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NPR is reporting on secret discussions inside the Clinton administration back in the late 90's when the government briefly ran a budget surplus (via Business Insider). The Clinton economic team was building models to project when they could pay off the national debt and any potential risks associated. His economic team was clearly confused by the predicament. While they viewed the surplus as necessary, they were also bothered by some risks. The report says:
"In the year 2000, the U.S. Treasury began actively buying back the public debt; we should all appreciate the tremendous achievement this represents for the Nation as a whole. As the previous section described there are good reasons for our current fiscal discipline and the public savings that accompany it to continue. We must realize however, that a sharp reduction in Federal debt and the possible accumulation of a Federal asset raises at least three important issues. First, investors looking for an asset free of credit risk can no longer count on an abundant supply of U.S. Treasury securities, and Treasury securities may no longer provide a reliable benchmark for other interest rates. Second, the Federal Reserve may have to change the mechanisms by which it conducts monetary policy. Third, continued surpluses after the public debt has been paid of f will require the Federal. government to acquire assets; either directly or though the Social Security Trust Fund. This raises issues about what kinds of assets might be acquired, and the best way to manage this task."
It's a rather bizarre and really a very embarrassing document for the Clinton administration. It essentially shows how confused the Economic Council was with regards to the operations of our monetary system. Whether it is the bizarre editing of the document and the uncertainty regarding some operations or just the flat out questioning of their surplus to begin with. The one thing we can confirm is that the Clinton surplus was an utter disaster. I won't rehash my past story on this in its entirety, but for the uninitiated:
"What happened next directly contributed to the current malaise in the US economy. If we look at the sectoral balances we can see exactly what the Clinton surplus did. As the US economy was running a current account deficit in excess of 2% in the mid 90′s the US government began to shrink the deficit. This wasn't entirely misguided, however, it was taken to an extreme. As the current account remained steady near 2% the government's balance continued to shrink and went positive in 1999. All the while the domestic private sector is being driven into deficit. Why? Because the government was not spending enough to allow the domestic private sector to net save. So what happens as Americans attempt to counteract this?"
"They fund their lifestyles in other ways. This means going into debt. As you can see from household debt levels Americans were taking on an increasingly large amount of debt in order to sustain their lifestyles. We all know what happened in 2000 as the dotcom bubble burst and the economy was thrown into a tailspin."
Yes, the "fiscally prudent" Clinton surplus was actually a disastrous economic strategy given the balance of payments at the time. But even more disturbing in this document is the repeated comments about needing to fund the future spending of the US government. The very highest economists in our government appeared oblivious of the fact that the USA is a currency issuer completely autonomous in this currency and having no outside funding constraint (as in an inability to create money). They said:
"Regardless of how the Fed proceeds, by 2012 the public debt will be retired according to current projections, leaving the government with net receipts above its expenditures. In order to deal with financial obligations mid century, the government may choose to save, and indeed invest this surplus."
They really think they have to "save" before they "invest". They were (are) working entirely under a convertible currency paradigm where they believed the USA can "run out of money". Contrary to popular opinion, an autonomous currency issuer in a non-convertible floating exchange rate system does not have a solvency constraint like a household or business does.
The monetary operation discussion is equally bizarre. You would have thought that this would make the Clinton team reconsider their actions. After all, when one plays this whole scenario out they must reconsider their premise to begin with. If eliminating the government's debt results in reduced instruments for private sector saving and an alteration in the Fed's operations then perhaps the convertible paradigm they were thinking under was not exactly correct? But it never dawned on them that the government's debt was merely the private sector's savings and not some funding source. Eliminating the debt was the difference between giving Grandma a checking account and a savings account. Furthermore, they never fully recognize that Fed policy could still be achieved without issuing bonds. They see the elimination of the Treasury market as some great risk to monetary operations. Now we know this is nonsense as the Fed can achieve monetary policy via interest on reserves.
The whopper in the piece is a fairly random comment about the financial industry in general:
"The financial services industry has grown tremendously in this country over the past eight years, and done a very good job ofhandling growth and the increased risks that accompany it."
No comment needed after that one. This is all just more evidence that our leaders lack a coherent and complete understanding of our monetary system (as well as the true risks associated with it). It's a frightening reality and no one should be surprised that we are in the mess we're in today given these basic mistakes.
* Update – Title changed due to semantic reasons.


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Combining Underscores With Bootstrap to Create a Theme Framework: Introduction
Monday, January 19, 2015 by martijn broeders
If you have been developing WordPress themes for a considerable amount of time, you will realize that you tend to reuse some—or most—of your code across projects. If you are like many of us, you might also have a starter/base theme that you use every time you start a new project.
You might even have a
functions.phpfile to which you add functions and snippets, as well as link entire code libraries (such as TGM Plugin Activation, WP Bootstrap Navwalker, etc). And you probably have plugins and widgets (your own or downloaded from the WordPress repository) that you use in many of your projects.
All of these form your framework—a generic and ideally solid foundation upon which all your themes are built.
WordPress theme frameworks have been a hot topic for a while. Whether you should be using one is no longer the question. The benefits of using a theme framework cannot be denied and there are many, many frameworks out there; some are free, some premium.
The question is, which one should you use?
Which one you end up using will depend largely on your needs, skill level, and other factors such as the front-end framework used. Instead of guiding you in selecting the best theme framework for you, I'm going to propose that you build your own.
In this series, I'm going to walk you through the process of creating your own WordPress theme framework by combining tools that you are most probably already familiar with. The basis/core of this framework will be Bootstrap and Underscores.
In this series, we will cover the following topics:
- Introduction: Combining Bootstrap and Underscores to Create a Theme Framework (this article that you're reading)
- Introducing Underscores
- Introducing Twitter Bootstrap
- High-level Overview of the Framework: Directory Structure and Naming Conventions
- Combining Bootstrap With
- Adding Dynamic Navigation and Widget Areas
- Adding Actions and Filters
- Must-Have Plugins and Incorporating Them Using TGM Plugin Activation Class
- Building Default Widgets
- A Closer Look At Our
In this article, we are going to have a look at theme frameworks: what they are, what they are made of, and the advantages they afford the developer. We are also going to look at why you should build your own WordPress theme framework.
What Is a Theme Framework?
The WordPress Codex describe a theme framework as:
A "drop-in" code library that is used to facilitate development of a Theme, or a stand-alone base/starter Theme that is intended either to be forked into another Theme, or else to be used as a Parent Theme template
Code Library
A theme framework contains a collection of code libraries that include at the very least an options page—which gives you, as a theme developer, the ability to give the end users of your theme some control over the look and feel of the theme without any coding knowledge.
Examples of code libraries commonly included in a theme:
- TGM Plugin Activation Class
- Redux Framework
- WP Bootstrap Navwalker
Base/Starter Theme
A base/starter theme is a bare-bones theme that can be used as a foundation for the creation of your own themes.
A theme framework is a solid skeleton that consists of both a starter theme and some code/functionality which can be used as starting point when developing WordPress themes.
Features of a Good Framework
A good framework is:
- extensible
- flexible
- follows best practices
- standards-compliant
- well-documented
- up-to-date and bug-free
These apply both to standardized frameworks and to the ones you create for your own use.
Essential Functionality in a Good Framework
A good framework includes the following functionality:
- custom functions to be used in the theme
- custom hooks (action hooks and filter hooks)
- theme option pages
- script libraries
- widgets
- plugins
Advantages of a Theme Framework
A WordPress theme framework has the following advantages:
- Speeds Up Theme Development: It facilitates development by allowing developers to devote time to meeting requirements rather than focusing on repetitive tasks, thereby reducing overall development time.
- Promotes Code Reuse: It eliminates the need to repeat yourself.
- Saves Time: It allows you to do more in less time by giving you additional functionality.
- Coding Standards: Most frameworks are built following the best coding standards so your final
theme will be standards-compliant as well.
- Customization Options: It provides the ability to make minor design changes without any in-depth programming knowledge.
- SEO-Optimized: Most frameworks are designed with SEO in mind. So when you use one, you can be sure that your theme is optimized for search engines.
- Community Support: Every framework soon develops a community of users who help each other and share tips.
Why Would You Build Your Own?
You might be asking yourself, "Why build your own framework when so many free and commercial frameworks already exist?" Well, to answer that, let's first have a look at the disadvantages of standard theme frameworks:
- Learning Curve: Every new system must be learned. This is a time-consuming task and can get frustrating, especially for beginners.
- Unnecessary Code: Frameworks grow over time, as the needs of their users grow. And as more and
more features are added, some end up being "heavy" and overly complex. This
can create a barrier for beginners.
- Lack of Flexibility: The architecture of each framework is representative of the creator's approach to design and development. And their approach might differ significantly from your own. As a result, you might find it difficult or challenging to tweak the framework to do what you want it to do.
- Price: Some frameworks come with a price tag. They force you to "pay to play". Others use a "freemium" model, where the core is free but additional components are sold. The biggest advantage of these premium frameworks is that you get personalized support, but this doesn't mean you get inferior support with free frameworks.
You would want to build your own framework to overcome some or all of the disadvantages mentioned above. Your own theme framework is better than any other for the following reasons:
- Because you developed it yourself, you will be familiar with how everything works. So when the end users of your themes run into problems, you'll be in a position to provide them with support, quickly and effortlessly.
- Because it's your own, you will only include the code that's necessary for you. This keeps your code lean and results in your sites loading faster. And as you encounter new and unfamiliar use cases, you develop new, reusable snippets of code—saving you time and increasing your efficiency.
- Because you developed it yourself, you don't have to pay for it. Granted, there will be that initial cost of time and effort. But that will balance out as you develop more and more themes faster than ever before.
- You have more control. You have the freedom to build your framework to support your particular design or coding style. For example, you can incorporate your favorite front-end CSS framework instead of learning one that comes bundled with another framework.
In this article, I introduced the series as well as a road-map we are going to follow as we proceed. I also looked at WordPress theme frameworks: what they are, what they consist of, and their advantages. The last part of the tutorial built the case for developing your own theme framework.
Throughout this series, we will be building a theme framework that combines tools that most developers are already familiar with. The framework will also incorporate the features and components mentioned in this article, as well as ensuring that it affords you the advantages outlined above.
In the next article in this series, we're going to have a look at Underscores.
Leave a comment › Posted in: Daily


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If you don't have a website you have landed in the right place.
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A little tangential Mongo and some Ask Robin
Note that I could die for Mongo Fangirl.* But if I write another word of SHADOWS right now I will explode into messy little pieces. And I am going to my singing lesson tomorrow. And probably bell ringing tomorrow night.** I'm starting to get all strange and lumpy from being bent over my computer so all-consumingly.***
I have no brain to organise a blog post, but I might be able to blither along a little. So let's have a couple more Ask Robins for framework. Which I may or may not manage to answer sensibly.
I realized during this readthrough that I had been taking for granted that the different ways to be a vampire meant Con is the vegetarian of vampires. Rarely killing, rarely human meals, etc. But this time through, I realized that he made no such statements. Am I reading too far into his beneficence?
Yes. He's a vampire. He's a proper vampire. What he doesn't do is torture people, the way Bo does. The thing about Con is that he has a genuine sense of honour. He accepts the obligation accepting help from Sunshine has put him under . . . and then later recognizes that an alliance is the best chance for each of them to survive Bo's vengeance. Despite the charge between them being allied with a human woman does not make him happy.
What I don't know, and one of the (many) reasons I'd love to write that missing sequel to SUNSHINE if it ever came through the mail-slot and landed on the door-mat†, is what effect a long-term alliance with Sunshine would slowly wreak upon him. Because it would. I have a better idea of what would happen to Sunshine if she continued to hang out with him, although I'm sure there would be surprises in the telling because there always are.††
My question is: Was Pegasus intended from the outset to be a multi-volume story?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Here clearly speaks a reader who does not read the blog. PEGASUS started life as a short story. As a story for ELEMENTALS SPIRITS: AIR. Waaaaaaah.
I ask because I have found you notable for avoiding the ubiquitous trilogies, sequels & series that have dominated the fantasy industry since Tolkien.
Nearly all your tales, even if set in Damar, are uniquely fresh, creative & different. Esp. the new kinds of magic in each, like the weather control in "Water horse" and the honey-based magic in Chalice.
Whimper. You know I do hope this doesn't mean that the second two gliggerfrandanging volumes of frelling PEGASUS are going to be stale, lacking in creativity and over-familiar.††† And if I live long enough I'd like to write another story or two in both the Water Horse and the CHALICE worlds—among others. On the one hand I like the way most of my stories have tended to burst out of new holes in the walls between the worlds, but on the other hand . . . I'd quite like to have a chance to consolidate a bit, get some decorating done, put down carpets and put up bookshelves in some of these worlds. I'm a nest-builder (you should see my house(s)). I'd like to do some nest-building in my stories.
I have read Beauty and The Beast 3 times and I am going to read Rose Daughter soon! Since the story of Beauty and the Beast is such an old tale I was wondering where you got your information from, which you used to base your books off of. Reason being I always love to see where a story first came from. I would be thrilled if you could tell me the books or other sources where you got your ideas from.
This is one of the questions that comes up over and over.§ Beauty and the Beast was my favourite fairy tale when I was a kid, partly because it was the only one readily available to a kid growing up in the 1950s, which was not generally a hotbed of fantasy literature anyway, where the heroine did something besides wring her hands and wait to be rescued by the hero. If there is an original source for my Beauty and the Beast(s) it's the Andrew Lang retelling which I read for the first time at about the age of six, and obsessively for years after that, even when I pretty well knew it off by heart. Since then I've read every version of B&B I can lay hands on, but my Beauty and the Beast is a part of me, like an arm or a leg. Or like the ground a rose-bush is planted in: I can't do without it, it nourishes me. I used to say—truthfully—that I was jealous of readers who 'went' to BEAUTY as an escape from boring ordinary life, because by writing the story I'd exorcised the BEAUTY AND THE BEAST in my head. It grew back. Then I wrote ROSE DAUGHTER. This time there wasn't any nonsense about exorcism. My Beauty and the Beast is still in the back of my mind or the bottom of my heart, full of roses and romance. If I'm very, very, very, very, very lucky I may get to write it a third time. Or a sixth or a sixtieth. Most of my stories are more or less versions of Beauty and the Beast. In the afterword to ROSE I say that someone has declared that each author has only one story, it's how they retell it. Yes. Mine is Beauty and the Beast.
* * *
* mockorange:
I am absolutely adoring all these Mongo snippets. Clearly he is going to steal the whole book.
Thank you. Adoration is always welcome. I kind of adore Mongo myself. And he does keep getting in the way. I told you the other night that he'd just party-crashed a scene he had been specifically ordered out of. I am so glad he is not my dog. But then I don't need to save the universe, just write about it.
** Yes. My bells woke me up this morning again. Sunday mornings are just going to be hard for a while.
*** Stranger. Lumpier.
† Although right at the moment I have a powerful desire to have a late-life career change to something easier and more suited to someone of my advanced years, like shark-wrestler or cat burglar.
†† I am going to write ALBION^ one of these days—you know, the not-a-sequel to SUNSHINE, but in the same world—and I'm not quite sure of the timeline. I'm not sure if the heroine might have heard of Sunshine and we might conceivably get some news of her that way—except it wouldn't be reliable news, it would be myth and gossip. But myth and gossip can be pretty cool. And I'll take what I can get.^^
^ It was next after the SINGLE VOLUME version of PEGASUS, you know. And I was looking FORWARD to it. ^%$++@}~#??£"&£"!!!!!!!!!!!!
^^ If I could impeach the frelling Story Council I so would.
††† Us authors are mostly a pretty neurotic bunch. Make a note.
§ Julia, wearing her OCD research-librarian hat, found where I'd answered the question about Aerin's dream and Hetta from Pool in the Desert before: http://robinmckinleysblog.com/2010/11/30/further-manifestations-of-creative-reader-baked-goods-ask-robin/
What interests me is (a) it's exactly the same question (as Julia remarks). So it has to have come from the same person. But I delete Ask Robins as I answer them, and furthermore, the one I answered a few days ago is fairly recent—certainly not from 2010. So, a mystery: did the person who sent it (since I've deleted it this time too I can't check for clues) miss the answer the first time and resend it, does he/she not read the blog^ or has sodding Outlook found a brilliant new way to persecute me by suddenly coughing up new copies of years-old emails? Now there's an awful thought. (b) I've got a lot crankier in the last year and a bit about Hetta and Aerin's dream . . . because I've had several other people make the same assumption and can't remember one who has said, erm, actually, that's not Hetta in Aerin's dream, is it? There ought to be one. As I said in my (cranky) answer the other night, I read stuff wrong in other people's books all the time. Life is short, and when you're reading a story for escape you aren't paying diamond-laser attention. Which is as it should be. But there still ought to be one person who is interested enough in the question also to notice that it's not Hetta in Aerin's dream.
Or possibly I'm just losing my mind. This is always the best guess concerning any lapses and/or mysteries during the arduous novel-finishing phase, and especially the super-arduous novel-finishing-against-a-ghastly-deadline phase which is the (arduous) novel-finishing phase to be avoided when possible.
^ Oh . . . gods . . . or does my little copy and paste 'read the blog' answering email not go out for some reason?
Major Rant Alert
I got a chirpy email from a friend in which she extols the virtues of a new ebook site she's found that she's sure I'll want to check out as soon as I have my own ereader and mentions (chirpily) in passing that she downloaded a free copy of SUNSHINE.
The frelling gods frelling wept.
I will tell you this for free: if there's a big bad nasty out there that is going to destroy the whole business of producing stuff for people to read—and the digital world is changing so fast, it seems to me even the word publishing is starting to sound a bit hoary—it's piracy. There's masses and masses of stuff out there—in our digital universe—about piracy and its effects, and I'm not going to thrash it all out again here because among other reasons I'd burst a blood vessel. This is the top link in a Google search for 'author blogs piracy': http://www.the-digital-reader.com/forum/blog-posts/ebook-piracy-one-authors-opinion/ and if you need a quick brush-up you can find it here. He doesn't even froth at the mouth. I'm proud of him. I'm frothing at the mouth.
How much worse is it—how much more hopeless is it, trying to keep a lid on it, since piracy will always be with us*—if the good guys are stealing from us too? How many of you out there have done something similar to what my friend did? No. Don't tell me. I don't want to know.
My friend said, oh, I didn't think, because it was one of your older books. What? How do you—any of you—think writers earn their living, supposing they're among the lucky five or ten percent of published writers who can make a living by writing? The money we receive from publishers is absolutely and strictly tied to sales. The 'advance' we receive, usually on signing a contract, is against sales. If, at the end of the day or the year or the print run or when they yank your book out of print, you haven't earned back in sales as much as they paid you for your 'advance', you're in deep trouble, because they're losing money on you and unless they think you're about to morph into J K Rowling with your next book, they probably won't take your next book. And there you are reading the want ads and wishing you'd learnt sheep-shearing when you had the chance. Royalties? Yes, a writer eventually receives royalties, if her book sells well enough to earn back her advance and keeps selling . . . but of that five or ten percent of writers, which includes me, who do manage to earn a living by writing, a vanishingly weeny sub-percentage ever builds up enough royalties to, you know, retire. We live from advance to advance. We can't afford to retire. I can't.
And we need those advances to earn out by sales. Our future lives as writers depend on it.
Yes, of course, lots of people who buy cheap or free pirate editions wouldn't pay full price for the legitimate book. But some would. Who doesn't like a bargain, if they don't realise what it's costing someone else? And some of those that wouldn't buy the book would go to the library. Libraries buy books—and a book particularly popular with librarians will sell more copies, because they'll talk it up to each other and to their clientele. And there's the whole model thing. There's now a model out there that says that everything on the internet is free, and everything on the internet should be free.** We need to keep that model of money being paid for goods and services alive and healthy. By paying for goods and services. Because the providers of goods and services themselves need to pay mortgages and taxes and school fees and car insurance.
So when you're out there cruising for bargains, engage your brain. And if, brain engaged, it looks too good to be true, it probably is. None, repeat NONE, of my books is available for free. That includes the out of print ones—I still own the rights. What happens to used copies of paper books is out of my hands. But you should pay the going rate for an ebook—which I realise is a very mutable concept—and you should buy it from someone who has the right to sell it—which will also give you some clue about that going rate. And what I say about me is pretty universally true of all living and recently dead—copyright lasts for a while after you pop your clogs—authors. There are a few loss-leader experiments with free books—but they're the exception. They are not the rule. Be suspicious. And if you find a pirate site—tell someone. Publishers have entire departments to deal with piracy these days—they have to. It's their livelihood too. They want to know about pirates.
It was only an accident—an offhand, throwaway remark—that my friend even told me about her free download of SUNSHINE. That's the thing that completely haunts me. And I almost didn't even notice, because it would never have occurred to me that someone I know could be this, well, daft. The purpose of her email was to remind me of something I'd promised to do . . . ahem . . . a while ago, and I went 'aaaugh' and rushed off to do it. It wasn't till I settled down to answer her email properly that I registered the 'free' and 'download'. Even then I thought she must have just left a sentence out about, I don't know, for every eighty-seven ebooks you buy you get a free one or something, and she chose SUNSHINE.
It has not been a great day. I'm even shorter of sleep than usual for a getting-up-for-service-ring Sunday because the Bats in the Walls*** were unusually chatty last night†, it's been doing TORRENTIAL RAIN all day with occasional apparent breaks which delude you into believing you could get hounds hurtled before the next downpour and, speaking of hellhounds, Chaos took two hours to eat lunch. That tragic look of his would melt the hearts of entire audiences of bankers, newspaper-empire owners, and politicians, if I could figure out how to deploy it. I think he'd have trouble learning his lines for an open audition of HAMLET.
* * *
* If there are goods, there are pirates of those goods. There were book pirates back in paper-book-only days too.
** Economics is one of the many things I don't understand very well or very much of, but how anyone over the age of, say, twenty, can claim that we should shovel everything onto the internet that we possibly can and that all of it should be free, is absolutely beyond my comprehension.
*** A little known H P Lovecraft sequel. I hope it ends better than the original.
† I was lying there listening to the flap-flap-flap cheep cheep cheep rustle-rustle-scritch cheep cheep CHIRRUP SQUEAK and thinking that if I were Melampus I'd know the secrets of the universe by now. Or at least some really interesting details about the bug populations of my neighbours' gardens.
So, about this auction.
New Arcadia's bells need £10,000* worth of restoration work. We've raised about £1800** so far.
We need money. We need a lot more money. We have a couple of small grants coming, and at least one more promised; and a few ideas about how to squeeze some more change out of the locals; and one promise of a splashy charity do.*** But we need money. This is not polishing-up-the-brasswork restoration: this is crucial, necessary keeping the bells ringing work. We're ringing on borrowed time now.
So Days in the Life is having an auction.
I've been meaning to get this auction off the ground for . . . um . . . months. But it takes, you know, DECISIONS, as well as the sheer frelling nuisance of finding copies of books I want to have in it.† As well as the courage to fess up to the sillier items.
So here is a rough guide to most of what's going to be in it—there will be a surprise or two in the finished list—so you can sharpen your expectations and your bank balances†† and then I have to get the photos and the list together to send to Blogmom, and she's going to create the actual machinery to do the thing.
* * *
First a few of Peter's books. These are all OP in these editions and the sad truth is that most of them are OP generally, although you can (mostly) find them on Abebooks and so on. All books—mine and Peter's—will be signed. Of course.
UK hardback of THE ROPEMAKER and its sequel ANGEL ISLE, as one item. This is Peter's, ahem, epic fantasy. (ROPEMAKER is dedicated to MEEEEEEEEEE.)
American hardback of CHUCK AND DANIELLE, which is about a whippet who is scared of everything. It's based on our smallest whippet—AKA wimpet—of the previous generation of hellish sighthounds. It's adorable. Trust me.
UK hardback of TULKU, which might be my favourite of Peter's books. Might. But it is the one I'd just read and been totally bowled over by when I met him for the first time. ::Swoon::
THE KIN, the big gorgeous American hardback single-volume edition of the four short books. The introduction begins: 'It is Africa, about two hundred thousand years ago.' And the numbers of homo sapiens sapiens are increasing, and they need to find more places to live. (And between chapters of the adventure there are the Oldtales, which are the stories the Kin tell each other about where they came from and why things happen the way they do.)
The UK hardback of TIME AND THE CLOCKMICE ETCETERA. Possibly Peter's most criminally underknown, undersold and neglected book. (Grrrrr.) Illustrated by Emma Chichester-Clark and funny and clever and charming and very Peter, and Emma's illustrations are perfect. Lovelovelovelove.
The UK Paper Tiger reprint of THE FLIGHT OF DRAGONS. A cult book and, as is almost the definition of cult books, drifts frustratingly in and out of print. Illustrated by Wayne Anderson.
* * *
And now mine. These are all American editions; most of them didn't have British eds:
One hardback of THE DOOR IN THE HEDGE and one original paperback ed of the same. That first paperback cover—black, with some of the Twelve Dancing Princesses' boats visible on their way to the ominous-looking castle in the middle of the lake—is still my favourite of its incarnations.
One hardback of IMAGINARY LANDS and again one paperback of the same. (The paperback's cover art is by Thomas Canty, for any collectors out there.) This was the anthology I edited and I enjoyed the writing-letters-to-authors part but I am a rotten businesswoman. It's probably just as well it never earned out. I'd've had to figure out how to pay everyone royalties. (It contains a story by Peter Dickinson. It also won the World Fantasy Award for best anthology that year, and I'm pretty sure James Blaylock won for best short story.)
One each of my two picture books, MY FATHER IS IN THE NAVY and ROWAN. While my father was in the Navy, the story is not autobiographical. ROWAN, as I'm fond of saying, is the only true piece of autobiography I've ever written†††. Except for the fact that it all happened when I was in my thirties and not when I was a little girl, it's exactly how I bought my first whippet, Rowan.
A pre-Newbery first edition, first printing of THE HERO AND THE CROWN. (If you want an ordinary hardback reading copy of HERO, it's still in print.)
And a first edition, first printing of the original hardback of SUNSHINE. With the dark-red background and the chandelier, and the embossed gold type. Still my favourite art.
* * *
A few non-auction, simply-for-sale items: Peter will donate to the bell fund any money from sales of THE WEIR, his book of poetry, made during the course of the auction. The limited edition hardback is £40 [US$63.33]; the paperback is £8 [US$12.66].
I have a small hoard of the original, long version of the ROSE DAUGHTER afterword; Greenwillow printed them off as booklets with the hardback cover art. The text is still on my website, but I'll sell a few copies of the booklet if anyone would like them.
I'm also thinking that for anyone who would like to contribute to my and New Arcadia's continued campanological happiness but doesn't really have the disposable cash to get into bidding for a book, I'll offer a small cartoon of a bell, and best wishes from the bells and the signature of the famous author/hellgoddess/artist manqué Robin McKinley. I'll draw one of these and post a photo . . . when I get around to posting photos . . . so you can see what absurdity I'm talking about. But I can draw/write as many of these as anyone wants.
* * *
And, speaking of silly things . . . it gets sillier from here on. If this were Peter, he'd be writing snippets of poetry. But it's not. I can't write poetry to order—except bad haiku, which is going to be a contest some day, but not today—but I can draw, if you're not too exacting about the definition of draw. I think I've told you that I thought the non-writing art form I'd get back into some day was drawing, not music.‡ So I'm thinking I might offer slightly—very slightly—illustrated copies of, say, one each DRAGONHAVEN, CHALICE and PEGASUS, which usefully feature a critter each suitable for mad rendering. These would, I can assure you, be unique.
Now we're into the territory of stuff that I'm going to put discouraging bottom bid limits on because I'm half hoping no one will bid. First: a more elaborate sketch of a critter or critters, and while I will to a limited extent Take a Request from whoever pays the top bid, if you're going to be too hard on me I'll revert to the hellhounds. So, offered for your bidding: one cartoon of hellhounds/sundry critters.
Second: knitting. One square/potholder/faceflannel/washcloth with a ROSE in bas relief. What-you-call-it in knitting.
One square/potholder/faceflannel/washcloth with a PAWPRINT in it as above. I've downloaded patterns for both these from Ravelry, and I'll post links when I put the photos up. The only remaining question is if I can follow simple directions without stabbing myself to death with my own needles.
And. third, the ultimate silliness: I'll write you a piece of music. Details somewhat negotiable. I'll write you a canon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_(music) or fugue http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugue starting with your name, for example—again, somewhat depending on how strict you are about your musical definitions—or I'll set a couple of lines of poetry, or if you play an instrument I might conceivably have a teeny tiny clue about, I'll write something for you and it. The bottom bid limit on this one is going to be extreme, because it would be a lot of work—even though I'd enjoy the flapdoodle out of having the excuse. But there's nothing stopping several of you getting together and . . .
* * *
* Call it $16,000 American.
** About $2850 American.
*** Which we are going to be expected to sell tickets to. We've already had one pep talk, not to say exhortation, from Vicky about this. Since I can think of few things I could be worse at than hustling ticket sales, I suspect that everybody on my Christmas list is going to get charity revue tickets. You don't want to know me this year.
† You may remember that Fiona was a heroine in this arena last time she was here.
†† We're probably doing this by PayPal as the least harrowing for me.
††† . . . as fiction. The blog doesn't count here.
‡ Life's a freller. We knew that.
Aftermath, continued
Life is trying to slither back into its usual current.* I had some out-of-schedule handbells yesterday which were unnecessarily exciting both because I haven't handbelled properly in a fortnight or so and because Niall and I were ringing with Titus, who is the one who rings both his bells in one hand because a stroke crippled his other side. This is horribly confusing to us other ringers anyway, plus that for reasons of size and weight** Titus usually rings the treble and the two—and one of your crucial clues in handbells is when the frelling treble leads, and by the time you've figured out if that ding was the treble or the two it's too late. Gah. But it was fun in a kind of climbing-K2-without-ropes way. And at today's voice lesson, because I am mindless twit, I'd forgotten the accompanist's copy of The Ash Grove and Nadia made me sing it without the piano. With her sitting there looking at me and listening. ARRRRGH. Mostly at my voice lessons I'm so wound up with what Nadia says that I don't have time for thoughts of my own—which is a good thing—but in this case, before I went into free form meltdown I laser-beamed at myself a reminder that one of the great things about my brush with the Muddlehamptons*** has been finding out that I'm not actually that fussed about singing with other people around, and surely then I can frelling translate this to singing unaccompanied for my very own voice teacher who has never said a mean thing yet (and is very good at keeping a straight face†)?!? She kept me busy enough that I nearly wasn't thinking about her just sitting there . . . and at the end she said, one of the things you came in here less than six months ago wanting to change was to make your singing less timid. That is not a timid sound you're making.
I think that was meant to be a compliment. . . .
* * *
Angelia wrote in response to my: I suppose I could have a separate category of Invisible Costumes. . . .
This is a scary idea–invisible costumes would mean lots of naked pictures!
Nonsense. You're forgetting one of the basic rules of the competition—that this is a (more or less) family friendly blog and only costumes that would NOT get you arrested if you wore them on the street were acceptable. Invisible costumes would either be worn over street clothes or draped tactfully over furniture. Or compliant domestic fauna. Or flora. I'd quite like to see an aspidistra carrying a sword to go with the weightless invisible armour.
You acquire Merit in all universes for not having ripped the throat from the "Sunshine sequel" questioner. And Ajlr has a crown of stars for coming up with the best way to intervene to save the situation.
Ajlr certainly has a crown of stars coming†† but . . . several of you have commented on the surprising lack of blood on the floor†††. But I tend (reluctantly) to think that the rules are different for live gigs.‡ If you're going to write to me—including posting a comment to the forum and, because I'm a rabid cow, I would include if you're going to post to Facebook or Twitter too—then it FRELLING WELL BEHOVES YOU TO DO YOUR FRELLING HOMEWORK FIRST. This means you have a cruise through the Q&A on my web site, and you do a search on the blog. You could search 'SUNSHINE sequel' for example, and what you wanted to know would come up pretty quickly. You're sitting at your computer anyway, I don't think you have much excuse.‡‡
I think greater leeway may have to be allowed at live gigs. Live gigs exist as little real-time and real-life windows to allow contact between an author and her readers—and also to sell books, although this is more the window-frame than the numbers on the balance sheet: it's a rare author appearance that genuinely pays its way. But your passport is still your wallet—witness that Forbidden Planet asked that you also buy a book if you wanted me to sign other books you'd bought elsewhere—and the fact that you've made the effort to be there. That's your time and energy, you know? And this counts, in great big letters of fire. There is NOTHING WORSE than a live gig WHERE NO ONE COMES. Don't ask me how [well] I know this. And the time and energy someone uses to go to a gig is (usually) a lot more than the average punter needs to use sitting in front of their computer hitting the 'search' button. So I don't think we can expect everyone who turns up at an author gig to have a clue. The thing is they came.
Vikki K
Oh goodness! I wish someone had told me my horns were crooked!
I wish someone had told me the part in my hair was crooked. Having said that, my hair parts itself. Hannah has just been trying to tell me that I should part it farther over to one side or the other. Yes, I daresay. But it won't stay there. My hair is just curly enough to be ungovernable. If I part it farther over I would have to wet it down and brush it flat for weeks, it would still stand up like an incipient Mohawk and it would flop back the way it wanted the moment I stopped.
I'm afraid I thought the crookedness of the horns was deliberate. All part of the, uh, atmosphere.
I LOVE the sparkly tights and shoes. You know, I have this Elvis jacket that would really go well with those… and I don't think the shipping is TOO much from here to there… and I have a nice box it would fit in…
Wait a minute . . . Elvis? I want the glitter jacket in the silly signing competition!
I was doing laundry this morning and pulled the tights out of the laundry bag and threw them into the bathtub—I think they may be ex-tights anyway, they just don't make glitter like they used to—but I'm going to try handwashing them, and this will force me to remember. But I'd already forgotten the tights were there when I got back to the cottage this afternoon and when I went hastily into the bathroom—a known bat vector—and saw the huddle of black tights in the middle of the tub, I had a brief but dramatic nervous collapse. They could have been another assemblage of lost frightened baby bats—about eight of them. Or twelve . . . aaaugh.
. . . a male friend to whom I mentioned the (unspeakable) question emailed this: "Well, next time you correspond with Ms. McKinley you may tell her at least one fan adores her work and hasn't a single stupid question to ask… and if he did have a stupid question, he would be petrified to ask it, for fear of having karma bite his butt."
My bark is much worse than my bite (usually). On the other hand, if he has sensitive eardrums. . . .
* * *
* Slop. Splash.
** Niall's handbells are little and light, but even so if you have weak hands or are trying to ring two in one hand, the difference between the front pair and the back end pair is considerable.
*** I had to miss the Muddlehamptons' concert at the last minute for reasons beyond my control, and we've now broken up till September. But the start date is now in my diary and I should be able to defend Thursday evenings better with a run at it this time.
† Keeping a Straight Face Whatever Your Student Does is a required course in Singing Teacher College.
†† It's probably being sworn at by a celestial jeweller even as we speak.
††† I didn't want to embarrass the Nice Man.
‡ Which may help explain my lack of enthusiasm for live gigs.
‡‡ I don't get a lot of street mail any more. I don't know what I think about the occasional handwritten letter that says, Where do you get your ideas? And, You should/have to write a sequel to SUNSHINE!, beyond arrrrrgh. But the 'do your homework' reflex engages as soon as anyone (a) sends me a self addressed stamped envelope with an American stamp on it (b) writes/emails Hi! I'm a teacher/librarian/random grownup at x school in Maine/New England, will you please come to our school since travel expenses will be CHEAP?
And on the subject of unreasonable expectations: I do not donate books to unknown and fortuitous charity auctions. Bottom line? I can't afford it. There's the book itself, the postage, the packing, and the time all of this takes—several dozen times a year. Or would, except I don't. I've said this a number of times on a number of occasions and in a number of places—including here and the web site. The requests keep rolling in. And most of them are so obviously written by the yard—Your Name Here at the top of the standard begging letter. I daresay organising a charity auction is difficult and frustrating—but possibly one of the reasons it's difficult and frustrating is because whoever is running it hasn't thought through how they're going to acquire the stuff to auction. Maybe I'm the only author on the planet who deletes robot solicitations on sight. But I kind of doubt it.
Photos. Lots of photos. AMAZING NUMBERS of photos.
These are all from CathyR. Who has a hot trigger finger. Thank you, CathyR!
They're also (nearly) in the order she took them, so you are advancing through the evening. Keep scrolling: there are three separate posts, in the hope of preventing WordPress from going off in the screaming abdabs. *
Continued in next window. . . .
* This was partially successful.


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We seek to enlighten people who are interested in living a healthy and holistic life. We have reasons to believe that melanated people all over the world have distinct body characteristics and physiology that more than physically separates us from those having less melanin. This distinctive body physiology requires special food, herbs and nutrition to support the melanated molecules in our bodies. Therefore, we must cater to this need exclusively.
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Our food must contain no artificial preservatives, no artificial additives, no genetically-modified anything, no man-made chemicals and pesticide-free.


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Category Archives: Articles from the Rabbi
Destroying The Idols Of History
by Rabbi Daniel Friedman Published in the Edmonton Jewish News, 14 September 2017 (EJNews) – The year is 2117. Following important research on concussions and serious injuries, it has now been fifty years since "barbaric" sports were outlawed. Football, wrestling and boxing … Continue reading
Beth Israel Hosted A Great Day Of Golf
By Dr. Stan Kitay and Mike Zabludowski, Co-Chairs Published in the Edmonton Jewish News, 13 September 2017 (EJNews) – On Thursday, August 17, 2017, 35 golfers and over a dozen volunteers had a terrific day at the Beth Israel Golf … Continue reading
What An Incredible New Arena!
Edmonton Jewish News, September 29, 2016 (EJNews) – What an incredible new arena! Rogers Place has positioned Edmonton once again as a world-class city, the envy of our friends across the continent. We are all truly blessed to be living … Continue reading
Passover and the British Monarchy
Edmonton Jewish News, April 2016 In 2005, Queen Elizabeth II came to Alberta for our centennial celebration. Rabbanit Batya and I had the good fortune of being invited to the official state dinner with the Queen. Nevertheless, she didn't limit … Continue reading
Friedman & Siddiqui: 'This is our jihad'
According to the Qur'an — which states, "Obey not the unbelievers and hypocrites, and strive against them a mighty jihad" — every Muslim is obligated to engage in jihad, or holy war. But what exactly does that entail? For ISIL … Continue reading
Mourning Terror in Israel and France
Orthodox Union The recent attacks in Paris were ferocious. We join the world in mourning the loss of life and praying for their families as well as for the recovery of the injured. The State of Israel was swift to … Continue reading
Muslim Courage in Canada: Funding the National Holocaust Memorial
Haaretz At a time when Muslims, Christians and Jews are equal targets for Islamist radicals, a moment of shared opposition to intolerance. On 27th November 1095, Pope Urban II issued a declaration calling upon Christians to redeem the Holy City … Continue reading
Op/Ed: Bibi Is Not A Racist
Edmonton Jewish News, 25 March 2015 On behalf of our community, I want to take this opportunity to wish a hearty mazal tov to Prime Minister Netanyahu on his re-election. No matter what one's personal political bent, I cannot stress … Continue reading
The Holocaust Monument and the Miracle of Chanukah
Edmonton Jewish News The project of the National Holocaust Monument is moving along. In terms of fundraising, we have surpassed the government's generous matching grant. We have procured the finest team in the world, headed by Gail Lord and featuring … Continue reading
Edmonton vandalism shows hatred not confined to Europe
Rabbi Daniel Friedman, The Canadian Jewish News, 26 January 2015 On Shabbat morning, Jan. 17, we arrived for services at Beth Israel Synagogue in Edmonton to find our building desecrated with hateful anti-Semitic graffiti. The mood in shul that day … Continue reading


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Former Vice President Joe Biden was devastated when his beloved son Beau Biden passed away in 2015 after a battle with brain cancer. Now, Biden is speaking out to reveal what he thinks brought about his son's cancer at the young age of 46.
Daily Mail reported that Biden believes toxic military burn pits could have been a "significant" factor in his son getting brain cancer so young. Making his first public comments on the matter, Biden said he was "stunned" by a book which tracked his son's exposure to the carcinogenic fumes.
"[T]hat stunned me. I didn't know that," Biden told PBS News Hour on Wednesday.
Burn pits were commonly used to get rid of waste in Afghanistan and Iraq, torching anything from paints and tires to electronics. Though the Department of Veterans Affairs does not yet acknowledge a link between the pits and long-term health risks, many recent studies suggest otherwise. In his book "The Burn Pits: The Poisoning of America's Soldiers," author Joseph Hickman devotes an entire chapter to Beau, who served in Iraq from 2008 to 2009 at Camp Victory in Baghdad and the nearby Balad Air Force Base.
One year later, Beau was hospitalized with what appeared to be a mini stroke. He was hospitalized again in 2013 and diagnosed with the most common form of brain cancer, glioblastoma, the same cancer John McCain currently has. The book suggests that Beau suspected his cancer was tied to the pits, since he was treated at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, America's top facility for military-related illnesses or injuries.
The evidence coming out about the pits echoes research on 9/11-related diseases. Since the 2001 terrorist attack, over 4,500 people have developed various types of cancers from exposure to jet fuel, asbestos and other pulverized materials that burned at Ground Zero on September 11.
Former Vice President Biden did not draw concrete links, saying he has not heard of "any direct scientific evidence" pairing the two.
"Science has recognized there are certain carcinogens when people are exposed to them," Biden added. "Depending on the quantities and the amount in the water and the air, [they] can have a carcinogenic impact on the body."
What do you think about this? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section.


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About the Book
Detective Stan Shepherd lies comatose in the hospital, a victim of arsenic poisoning. The Newpointe police have a suspect: Celia Shepherd, Stan's wife. Celia is no stranger to such charges. When her first husband died of poisoning, a technicality scuttled the case against her, and Celia got off scot-free. Now it looks like the same story–only this time, the motive seems plain. Celia's old flame has come to town under suspicious circumstances. And more evidence is gathering that could put Celia away for good. But attorney Jill Clark thinks the puzzle pieces fit together too neatly. Either her client's Christian faith is a sham, or she's the victim of a deadly frame-up–and the real killer is still afoot.
Other Books in "Newpointe 911 Series"
Look Inside
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are "affiliate links." This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."


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Some men, like James Dean, die way too early and remain enshrined in the collective consciousness as eternally young and handsome. Others live long lives and have to constantly endure the comparisons between their current looks and their former, younger, more handsome selves. Here are seven actors and one musician who were gorgeous in their youth and still retain a certain attractiveness many decades later.
1. Nick Nolte
Not many people know that Nick Nolte, one of Hollywood's greatest sex symbols, used to be a model before he got into acting. The Golden Globe winner and Academy Award nominee modeled during the late 1960s and early 1970s when he was named a Clairol Summer Blonde boy. He went on to play a series of leading roles for the next two decades, usually playing tough, temperamental characters, such as a small-town cop in Affliction and a NCAA basketball coach in Blue Chips. In 1992, People magazine named Nolte the Sexiest Man Alive, but in recent years the 76-year-old has unfortunately struggled with drugs and alcohol addiction.
2. Al Pacino
Alfredo James Pacino rose to global prominence on the waves of the phenomenal success of the Godfather and its sequel in which he played the leading role. He has had equal success portraying characters on both sides of the law, such as the true story of NYPD whistleblower Frank Serpico. Furthermore, Pacino has proved time and time again that success is far from being down solely to his good looks by finding success in theater, independent films, and finally an Academy Award in 1992 for his portrayal of an older blind man in Scent of a Woman.
3. Jack Nicholson
Although he has never been the proverbial pretty boy, Jack Nicholson's unique facial features and charisma have been captivating audiences for decades. After starring in a series of low-budget horror films during the 1960s, Nicholson, 80, found huge success playing detectives, drifters, sailors and lovers in iconic films such as Five Easy Pieces, Chinatown, The Last Detail and Easy Rider. Later on in his career, he has continued to prove his incredible acting range, from becoming the face of Stephen King's The Shining to embodying the Joker, as well as playing characters such as a hypochondriac writer in As Good as It Gets and a retired actuary in About Schmidt.
4. Keith Richards
Legend has it that in the event of nuclear war, the only survivors would be a bunch of cockroaches and Keith Richards. The Rolling Stones' guitarist has invented more catchy riffs than some would in ten lifetimes and has gone through more booze, drugs and women as most could not in a hundred. The 73-years-old is still touring with the Rolling Stones and his 2010 memoir titled simply Life, which documents his love of music, his relationships and addictions, has been critically praised and made it to the top of the New York Times non-fiction bestsellers list.
5. Mark Hamill
Mark Hamill was one of the most desired men of his generation for his boyish good looks and charm. He became world-famous after portraying Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars trilogy. During his early career, he starred in soap operas General Hospital and Texas Wheelers before George Lucas cast him in the biggest part of his life. In 1976, between the first and second Star Wars movies, Hamill was the victim of a car crash in which he sustained facial injuries which have become almost a myth since. The 65-year-old actor later said that the stories surrounding the extent of his injuries have been largely exaggerated. In his later career, Hamill has become one of the most famous voice actors of our time.
6. Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood, 86, found fame as The Man With No Name in a series of spaghetti westerns in the 1960s, before creating the Dirty Harry series about tough, no-nonsense San Francisco inspector Harry Callahan. His tall, lanky frame, toothy smile, thick dark hair, as well as his rough taciturnity made him one of America's most recognizable faces, and an "enduring cultural icon of masculinity". More recently, the Californian has also found success as a producer and director, making critically acclaimed movies such as Letters from Iwo Jima, Mystic River, Million Dollar Baby and Changeling.
7. Mel Gibson
Once one of Hollywood's hottest leading men, Mel Gibson became an icon of action movies with the Lethal Weapon series and cemented his status with the dystopian, post-apocalyptic Mad Max. In the mid-90s, he produced, directed and starred in the epic historical drama Braveheart that won an Oscar for Best Picture. The 2004 film Passion of the Christ proved to be both financially successful as well as controversial, as did some of Gibson's comments which were deemed racist. After a ten-year hiatus from directing, the Australian once again found success in 2016 with the World War II drama Hacksaw Ridge that won the Academy Awards for Best Sound Mixing and Best Film Editing.
Source:Gettyimages & Wikipedia
8. Gary Busey
Busey, 72, started his career in show business as a drummer in the 1960s, before landing small roles in films and television shows during the early 1970s. His big breakthrough came towards the end of that decade when he played rock star Buddy Holly in the 1978 hit success The Buddy Holly Story. The role won him an Oscar nomination and the National Society of Film Critics' Best Actor award. After he sustained extensive head trauma in a 1988 motorcycle accident in which he was not wearing a helmet, Busey became known for his erratic behavior and eccentricity as much as he did for his acting and good looks. In recent years he has had a recurring role on HBO's Entourage, in which he parodied his eccentric image.


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Regional Forum 2018
The Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region will be held on Thursday, 1 March, and Friday, 2 March 2018, at the International Conference Centre Geneva (CICG).
The Regional Forum on Sustainable Development (RFSD) follows up on and reviews the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the UNECE region. Focusing on practical value-added and peer learning, it creates a regional space to share policy solutions, best practices and challenges in SDG implementation and helps identify major regional and subregional trends. Read more
|Amb. Michael Gerber
|Marie Chatardová
|Amina J. Mohammed
|Olga Algayerova
Chair of the Regional Forum
President of the
Economic and Social Council
UN's Deputy Secretary-General
|UNECE Executive Secretary
|Peter Messerli
|Assistant Secretary-General
|UN SG's Envoy on Youth (tbc)
|Professor of Sustainable Development
For government representatives and other stakeholders wishing to participate in the Regional Forum, please register at your earliest convenience, preferably by 16 February 2018.
Please register through the Online Registration System.
The Registration Guide explains the registration procedure step-by-step. Please register for the main meeting and the two round tables of your choice.
|Civil Society Pre-Meeting (28 February 2018, Geneva)
The Regional Forum will be preceded by a civil society pre-meeting on 28 February 2018 at the Palais des Nations. For civil society organisations wishing to participate, please register here.
|Regional Preparatory Meeting for the 2018 VNR countries (28 February 2018, Geneva)
The Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) are part of the follow-up and review mechanism of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 16 countries from the UNECE region volunteer to take part in VNRs at the 2018 session of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF). The Division for Sustainable Development of UN DESA organises a Regional Preparatory Meeting for VNR countries of the UNECE region on 28 February 2018 at the Palais des Nations. Participation upon invitation by UN DESA.
Sustainable Development
and Gender Unit (SDGU)
Palais de Nations
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10


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Life has been so hectic. I hate to miss the entire fall being so focused on our move. A day or two ago I took this picture. I wanted to capture the purple against the greenery.
When I took a moment to review the photo I noticed that two of the leaves were holding a small collection of water.
And I didn't even see this bee moving into the frame.
This week I will take some time to really look at the fall foliage.


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The Bruno Mars song "Uptown Funk" has captured the world since its release in 2014. The music video has more than one billion views, and the song reportedly makes over $100,000 per week from streams on Spotify. One of the reasons the song is so popular is it's just so much fun to dance to. If you've been to any party or large event over the past few years, you've probably heard the song blaring through the speakers, and danced along to it with everyone else.
One person who really knows how to dance to this song is Shirley Clements. She is a dance instructor from Canada who recently taught her students a dance to the pop hit and recorded a video of herself performing it with them. What makes Shirley so unique? She is 60 years old and on the verge of retirement. In fact, the song "Uptown Funk" inspired her because it contains the lyric "Makes a dragon want to retire." Shirley just so happens to work at a school where the mascot is a dragon, so the opportunity to dance to it was just too good to pass up.
When Shirley's video was uploaded, Ellen shared it on her website and it became a viral hit. Soon, Shirley became so popular that Ellen invited her onto the show to perform the dance live in front of her studio audience. Shirley nailed her routine and now has the title of the hippest retiree in all of Canada.
Be sure to SHARE this awesome video with your friends and family.
H/T: TheEllenShow


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From concept to reality, the Range Rover Evoque is something which has attracted everyone's attention whether a car lover or not. It showed us how a Range Rover can be made compact, stylish and cheaper to run. Every bit a designer's delight, the Evoque looks great from almost any angle and was offered in 5 door and 3 door variants. A 3 door variant for a compact SUV? Yes, the Evoque has carved out a niche market for itself where it is allowed to do anything; just anything! And that I guess has paved the way to its latest avatar; the Range Rover Evoque Convertible. The first convertible in the Range Rover line up and the world's only convertible SUV. This one is for everyone who thought that the 3 door version of the Evoque was just too bland for their tastes!
Instantly recognizable as an Evoque with its horizontally slated stylish headlamps and low roof height, the front view remains unchanged from its hard top sibling. We drove the HSE Dynamic variant which had the lovely looking black louvers in the front grille contrasting perfectly with our white test car. Viewed from the sides, the Evoque Convertible looks almost similar to the 3 door hard top except for the rear spoiler which I think lends a 3-box profile to the 2-box design concept of the Evoque, with the roof up that is. I would like to have the spoiler only when the roof is down. As in the case of any convertible, the hard part is to get the looks right with the roof up and the roof down. The Evoque Convertible nails this part and looks equally inviting in top up and top down guises, but for me topless works just fine! The Evoque Convertible features a Z-folding soft top which can fold away in 18 seconds upon the push of a button inside the cabin. Bringing it back up takes 3 seconds more. The advantage of a soft top is the lower weight and compact storability. Some dig it but some just dismiss the idea of a soft top. For me, the choice varies from car to car. With the roof down, the Evoque Convertible can attract looks like 'what on earth is this?', 'is this a factory line car or a custom?', 'I wonder how it feels in it' and 'damn! That looks sweet'.
It is of course a first time experience where you are actually sitting at level with the passers-by. It is very different to outside views from a conventional convertible car. The doors look great without the window frames and induce more of the sporty design lingo. Towards the rear, the convertible looks clean and similar to the hard top; except the fact that instead of a rear windscreen you get to see four headrests most of the time. The boot opens at a surprising angle and you may need to watch your head if you are a 6 footer. But you get an appreciable boot space for a 3 door convertible.
It is an Evoque and being a convertible does not change anything in it. The cabin is luxurious and finished in top grade gloss black and brushed aluminium veneer for that exquisite feel. Having chic interiors is even more important in a convertible as you are inviting the whole world to see it! With the Evoque Convertible, you can be proud every time you 'drop it down'. Our test car red and black leathers with red stitching and the seats felt deeper as well as offered more support than the previous Evoque we tested. The front seats are 12-way electrically adjustable with memory function and ventilation. As for any 3 door, the front seats need to be slid in and out during passenger ingress and egress. But you always have the option of lowering the windows and jumping out! Maybe we will leave that to low ride height sports cars, this is a SUV. The jump may not end well. The rear seats are fixed and suitable for two adults, but best left for teens. With the roof down, you are surrounded by the elements and the compact-ness of the compact SUV suddenly disappears. All around visibility, the air flowing around and your overall interaction with the surroundings go up suddenly. Air-cons will need to work a bit hard, but they seemed to keep up well. The 11-speaker 380 watts Meridian sound system is best enjoyed with the canopy closed, but listening to the daily news will be just fine otherwise also! With the roof up, the Evoque Convertible gives you a surprisingly quiet cabin akin to its fixed roof cousins. A new 10.2 inch touch-screen replaces the previous 8 inch unit on the Evoque. The new unit has superfast response and can also be controlled through the steering mounted buttons. The interface is easy to learn and intuitive.
The 2.0-liter turbocharged four cylinder unit on the Evoque model range finds its way into the convertible as well. The only downside here being that the 240hp all aluminium engine finds it hard to propel the Evoque especially from standstill or close to standstill speeds. This is mainly because of the fact that the Evoque Convertible is heavier than its cousins and tips the scales close to 2 tons. Being a convertible and an SUV, a whole lot of structural reinforcement has gone in to keep the Evoque as sturdy and rigid in all road conditions. The extra weight also showed its part during quick lane changes and heavy braking. Quick braking and direction change sequences saw a lot of nose dive on our test car. The nine-speed automatic transmission shifts through ratios smoothly, but had a sense of 'searching for the right gear' during quick stop and start conditions. Fully independent suspension with coil sprung struts take care of the handling part and the 20" wheels make sure that we get all the grip from the road and all the attention from the passersby. Apart from the safety features on the standard Evoque models, the convertible features a Roll-Over Protection Device which can deploy aluminium roll-over bars within 90 milliseconds in the unfortunate event of a roll over to protect the occupants.
Not many Evoque Convertibles will be used off-road during their life time and hence I doubt whether any of them will ever be used to their full potential. But if the adventurer in you says yes, feel free to take the Evoque Convertible to almost anywhere. You get all the terrain management systems from the Range Rover goodie box and you can have a taste of the wind-in-your-hair feeling at the same time. An excellent attempt from Jaguar Land Rover to wander into segments never seen before and it takes real guts to do something of this scale. The Evoque itself is a special segment and the Convertible makes it even more specialised. This is one convertible you can buy without fearing about speed humps or crazy fuel bills. My only request to the JLR boffins would be to plonk in a 300hp engine into the convertible so that you get the go to match the show.
This is one car that will make you pray for winter!
Pros: Unmatched style, decent mix of fun and practicality, off-road fun without a roof, Z-folding soft top operation was smooth and swift
Cons: Small engine, heavy, a niche segment within a niche segment, expensive
Rivals: not yet!
One word: Runway model...topless!
4 stars
2.0 liter four-cylinder turbocharged, 240 hp @ 5,800 rpm, 340 Nm @ 1,750 rpm
AWD, 9-speed auto
0-100 km/h: 8.6 sec, top speed: 210 km/h, fuel consumption: 8.6 L/100 km
Weight: 1,936 kg


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Optimal Screening for Genetic Diseases
Screening for genetic diseases is performed in many regions and/or ethnic groups where there is a high prevalence of possibly malign genes. The propagation of such genes can be considered dynamic externality. Given that many of these diseases are untreatable and give rise to truly tragic outcomes they are a source for societal concern and the screening process should perhaps be regulated. The present paper incorporates a standard model of genetic propagation into an economic model of dynamic management. The paper derives cost benefit rules for optimal screening. The highly non-linear nature of genetic dynamics gives rise to perhaps surprising results which include discontinuous controls and threshold effects. One insight is that a screening program, if at all in place at all at some point in time, should screen all individuals.
If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.
|30 pages
|Date of creation:
|02 Jun 2009
|Contact details of provider:
| Postal: HERO / Institute of Health Management and Health Economics P.O. Box 1089 Blindern, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
Phone: 2307 5309
Fax: 2307 5310
Web page: http://www.hero.uio.no/eng.html
More information through EDIRC
References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
- Hoel, Michael & Iversen, Tor & Nilssen, Tore & Vislie, Jon, 2006. "Genetic testing in competitive insurance markets with repulsion from chance: A welfare analysis," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 25(5), pages 847-860, September.
- Francis, Peter J., 1997. "Dynamic epidemiology and the market for vaccinations," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(3), pages 383-406, February.
- Wirl, Franz, 1991. "Economics of (oil) price politics: Penalizing price changes," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 13(4), pages 515-527.
- Fernando Antoñanzas & R. Rodríguez-Ibeas & M. Hutter & R. Lorente & C. Juárez & M. Pinillos, 2012. "Genetic testing in the European Union: does economic evaluation matter?," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 13(5), pages 651-661, October.
- Emons Winand, 2009.
"Genetic Tests and Inter-Temporal Screening in Competitive Insurance Markets,"
The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy,
De Gruyter, vol. 9(1), pages 1-19, July.
- Winand Emons, 2006. "Genetic Tests and Intertemporal Screening in Competitive Insurance Markets," Diskussionsschriften dp0605, Universitaet Bern, Departement Volkswirtschaft.
- Emons, Winand, 2007. "Genetic Tests and Intertemporal Screening in Competitive Insurance Markets," CEPR Discussion Papers 6047, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
- Lundborg, Petter & Stenberg, Anders, 2010. "Nature, nurture and socioeconomic policy--What can we learn from molecular genetics?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 320-330, December.
- Doherty, Neil A. & Thistle, Paul D., 1996. "Adverse selection with endogenous information in insurance markets," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(1), pages 83-102, December.
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Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen spoke with Jon Anik during the TUF 17 Finale. While Sonnen was more than willing to talk about their upcoming fight at UFC 159, "Bones" wasn't quite as eager as his opponent.
VIDEO | J. Jones Gives Sonnen The Silent Treatment
April 15, 2013 9:00 am by BJPENN.COM News


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May 31, 2010
Inspired by their recent collaboration with Parisian Retailer Coletter, Sebago releases their 1946 Collection of Limited Edition Docksides. The shoes feature a multi-color blend of patent and matte leather with a hand-stitched design and a full moccasin upper with non-slip soles. Comes in 3 colorways so hit the jump to view all 3.


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T & K Security Pty Ltd
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Unit 25/ 7- 13, Victoria AveMap
Castle Hill NSW 2154Click to view map
About Us
Car alarms, immobilizer or master key and similar products or services are available from T & K Security Pty Ltd during normal business hours. For a fuller description of a more complete range of Security - Automotive products or services please call us on (02) 9894 #### or email.
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Mello Mae yoga mats are designed to add an earth-driven feel to your yoga practice. The addition of jute makes for better traction, comfort, support and grip. No towel required in your hot yoga class.
Jute grows in nature without harmful pesticides and enriches the soil where it is cultivated.
Our mats are designed in New England with nautical stripes inspired by the sea.
"Finally. A mat that's perfect for a hot yoga class. I've gone through two mats over the last fourteen months and it's a relief to find a mat that actually works for those who either sweat a lot, or love hot yoga. I appreciate the attention to detail, quality and overall durability of my new mat."
-Austin R.
Stellar Culture and Products


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House Republicans Release 'Standards' on Immigration Overhaul
House Republicans released a set of "standards" to guide their consideration of immigration, an effort by House Speaker John Boehner and his allies to jump start the debate.
As expected, the standards, also called principles, call for citizenship for young people brought to the U.S. as children and legal status for other people in the U.S. illegally. They also call for securing the border, implementing a long-delayed entry-exit system to monitor when visitors leave, fully implementing employment verification systems to prevent employers from hiring people here illegally, and reforming the legal immigration system by offering more visas for high-tech and agricultural workers.


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Recent Posts
- ZP Nanded 2013 Answer Key Kantrati Gramsevak Result – Merit List wise Selection List
- Aakash Anthe Stage 1, 2 Exam 2013 Admit Card aakash.ac.in Hall Ticket for November 2013 Exam
- Haryana Police Panipat 2013 Constable Vacancy List for 2013 Recruitment
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Discussion Forum
CRISIL CCAP 2013-15 Shortlisted Candidates Result Interview date Venue
You can check about CRISIL CCAP 2013-15 Shortlisted Candidates Result Interview date Venue. Have you applied for CRISIL Certified Analyst Programme (CCAP) for 2013-15 year. Based on cut off or CAT/ XAT marks the short listed candidates results has been published at official ( http://crisil.com ) site. The list of candidates selected for next round group discussion and personal interview for the admission process.
Candidates can check CRISIL CCAP Shortlisted through Crisil Aptitude Test, Directly shortlisted through CAT/XAT. Do you want to check tentative schedule for the Group Discussions and Personal Interviews the details are below,
Date Venue Centre Location
9th, 10th April 2013 – Chennai
11th April 2013 – Kolkata
12th to 15th April 2013 – Mumbai
16th to 19th April 2013 – Delhi
- First list of Admission is on 24th April 2013. Acceptance confirmation for first list is on May 4th 2013.
- Second list of Admission is on 8th May 2013 and Acceptance confirmation is on 13th May 2013
- Commencement of programme is on 10th June 2013
For more Information visit,
Posted on March 30, 2013 by Eswar. This entry was posted in General and tagged CRISIL CCAP Results for 2013-15 Admission. Bookmark the permalink.


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Buying and selling pharmacies can be complicated.
We're here to make the process as smooth as possible and maximise your investment.
Pharmacy Business Sales Pty Ltd was established in 2001 and quickly expanded to become a nationally recognised agency in the sale of pharmacies.
Pharmacy Business Sales was founded by John King, following his 25 years of selling pharmacies in the Retail Pharmacy Industry throughout Australia. John is a Fully Licensed Estate Agent in Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania.
The past 15 years has been spent independently serving the needs of the Australian Retail Pharmacy Industry. Pharmacy Business Sales has dedicated offices located in Melbourne and Sydney and can respond quickly and on a confidential and professional basis for both sellers and buyers.
We work with our clients to understand the individual aspects of each business to a degree that is consistent with the ability to represent clients professionally and maximise the investment for our clients.
We are in regular contact with many legal and accounting firms, The Pharmacy Boards and Medicare Australia in our dealings as well as other industry bodies and groups as required. Pharmacy Business Sales is governed by the Estate Agents Act and as members of the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV).
The REIV awarded Pharmacy Business Sales as a finalist in the Business Broker of the Year 2007 and Pharmacy Business Sales was the winner of the REIV Business Broker of the Year in both 08/09 and again in 10/11 and a finalist in 2015.
So why is it that the truly great opportunities in business and property are rarely seen by the market? We know, and so do our very satisfied clients. You are welcome to look over our testimonials as we look forward to working with you.
Please enjoy the website and for more information contact :
John King in Melbourne on 0418383664
Dick Marris in Sydney on 0437350906 or Kelvin Wilson also in Sydney on 0406578167


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Hi all!
As promised I wanted to show you the simple pipe shelving I made for the game room!
I absolutely love the way my pipe shelving turned out in the garage,
To see more details of installing pipe shelves check out that post–> CLICK HERE
I followed the same steps as before, except this time I was building 3 shelves & all the same length.
So here's a before pic. The shelves will replace the modern painting in between curtains.
New color scheme, decor and SHELVES!
Don't they look amazing??
Sorry . . . this was the closest side shot I could get of shelves 🙁
What do you think of the shelves??? I love them!
Actually have another project that I'm working on & I'll be putting them up once again!
Stay tuned tomorrow to see a huge make over!
What was once a beautiful formal living room . . .see how its been transformed into a
"Restoration Hardware" themed modern industrial office!!


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Pony Up Planners…Event Food is the Cool Kid Now
From the knife-throwing antics of Gordon Ramsay to Anthony Bourdain's global culinary treks of unknown lands, food and everything around it is (and has been for a few years), the star of the show. Whether a "Top" chef, "Master" chef or wannabe chef, the notion of the next rock star dinner plate is on everyone's to do list. But is it any wonder that while we strive to make that perfect soufflé at home, we event professionals still ply our trade deciding on whether a blueberry or chocolate chip muffin would be better for our attendees?
So where do you sit? Is your food program curated with enough gusto as the rest of the event? Are you still cheapening out on fueling your attendees? Still living off American Breakfast Buffets, Working Sandwich Lunches and Cookie Monster breaks? If you've answered yes to one or more of these questions, then you better start heating up your pan.
In most meeting and event programs, the overall spend on Food & Beverage is comfortably in the top three expense lines; and with food at its height on the 'sexy' metre, why haven't you given it the attention it deserves? What's stopping you from making your program the most delectable one on the market? Check these quick hits that you should consider for your next event:
1. Get On Trend
It wouldn't kill you to take a break from the 'cut and paste' method of choosing the food for your next program. Take a combination of your favourite food reality show trends combined with the open creativity from your designated chef and sprinkle a little bit of "Google" search dust and presto…you should be able to come up with some creative, on point food ideas. People dig good, creative food and they'll talk about it, snap pics about it and share it all also. Yes, that means scrap that cookie and soda pop break for cold pressed juices and a yoga stretch.
2. Cooking Up a Great Speaker
It's been said that chefs today are the rockstars of our time. And so why wouldn't you consider one as your next keynote or main session speaker. Yes, athletes, entrepreneurs and motivational speakers are great but ever listen to the journey of a chef, master mixologist or restauranteur? Life stories that are just as compelling and at times, even more captivating.
3. Fuel In…Garbage Out
Consider thinking about your event food as the fuel that drives your attendees. Focus on choosing, creative, healthier and small spurt meal options. Lay off the refined sugars, white starches and high sodium content. Programs at events are compact, back-to-back, lightning fast and intense; it's about time we start feeding our attendees properly. And while you're at it, let's not forget our industry's tendency to over-order and generate piles of food waste…looking for more budget money to super-size your program or upgrade the eats? Well there it is, in the compost bin with all the uneaten food.
4. Budget Properly
It's amazing what we are willing to pay for ingredients on our dime floating through the grocery aisles or for that half-caff latte at the local, big name coffee shop. As commodities continue to rise at rapid rates (coffee, produce, proteins and wages specifically), have planners done enough to budget for one of their most important line items? And yes, going from salmon salad to salmon sashimi is going to cost more so remember, you gotta give a little to get a little. Still tight?…order less, local and in season too, that'll save you some extra pennies.
5. Team Build Through Your Tummies
Recently, I've attended a couple of interesting events that was interactive with elements of celeb chef cooking, team building and 'Chopped'-like cook offs. Engage your venue and get their culinary team involved, create teams and black box some secret ingredients. It's a concept that is full of action and scalable and sure to be more fun than wrapped sandwiches and cheesecake.
6. Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Looking to humanize your event? Consider the irony of the event's industry food waste practices and North America's growing hunger issue. In most cases, a simple, balanced breakfast can cost as little as $1.00 per person. And imagine the alarming rate of hungry (especially children), how your event can make a tremendous difference by integrating a socially responsible program with a local community? There's school breakfast programs, food banks and community food centres as a starting point. Truly, there's so much that can be done with so little, have your event give it a try.
Food has always been the 'last-minute, poor cousin' who generally gets little attention, being pushed to the bitter end in the planning process. Would you ignore one of your own largest investments in your personal life?…likely not. It deserves an honest, calculated look and can really make your event tick and tock. Remember, "the way to a person's heart is their stomach."
One Response to "Pony Up Planners…Event Food is the Cool Kid Now"
Victoria Reid
Excellent article.
As a planner I always consider food as a 'fuel' to keep participants going.
Food today can be touch many senses – sight, taste, smell…
What a great avenue for creativity!
Leave a Reply
Written by: Trevor Lui


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Last week Microsoft said they wouldn't be releasing a new Windows 10 Insider build until the New Year but they have pushed out an update to the current insider build today. For Windows Insiders running Windows 10 Creators Update build 14986 there is a cumulative update that looks like it contains a security update for the OS:
Cumulative Update for Windows 10 Version Next (14986) (KB3206309)
A security issue has been identified in a Microsoft software product that could affect your system. You can help protect your system by installing this update from Microsoft. For a complete listing of the issues that are included in this update, see the associated Microsoft Knowledge Base article. After you install this update, you may have to restart your system.
The update requires a reboot after installing.
Ian Dixon is a Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional), founder of TheDigitalLifestyle.com tech site and producer of the weekly The Digital Lifestyle Show podcast. Ian has been writing and talking about Windows for over 10 years and has over 20 years in IT as an IT Manager. Ian has thousands of followers on Twitter and Facebook and over 4 million views on his YouTube channel.
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I know YOU know what this is.
A bowl of ice, right? But don't let this cute little bowl of "cold as sh*t" fool you…it has the capacity to cause an abundance of discomfort. (Especially when it's dumped in your bathtub.) And that's exactly what it did — caused a truckload of distress — immediately following my 16-mile throw down yesterday.
Nearly all of my Saturdays this year have looked the same: I get up at the a** crack of dawn, hook up with D.R., do the goody bag exchange and head out to lay down some obscene number of miles. (I think anything over 5 miles is outrageous. I really do. That doesn't mean I don't do it, but damn folks, that's a long way to run.) Anyhoo…
I had a pretty good run yesterday. Some miles were definitely faster than others. The first 8 were a breeze, or as breezy as miles can be. Somewhere between mile 8 and thirteen, I unintentionally slowed down. And between miles 13 and 16, I gave myself total permission to do whatever the freak was necessary just to finish. (I didn't walk, but my pace was more than pokey.)
I spent all 16 miles thinking about three things: work, the women in my 100 Days of Sole Challenge, and if I was courageous enough to take my first ever ice bath. As hot, humid and nasty as it was in Denver yesterday, I knew I had to try.
So after my run, I rolled home and prepared for something you quite honestly can't prepare for.
Before I dive into the blow by blow of my first ice bath, I'd like to preface what I'm about to share by saying I am damn thankful for a few key peeps on Facebook who helped me take a strategic approach. (Trust me, it could have been so much worse.)
Here's how it went down:
I filled my blue bowl full of ice. I heated a cup of coffee. I trekked upstairs and peeled off my nasty, sweaty clothes. I pulled on a fleece jacket. (Thank you to the brilliant soul who told me to do this.) I put the stopper in the tub.
So far so good, right?
I set my coffee within arms reach. I bravely crawled in, half-clothed, and sat my bare a** down (in an empty tub). Then came a quick pep-talk with Self.
"You don't HAVE to do this," Self said. "It's not a requirement. We can suffer through another week of aches if you want to bail." I came back with, "But what if this helps? What if we only feel damn bad for a few hours instead of several days? Wouldn't this be worth it?"
Self shrugged and agreed. (As did my feet, knees, hips and butt cheeks.)
So I turned on the faucet — cold side only.
The water hits my buns first. Then it inched its way up to my hamstrings and calves. After a few minutes, my lower legs were completely engulfed. I start to shake. Not just a tremor…but full on, "Oh sh*t, what have I done?" sort of shake. I man up and throw in a handful of ice cubes. I do my best to keep the cubes near my feet instead of my a**. I continue to shake. I take a sip of coffee…and in that moment I'm damn thankful I was smart enough to use a travel mug with a lid. I start to laugh at my ridiculousness. I throw in a few more ice cubes. The water is now covering my lower extremities entirely…and it's almost up to my belly button.
I take a look around and realize I have totally screwed myself. I should have sat with my head and arms next to the faucet. But oh no…that would have been too easy. So I was forced to stand up, turn off the faucet and sit back down. Good God Almighty.
Within minutes, my legs are purple. They are masked in goose bumps. I'm shaking uncontrollably. I laugh again…only this time it's not a funny ha ha laugh, it's a "I've gone freakin' mad" laugh. I throw in the rest of the cubes thinking, "Why not? How much worse can this possibly get?"
I managed to stay in the tub until the ice cubes melted. (Fifteen minutes tops.) When I got out, I couldn't feel my legs.
I did some quick research on how cold tap water is when it comes out of the faucet. Depending on where you live, it falls between 48 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit. Whatever temperature mine was…it was far too f*ing cold. Add ice to the equation and well…now you know.
I flew out of the tub, ripped off my fleece jacket and dove into a hot shower. It took a full hour to regain feeling in my legs. (No joke.)
Surprisingly, I do feel better today than I usually do after a long run. That's not to say I'm pain free…I'm just saying there is a noticeable difference. Noticeable enough that there will likely be several mean-spirited ice baths in my future.
P.S. Have you ever taken an ice bath? I'd love to hear about your experience! https://www.facebook.com/BrooksFirstMarathon
P.S.S. Don't forget — if you ran a race this weekend, please post your pic to the the timeline so we can celebrate YOU!
P.P.S.S. The 100 Days of Sole Challenge is off to a rockin' start! One of the members shared this picture with the group with the following caption: "A little extra inspiration never hurt a girl! This calendar and sign is posted in my workout room. I like being able to see the big picture!" Awesomesauce. 🙂


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Tag Archives: rockery seattle
Seattle Retaining ,rock walls
Seattle Retaining Walls Here at Salmon Bay Landscaping we pride ourselves on our ability to design and install all types of segmental retaining walls. We specialize in creating functional yet beautiful walls for outdoor living spaces or areas that are in need of superior slope stabilization. A Little Background On Seattle Retaining Walls… Seattle retainingContinue Reading


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Congratulations to our STTC Coach! Gary is very dedicated to the growth and development of the Para program and the athletes he personally coaches.
Gary is very accommodating and finds interesting techniques to improve our game in spite of the disabilities we have.
"It is an honor and a privilege to be selected as the 2016 Paralympic Coach of the Year. I find it very rewarding to be coaching Para players at this point in my coaching career and I look forward to doing so for many years to come. –Gary Fraiman