobe as they go with anything and everything! I have some suede ones that aren't good for the winter, and after being re-soled twice my beloved Topshop flat ones have finally retired. My Topshop heeled ones are beginning to feel a little...wobbly, which is no surprise given how often I've worn them! These beauties are on my list, and although I would to invest in some Vagabond ones I will probably go for the more realistic and affordable Zara ones!
stretch leather ankle boots - Zara
high heel ankle boots - Zara
leather high heel ankle boots - Zara
Marja ankle boots - Vagabond
We all know trench coats are a wardrobe necessity and the most thought of wardrobe staple. Those who see me on a daily basis will know how often I wear my navy blue trench coat, however it doesn't always go with everything and often clashes with the color of my jeans or skirts. I've been on the hunt for a camel / beige trench for years and have never found the Castiel worthy one, you know? But I discovered this gem when I popped in to Zara in London one day and fell in love with it as soon as I tried it on. It's oversize and a lot longer than most trenches too, which makes it stand out a little. I haven't bought it yet as it's pricey but will hopefully buy it soon!
oversize trench coat - Zara
I've been wearing a lot of mom jeans recently but would love to have some cropped jeans in my wardrobe! I've always been a lover of skinny jeans (which I also need another pair of, oh dear) but I love how versatile cropped ones can be.
wedgie icon jeans in black - Levi's
wedgie icon jeans - Levi's
moto spiral hem straight leg jeans - Topshop
cropped flare frey hem jeans - Monki
Ah yes, white shirts. I had an oversize one that was a little too oversize to work with, but I'm really loving all of these ones. I think I white shirt is a must, just add high waist cropped jeans, ankle boots and a waist belt and you're all set!
white poplin shirt - Mango
bows poplin shirt - Mango
crisp poplin bishop shirt - & Other Stories
white shirt - Zara
Ok, I admit it. I do already have a few stripe shirts in my wardrobe, but I you can never have too many, right? I've been looking at some different colored ones than my usual black/blue and white and this one just caught my eye.
Striped sweater - & Other Stories


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I think most fans will agree with me when I say basketball documentaries > basketball movies. Sports are obviously much easier to showcase authentically in this format. And yes, I did include three of ESPN's 30 for 30 episodes. I didn't really want to, but when breaking it all down, all three deserved a spot on this list. All 10 of these are special films, but none are touching the one in the top spot.
10. Gunnin' For That #1 Spot
SUMMARY: Beastie Boy Adam Yauch does a fabulous job directing and editing this documentary. He uses a lot of the same weird camera techniques that can be seen in the Beastie Boys videos and they works. The content? It couldn't be much better. Yauch follows eight high school All-Americans leading up to the inaugural 2006 Boost Mobile Elite 24 Hoops Classic in the famed Rucker Park. Some of his subjects, guys like Tyreke Evans and Michael Beasley, went on to become big-time NBA stars. In this film, you dive into their personal lives and see what makes them tick. Plus, the court action is predictably great.
BEST SCENE: When Beasley pulls another player's pants down to their ankles in the middle of New York City. Goofball.
9. Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks
SUMMARY: Reggie Miller's chokehold on New York Knicks fans' psyche is well documented. But, it was never done as well as Dan Klores did it for the ESPN 30 for 30 series. This film wasn't just about one game, or even two. Yes, it covered in-depth Miller's fourth quarter explosion in the 1994 playoffs and then his 8 points in 8 seconds the following year. But, the director also took time to set the stage for both teams: the style of each team and city, what made it such a heated rivalry and how Miller factored into that. This made me wish David Stern hadn't resorted to wearing skirts.
BEST SCENE: The scene focused on Spike Lee's impact. It's absolutely hilarious and kind of made me feel bad for Spike.
8. Soul In The Hole
SUMMARY: This is a relatively unknown film that follows one New York summer team around the city for the summer. "Kenny's Kings" hail from Bedford-Stuyvesant and are anchored by a kid named Ed "Booger" Smith. Most will remember "Booger" from AND 1 games/tours and the old Streetball video game. In this video, it shows him in his own realm and includes him as a young kid, intent on being either an NBA player or a drug dealer (crazy). The team's coach, Kenny Jones, is up and down in his behavior. Sometimes you get the feeling he has the kid's best interests in mind. Other times, his ambitions get cloudy. He's always funny though. This movie is kind of a loosely edited version of Through The Fire.
BEST SCENE: Some of the best basketball action ever in a movie. And don't forget about some of the clips of a young Booger doing his thing.
7. Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals
SUMMARY: This HBO documentary debuted earlier this year. While the topic of discussion is played out, this show gets great quotes and interviews from the two stars. Plus, journalists in the know like Bryant Gumbel and Jackie MacMullan give their own outlook. While much of the story did focus on their NBA rivalry, the best and most interesting segments dive into the legends' lives as teens and also their college years. Even after all the shows, books and movies documenting this great rivalry, this show may have actually topped them all.
BEST SCENE: When Bird let it be known that he really did hate Magic and refused to socialize or be friendly with him at first. Magic wanted to be friends; Bird didn't. That scene alone gives you everything you need to see the differences between the two characters.
6. Without Bias
SUMMARY: It's the case of the unknown. Most people, even some of the biggest hoopheads, don't know much about or even saw Len Bias play. It doesn't matter that many experts and NBA front office people pegged him as the piece to keep Boston's dynasty brewing or that some people in the ACC thought of Bias as a more impressive player than Michael Jordan. He may never fully get his due as a player because of his untimely death. This ESPN 30 for 30 special may be his best shot. Dozens of well-known personalities and sports people spend most of the film gushing about Bias. And the director's breakdown of that final fateful night is perfect. I was surprised most of the people who were actually in the room with Bias came forward to give specific details about what happened.
BEST SCENE: Bias' interviews showing him with a positive outlook on life, talking about where he will be once he gets in the League and beyond. Very sad.
5. More Than A Game
SUMMARY: While offering up crazy home footage of LeBron James as a youngster, this documentary takes a look at what made not only 'Bron, but also his entire high school team, a dynasty. While the film seems to focus a lot more on LeBron, and there is nothing wrong with that, it still attempts to keep its focus on more than just one person. The best part of the film is all of the never-before-seen footage of these kids as teens. It's crazy to look at LeBron as a skinny, middle-school kid knowing that in just four years, he would develop into maybe the best high school player ever. Overall, this joint far exceeded the expectations many had for it.
BEST SCENE: Maybe not a particular scene, but all of the footage of these kids as eighth graders in the AAU Nationals is crazy. No way is the movie any good without a lot of that stuff.
4. Hooked: The Legend of Demetrius "Hook" Mitchell
SUMMARY: The first time I saw this, this short cat that was dunking with complete ease in the prison yards blew me away. He looked like he was aging in dog years, yet still had hops like Nate Robinson. Hooked is the story of Demetrius Mitchell, one of the greatest playground players ever. The film gains credibility from people like Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Brian Shaw, all NBA guys who grew up with "Hook" and admit he was better than all of them. Payton's father adds a level of comedy to the movie. Another sad, "what could have been" tale, this can get boring in some segments. But, the actual dunking footage is crazy.
BEST SCENE: Watching Hook completely dominate a prison yard game, dunking repeatedly as a washed-up druggie. Realizing all of that, some of the outrageous stories told in the film become much more believable.
3. Through The Fire
SUMMARY: An internal look at what it means to be a famed high school basketball player on the brink of the NBA in the Mecca of hoops. Once upon a time, Sebastian Telfair was considered the next great thing and was being compared to NBA All-Stars. He broke the New York High School scoring record and had celebrities of all levels sitting courtside at his games. This documentary follows his final high school year, detailing not only the basketball side, but also the family side. As part of a basketball-breeding family, Telfair's cousin is Stephon Marbury, the documentary brings to light the pressure Telfair faced under the weight of his name. What was once a 50-50 choice between college and turning pro eventually morphed into Telfair being basically forced into the Draft.
BEST SCENE: The great action between Telfair and Darius Washington during an ESPN televised high school regular season showcase. At the time, both looked like they were on paths to stardom. Looking back, it is kind of sad.
2. No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson
SUMMARY: I know it just came out and that it was first released as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, but this was very powerful. Plus, being that Iverson might be the face of the past decade in the NBA and one of the more polarizing athletes ever, the anticipation for this was crazy. He's like an entity to himself. Everyone knew about this story and we all were just waiting on someone to tackle the topic. It didn't disappoint at all and the director, the same guy who did Hoop Dreams, does a better than admirable job of getting both sides from people of all different backgrounds and classes. With it looking more and more like The Answer is done, I really needed this joint. Can we turn back time to 1996? Please?
BEST SCENE: Seeing the old Reebok commercials with Jewelz in them. Everyone remembers the Jadakiss collaborations, but even the other ones are classic.
1. Hoop Dreams
SUMMARY: This is the apex — the magnum opus — of all hoop films. Nothing comes close, nothing is even comparable. This is CLEARLY the best movie/documentary involving basketball ever. The scope of the movie is insane. Most documentaries, even other great ones, may follow a team for a season or a player through a trying time. This joint followed two kids, William Gates and Arthur Agee, from middle school to college. You see their best and their worst. William's superstar recruitment, Arthur's drug-abusing father, William's knee injuries, Arthur's rise to city fame…it's all there and director Steve James editing is perfectly executed. Not only is the basketball action great, but the film takes a look at greater problems within society as a whole. Watching this movie as a hoop fan is like a rite of passage.
BEST SCENE: Arthur going back to his former school to see old friends and teachers who barely recognize him four years later. Also, Arthur and William finally meet up again, two former classmates whose disappointments resonate with the audience.
What do you think?
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Dishonored Check or Electronic Check Payments
A $20 fee will be charged for all checks or e-payments returned by your bank, for any reason. The dishonored check or e-payment plus the $20 fee must be paid with cash, cashiers check, or money order. If the dishonored check or credit card was for payment of registration fees, the student may be disenrolled from classes.


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Vidin Fortress
Buses to Serbia
This is a short one, I promise.
We went to the Fortress in Vidin (Baba Vida) this morning. It is is said to be the only entirely preserved medieval castle in all of Bulgaria, and having walked around it yesterday, we are inclined to agree.
The building of Baba Vida is tied to a legend, according to which a Danubian Bulgarian king who ruled at Vidin had three daughters: Vida, Kula and Gamza. Prior to his death, he divided his realm among the three. Although Gamza and Kula married a drunkard and warlike nobles, Vida remained unmarried and built the fortress in her city. The name of the castle means "Granny Vida"
Entering the fortress on the bridge over the now dry moat, we stepped back in time. Well, not really, but the fortress has the occasional diorama in the rooms. Pretty tacky, yet it gives a bit of life to some otherwise dull stone rooms.
It is very well preserved, and slightly reconstructed, and you can wander around three levels of the fortress itself, and even go up one of the roofed towers. There are small staircases leading all over the place between levels, and the view out over the Danube is great. The construction is quite large, and mainly Ottoman, but will leave you to look it up if you are interested in dates and things. What I found interesting was the air and light holes in the roof. This suggests rooms within the keep itself that are no longer accessible. These reminded me of the air holes in the Crusader castles in Jordan. No doubt the entire place is riddled with tunnels, and although we could see the entrances to a few of these, we were not allowed in.
One other thing that still gets to us here in Bulgaria is the haphazard maintenance or care of buildings. One section against the northern wall had been cleared for excavation work. They had built a wooden and tin roof over the area. This is now collapsing in on itself, and no one seems to mind that instead of funnelling rain away from the area, it is now funnelling the rain directly into it! Mind you, from the few glimpses we got inside that section, it is now used as a garbage dump anyway!
The rest of the day was spent trying to work out how to get to Serbia. We are not that far from the border, but it seems that the only way to cross over is to go back to Sofia. We tried to get information on the boats, as there is a stunning section of the Danube near here, but there was no information available to us. I am not saying it is not possible, we just couldn't find out. Then we looked at trains. No luck there either. The buses were not much better. We could get to towns this side of the border, but no one knew if we could get a bus over the border from there, or even how far it would be to walk.
This was all very disappointing. We could try too risk it by going to one of these other towns, then find out that we still have to go beck to Sofia, and after the fiasco of trying to get into Bulgaria, we thought we would take the safe option tomorrow.
We didn't even get a good last meal in Bulgaria, as it was Sunday and everything is closed in Vidin. A quick meal at the Railway Station, and an early night.
Told you it would be short. But still the Fortress was worth it!


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We gave one of the best Christmas gifts ever this year.
Zoe, who is five, loves to dance. LOVES it. She's participated in a couple dance summer day camps in the past.
But I knew she would adore dance lessons. Every week.
And I thought maybe....just maybe....if we could afford it, we could give her dance lessons for Christmas.
Now you have to understand that Zoe's three older siblings are all boys. I'm still learning about this girly pink world of dolls, princess and twirling.
I didn't know how much dance lessons would cost, what I would need to buy....I was completely clueless. Luckily, I have a sweet friend, Jenny, who owns a brilliant dance company here in town. I picked her brain and learned all the details.
I didn't know how much dance lessons would cost, what I would need to buy....I was completely clueless. Luckily, I have a sweet friend, Jenny, who owns a brilliant dance company here in town. I picked her brain and learned all the details.
Now I'd been talking to my husband about this idea and he told me to figure out how much it would all cost. But when I learned the ballpark cost from now until the end of the school year for the lessons, tap shoes, ballet shoes and the recital costume, I was pretty sure my wonderful (yet very frugal) husband wouldn't think it was such a good idea. I called him at work, fully expecting the worst.
But I underestimated how much this daddy loves his little girl and how well he understands what dance lessons would mean to her.
"Go ahead. I'm fine with it," he said. And...I got a bit weepy. In fact, I'm getting weepy now!
He knew the opportunity to attend dance classes would send his sweet girl straight over the moon. And he didn't care that it would cost more than we were expecting. Awesome daddy, right?
For Christmas we wrapped up the dance shoes, costume, leotards, lace leggings and a bright purple tutu. Oh! This girl was beyond thrilled! She tried everything on and we were fortunate enough to be the audience in many very exciting impromptu dance shows.
It was awesome.
But there was one thing I'd wanted to make and include in Zoe's present, but I ran out of time since I was working on this Big Project.
Last week Zoe had her first day of class. And I spent most of the morning whipping up this fun pink surprise for her....
The second I saw the tutorial for this pretty dance bag at Make it Cozee, I knew I wanted to make one like it for Zoe. The tutorial is very well written and I'm so pleased with the results!
I took this next picture right before we headed into the dance studio. Can you tell how excited she is?? I'm surprised I was able to get a picture of her standing still!
She grinned the whole time.
Best gift ever.


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