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In existence since 1975, but open to the public since less than 5 years ago, the Brain Museum in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, encourages visitors to touch its exhibits and ask as many questions about the inner workings of the brain.
Seen here in the photo, Dr. Prof. S.K. Shankar, who has been a professor at the Department for the past 32 years. Photo courtesy NIMHANS.
The Human Brain Museum is housed at the Neurobiology Research Centre of the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) in Bangalore, India.
Rereeti spoke to the present co-ordinator at the museum, Dr. S.K. Shankar to dig deep into the workings of the Brain Museum's history, exhibits, current focus, and its take on revitalizing a techno-medical space.
Rereeti: When and How Was the Brain Museum Set Up?
Museum: Since 1975, the Department of Neuropathology at the National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, has been archiving and mounting brain specimens in various stages of diseases. These mounted specimens are being utilized as a resource for training students of Neurosurgery and Neurology (post-doctoral course). The visitors, usually scientists, doctors, and faculty members from other institutions, used to visit this specimen lab for teaching purposes and also as a resource for examinations. Subsequently, since 2010, this archival collection was formally made accessible to the visitors.
Rereeti: Who is the Primary Audience at the Human Brain Museum?
Museum: The primary audience are students of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Pathology, Psychiatry, Neurosciences, and college and school students. The mission of the Human Brain Museum is to sow the seeds of Neuroscience in school and college students so that they have the general understanding, awareness and choice of career.
Rereeti: Visitors Can Actually Touch the Exhibits at the Brain Museum. This is Rather Unique When it Comes to Museums, Right?
Museum: As far as we know, anatomical museums in general don't really allow visitors to touch the exhibits. Anatomy specimens are preserved and kept behind glass cases, in cupboards or storage. That's why the public always has a two dimensional experience of engaging with such exhibits. They usually see pictures or watch videos of the brain and the human body parts, never really gaining an in-depth understanding of the surface, texture, weight, or finer details.
Keeping this in mind, specimens at our museum are mounted in ingeniously made plastic jars designed at our workshop. This has facilitated the viewers to hold the specimens in hand and rotate them in all directions and get an idea of the structure of the anatomy. In addition, depending upon the availability of museum personnel, we provide in-depth explanations to school and college students about the specimen they are interested in. In fact, many of the museum's foreign visitors expressed that their knowledge of human anatomy and the brain in particular, is based on books and electronic media; they have never had access to real specimens.
Rereeti: What are Some of the Interesting Exhibits Featured at the Museum?
Museum: The museum has sections related to head injury, cerebrovascular diseases, common neuro-infections involving the brain, developmental disorders of the brain, and brain tumors. The cerebral vessels supplying the brain are dissected in normal and pathological states and mounted to visualize the normal anatomy and its alterations in pathological states. In addition, many posters related to Epilepsy, Autism, organ donation, general information about the nervous system are displayed and the public are permitted to take photographs. During guided tours, visitors are made aware of treatable conditions, curable conditions and the diseases that cannot be cured.
Image: College students handling a brain specimen at the Museum. Photo courtesy: NIMHANS.
Rereeti: How Do You Make Science, Particularly Anatomy, Accessible to the Public in Terms of Content, Presentation and Relevance?
Museum: The first part about accessibility comes with touch. At our museum, visitors have first-hand experience of engaging with the exhibits as they can touch and feel the human brain, heart, lung, kidney, spinal cord, intestine, pituitary gland, and other organs that are displayed in their original form (formalin fixed, non-contagious and safe to handle). In terms of content relevance, since we organize guided tours for school and college students, they get in-depth knowledge related to their curriculum. We also focus on altered anatomy in diseased states, especially life style related disorders. In addition, a few charts are available.
Rereeti: What Are Some of the Challenges Facing the Museum?
Museum: The foremost challenge faced by the Human Brain Museum is the non-availability of permanent staff or trained volunteers to organize guided tours. We maintain ourselves through the generous, one-time support of the NIMHANS administration. However, lack of funds for upkeep, maintenance and museum personnel is making it difficult to revitalize the museum, plan alterations or improvements. Space is also a vital constraint.
Rereeti: What is Your Wishlist for the Museum?
Museum: Presently, with the limited funding and minimal staff, we are hesitant to dream. Unlike other large museums, the Human Brain Museum is unique and needs personal interactions between the co-ordinators and the public to make the museum visit meaningful. If a larger space is provided and with commensurate funding, there are additional brain specimens to be mounted, along with the idea of curating animal brain specimens for comparative Neuro-anatomy and for research on evolution of nervous system.
Possibly this knowledge can provide insight into understanding of nervous system and take it to a translational research, applicable especially to the field of neurodegeneration and stem cell research for many of the presently untreatable conditions. This will facilitate not only making the brain museum a space of tourist attraction but a place of scientific resource. This is doable with the commitment of space, funds and attracting a few committed scientists.
Also on the wishlist are audio-guided tours and interactive touchscreen kiosks to help reduce dependency on volunteers from time to time. We would also love to digitize our museum collection. A limited number of permanent staff with respectable salary are needed to pursue this as a career opportunity and a long-term commitment.
About the Author
Dr. S.K.Shankar MD Emeritus Professor, Neuropathology (retired as Prof & Head –Dept. of Neuropathology in 2012). Principal Co-Ordinator- Human Brain Museum & Brain Bank, NIMHANS, Bangalore. Evolved the Human Brain Museum with the participation of faculties of department of Neuropathology for the past 30 years and transformed to present Neuropathology Museum at Neurobiology Research Centre, NIMHANS-Bangalore. Managing the Human Brain Museum and actively participating in teaching the medical students and general public with the assistance of other member faculty of Department of Neuropathology.
The museum is open for guided tours on Saturday between 9 a.m. and 4.30 p.m. and on Wednesdays between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.


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Supervisors OK ballot measure to lower SF voting age to 16
A charter amendment to lower the voting age to 16 that will appear on the November ballot would put San Francisco at the forefront of expanding voting rights at a time when some other governments around the country have implemented increasingly restrictive voting laws.
"Regardless of whether this measure is approved or not, (San Francisco) is starting a trend that will happen across the country, where cities like ours will consider whether young people can vote," Supervisor John Avalos, who championed the measure, said at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting. The measure would allow people as young as 16 to vote in city elections.
The board voted 9-2 to place the measure on the ballot, reflecting a change of heart by several supervisors who initially indicated they were opposed to the measure.
Some of them changed their minds after a hearing last week during which dozens of young people testified in support of the proposal, which is also unanimously supported by the San Francisco Board of Education. And they were swayed by the idea that lowering the voting age gets people involved in the electoral process earlier, which in turn could make them habitual voters — a step critical to improving the country's low turnout rates.
Bucking national trend
But some supervisors also pointed to the rise of Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, as evidence that adults are no more informed than a 16-year-old.
"I don't think 18-year-olds and older have a lot to brag about, and I actually think if you gave 16- and 17-year-olds a chance ... they would do a lot better than we are," Supervisor David Campos said.
Lowering the voting age runs counter to laws in many states to implement strict voter ID requirements and limit the time frame during which people can vote.
A Kansas law that took effect in 2013 requires residents to provide proof of citizenship when they register to vote. It is one of four states with such a law. A 2013 North Carolina law eliminated residents' ability to register to vote and cast a ballot on the same day and also cut early voting by seven days.
In 2016, 17 states will have new voting restrictions in place for the presidential election, according to the nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice in New York. The laws range from new ID requirements to registration restrictions and a shorter time frame for early voting, according to the center.
Such measures are in stark relief to the charter amendment to go before San Francisco voters in November. If it passes, San Francisco could become the first major U.S. city to lower the voting age.
Council members in Washington, D.C., are considering legislation to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote in federal elections, a measure even more radical than San Francisco's. Two other municipalities have lowered the voting age in local elections to 16 — Takoma Park and Hyattsville, both in Maryland.
"When this first came up, my initial, knee-jerk reaction was ... not so favorable," Supervisor Scott Wiener said Tuesday. He changed his mind after reading more about it. "There are so many 16- and 17-year-olds who will be passionate, intelligent and thoughtful voters."
Some opposition
While it was clear from the outset at Tuesday's meeting that the measure had the eight votes it needed to go on the November ballot, two supervisors, Mark Farrell and Malia Cohen, voted against it.
Farrell said current laws create a patchwork system for young people: They can drive at 16, vote at 18, and purchase tobacco at 21. Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation earlier this month raising the age to purchase tobacco.
"The age limits we have imposed are incredibly inconsistent and, truthfully, just don't make sense from a macro perspective," he said.
Cohen echoed that sentiment. "We want to lower the age to vote to 16 but we are raising the age to purchase tobacco to 21," she said.
She also said she was worried that lowering the voting age would give rise to more 16- and 17-year-olds being treated as adults in the criminal justice system.
"It's a very slippery slope when we make the argument that if one can vote, one should be able to stand trial," Cohen said.
Supervisor Jane Kim countered that the fact that 16- and 17-year-olds can be tried as adults is "all the more reason they should be able to vote and have a say in our criminal-justice policies."
Practically speaking, the measure would impact a small percentage of possible voters — around 11,000 youth out of 450,000 registered voters in San Francisco.
On notifying the feds
Also on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors briefly addressed one of the most contentious measures it faces — legislation barring city law enforcement officials from notifying U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents when an individual in the country without legal standing will be released from local custody, except in very limited circumstances.
Newly elected Sheriff Vicki Hennessy wants greater discretion to notify federal immigration authorities — a position backed by Mayor Ed Lee. Avalos, who introduced the legislation, said Hennessy's proposed policy "does not fit into the values of San Francisco."
But he said he wanted to work with Hennessy to come to an agreement. "I would like to hold out some time to try and get there," he said.
The Board of Supervisors will take up the legislation again May 24.
Emily Green is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @emilytgreen

subset: commoncrawl


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Why We Need an Exchange Based CDS Market
It is our belief that the global financial markets would function in a much more efficient and stable manner if Credit Default Swaps were traded on an exchanges and made available to smaller professional traders and even retail investors. We think that this would increase transparency and reduce contagion and counterparty risks in the market.
We will begin with a brief introduction for those less familiar with the instruments discussed in this article. A Credit Default Swap (CDS) is a swap designed to transfer the credit exposure of fixed income products between parties. CDS are similar to traditional insurance policies as it obliges the seller of the CDS to compensate the buyer in the event of a loan default. The difference lies in the fact that anyone can purchase a CDS, even if the buyer has no direct insurable interest in the loan. The buyer of the CDS makes payments to the seller and in exchange if the loan defaults the buyer receives a payout.
CDS are increasingly on the radar for all market participants. Whereas just a few years ago they were only followed by larger institutional players, now even many retail investors and traders will take a keen interest in developments in CDS markets. Although smaller traders or investors may monitor what happens in CDS markets and often have a view on where various CDS prices are going, they are as yet unable to directly speculate or hedge their investments using CDS. We therefore think that there is a market that could be potentially exploited in offering trading vehicles that track CDS to participants who are otherwise unable to trade CDS directly.
The barriers that prevent smaller market players gaining exposure to the CDS market are fairly clear. CDS are usually based on large notional amounts, usually $10M, therefore smaller players simply cannot afford to enter these swaps on either side. In addition to this, the concept of a swap is less well known to retail investors than other forms of derivatives such as futures and options, this is a symptom of retail investors not often being able to afford to enter the swaps market. However a growing number of investors understand what changes in CDS mean and the implications that developments in the CDS markets has on the wider global market place and economy.
Despite the growing understanding and publicity of CDS, market products have yet to be developed for smaller market participants to use CDS to hedge a portfolio or speculate on an outcome. If we look to other markets that were previously unavailable to retail investors we can see that financial innovation has developed products that allow retail investors to take positions in these markets.
The explosion in new ETFs/ETNs is one example of how financial innovation has been able to open up new markets to retail investors and traders. Trading emerging markets, commodities and specific market sectors can now easily be done by even the smaller retail investor. Another example is the increase in the use of CFDs which have opened up money market futures, currencies and even speculating on key data such as monthly NFP numbers to anyone with access to around $1,000.00. We believe that if there are futures for obscure things like rainfall, it makes sense for CDS to also trade on an exchange, preferably as an exchange traded futures contract based on the price of the CDS. By initiating this exchange, it means that retail investors are able to have access to the CDS market.
It is said that greater transparency leads to greater efficiency and greater liquidity; if one accepts this assertion then naturally one should accept the need for CDS to become exchange traded. Currently the CDS market is sometimes a murky one, and by creating an exchange for CDS, market regulations are put in place that create much more transparency. This exchange will further bring additional stability, reduce distortions in the market and bring greater liquidity as fresh money enters the market to speculate or hedge risk via CDS.
Contrary to what many believe, introducing a CDS market would actually lead to a reduction in contagion risk. Financial contagion is defined as a shock to one country's asset market that causes changes in asset prices in another country's financial market. An example of financial contagion is the "Asian Contagion" which occurred in 1997 and started in Thailand and spread throughout South East Asia. If a retail CDS market existed at this time, although it may not have stopped the spread, it would have reduced the effects. It would have done this by giving investors a way to effectively hedge their investments in Thailand. Therefore panic would have been reduced and although Thailand would have crashed either way, it would have provided a softer landing for its Asian neighbours. We see a similar situation in Europe today. How much of the panic selling in quality US stocks during the numerous episodes of panic over Greek debt could have been avoided by giving investors the ability to directly hedge that risk by "Greek CDS futures"? Or by Portuguese, Spanish or Italian CDS futures? It may not have completely stopped the selling, but it would have certainly contributed to a reduction in the incentives to sell US stocks.
Furthermore creating an exchange for the CDS market it will greatly reduce counterparty risk. Counterparty risk is the risk to each party of a contract that the counterparty will not live up to its contractual obligations. In the current market two parties enter into a contract, this means that each rely on each other to make good on the contract in the future. This is fine until a financial institution takes on too much risk and the market goes against them, which leads to them not being able to fulfill the CDS contracts, which then leads to bankruptcy. The company on the receiving end is not able to recover its funds and this could cause them to also enter into bankruptcy if the contract size was large enough, which starts a chain effect. This contagion would not happen in a regulated CDS exchange, as the exchange takes on the counter party risk. It would also mean that companies would have to place margins on the contracts and the exchange would know the company's exposure to capital ratio.
In conclusion, by creating an exchange for the CDS market we could achieve increased liquidity, greater transparency, greatly reduced counter party risk, reduced contagion risk and the retail investor will have a chance to speculate and/or hedge.
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{Copyright (C) 2013 Spence Engineering Services, Inc. All Rights Reserved}
Spence Engineering Services, Inc. (SES) specializes in the development and integration of complex real-time distributed systems. We provide expertise in software engineering, digital electronics engineering, mechanical engineering, and large-scale system integration. SES provides expert consulting services in the following areas:
Robotic system development
Vehicle hardware-in-the-loop system architecture/development
Embedded system development
Flight software development
Real-time dynamic system simulation development
Object oriented software architecture/development
Digital circuit design with FPGA/EPLD devices (VHDL, AHDL)
Mechanical system design and analysis
Hardware/software system integration
Hardware device driver development
High-speed data acquisition and system data archival
CCSDS telemetry system development
XML driven system design/implementation
GUI design and implementation (.Net, and Java)
3D graphics development
Automated system design/implementation
Real-time process control and automation
Mobile phone application development
Scalable real-time simulation framework development
Hard-real-time distributed multi-processor communications
Hardware/software optimization for real-time performance
Object oriented code design optimization for reuse
Cross platform code development
Topic 5


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When an actor gets Oscar consideration it means the person did a performance that was extraordinary, and challenged the audience as much as entertained them. It's hard to think of anything that can be more of a effort by an actor than intentionally acting poorly. But James Franco's transformation into Tommy Wiseau should not be ignored.
Who is Tommy Wiseau? He's only the star, producer, writer, and director behind the cult hit, "The Room." Released in 2003, the movie made for (legend has it) around $6 million of Wiseau's money, has since been regarded as one of the worst movies ever made. But in Hollywood, a group of stars championed the movie, showing their appreciation for the effort that went into making the indie and applauding Wiseau's unique filmmaking choices. That led to Franco having the idea to adapt the book recounting the making of "The Room," written by Wiseau's best friend and "The Room" costar Greg Sestero.
"The Disaster Artist" is an extremely entertaining look at two friends (Franco playing Wiseau and Dave Franco as Sestero) who decide to make their own movie after the constant rejection at acting auditions. With incredible detail by James Franco of not just playing Wiseau, but making the reenactments of "The Room" — from the crappy set design and costumes to how awful lines were delivered — is incredible. And you don't have to be a superfan of "The Room" to appreciate it.
I'm not even going to attempt to explain the plot of "The Room," or what the heck Wiseau was trying to accomplish with it. All I can tell you is that if you are a superfan, Franco gives you a movie that in no way makes fun of it, but cherishes what it has become: a piece of entertainment that people come together in groups so they can collectively enjoy.
And that's how "The Disaster Artist" should be experienced. There's no better example of a movie coming out this year that should be seen with a full theater audience. The energy of the room just heightens the experience. And it doesn't hurt that Franco brought along the talents of his brother and friends like Seth Rogen and Alison Brie to also star in the movie.
I'm not saying "The Disaster Artist" is the best movie you'll see this year, but it's certainly the most fun.
"The Disaster Artist" opens in theaters December 8.


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Clash of Clans Shrink Trap Arrived, and this is the official Update Ticker of the August 2017. We know that there are many Clash of Clans lovers who are playing the game on their iOS devices like iPhone, iPad and Mac devices. These tips are exclusively for the iOS device users.
Go through the complete article to grab the powerful and useful information on the August update of the Clans. In this update, many tips got included and used to win the levels.
Clash of Clans Updates by Supercell
Before going to know more information on Clash of Clans Updates, for the beginners who haven't gone through information on Clash of Clans ever, here we have some information for you. It is a strategy based video game built for mobile platform by Supercell. It was initially developed for iOS platform in 2012 and later also extended its features to Android platform in 2013.
The Clash of Clans is a fantasy-themed game in a persistent world, the name itself suggests it is a kind of war between a close-knit group of interrelated families. The player who is playing the game acts a chief of a village, and the motto of the game-play is the tasks players should build their village by making use of the resources gained by attacking the other players who are attacking in return by using the game's fighting features.
The resources which will be available are the elixir, dark elixir, and gold. Here, the players can also combine to create clans of about fifty people who participate in the clan wars.
Rumours on Clash of Clans Updates
We knew that the latest version of Clash of Clans released in June 2017. And, everyone is waiting for a new Clash of Clans Update. Hopefully, this release is expected to be in August and this version of the gameplay named as Builder Left. Rumours are spreading around on the Clash of Clans Updates, and this time everyone is expecting more number of surprises and changes in it.
We know that the builder's constructs houses and other infrastructure for the people around. But due to the entry of strange giant creatures into their village, they started crashing the buildings and infrastructure built by the builders.
Being irritated with these wild giant creatures, the Builders decides to leave the village by selling off their land. It is the trailer of the game show, and moving towards first rest over a game play; the gameplay story moves towards how builders left the village and the twist in the story of the game play.
The irritated builders after leaving the village think of the strategies in taking revenge over the giant creatures and making efficient use of the tools and weapons available to make war over the giant creatures. The Builders together forms troops and takes revenge over the Giants with their intelligence and teamwork.
Clash of Clans August 2017 Update
Supercell has designed the gameplay in such a way that this time we're going to have a lot of fun and inbuilt surprises while making a war over the Giants. Based on your gameplay, you are going to get some secret weapons to kill the giants and get back to the village.
The overall narration of the game is how the giants irritated the builders, and how the Builders make a war over them to get back the village by using tricks and techniques. It is all about the Clash of Clans Update and let's see this fantastic version on our mobile phones sooner this month.
Shrink Trap Event Started (August 18th, 2017)
The latest update of Clash of Clans The Shrink Trap arrived. It is available in Clans market, and you can buy it for 12500 Gold. It will shrink all the troops by triggering the event and deducts the DPS, Hitpoints, and Speed of the troops.
When it is triggered, the Shrink Trap will reduce the power of troops with in the radius of the trigger. The effect of this damage is huge and also available in Clans wars. So, update your war base and place the traps at correct positions.
You will also find a Witch becomes the builder of your Clan. It will not take care of the Hut if it gets destroyed.
Giants Building A Suprise Event (August 11th, 2017)
There will be Giant in every Builder Hut, and it secures the Hut from damages and rebuilds it when it gets destroyed. It is the annoying event since the Giants retargets the troops and problematic during the attacks.
Battle Ram Tips (August 4th, 2017)
It is useful at Town Hall 11 event, and the Battle Ram game gives you more than 250 gems. These gems are useful for further steps. Battle Ram event's battles are tough to win. You need to win all the battles of this event to grab the Gems.
Spamming all the Battle Rams of Clans will not give above 20% when you are in Town Hall 9 or more. Because it just likes Spamming Barbarians.
You just need to use it as addition to the existing standard army, and you need to you just five them.


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All types of private and commercial garden services
Newquay Garden Maintenance was originally set up by David George in 2002. David had previously spent over 30 years in the holiday park industry connected with ground maintenance. Keith joined the business in 2003 to form a strong and versatile partnership
We also work in conjunction with professional local contractors who assist us with specialist tasks.
We are fully insured.
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Need help? check the requirements page.


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How to Be...Manifested.
Day 8 of @yoga_girl #yogagirlchallenge is Manifesting Dreams.
To me, manifestation often feels like my inversion practice. I know the drive, strength and ability is there to lift me up but once I'm flying it's sometimes hard to believe I won't fall. Right now I have a pocket full of dreams, including three biggies that I know can be mine if I can shift my perception to believe that once I'm up I'll be supported, and if something is out of alignment or whack I'll return to the ground -not to quit-but to find a different way back into the air again.
I also know that airing my dreams out to the world, saying them out loud and putting pen to paper, can be a powerful manifestation tool—so as difficult as it may be to expose a deeply vulnerable part of myself I'm happy to do so if it inspires someone else to do the same and walks my dreams one step closer to reality. Here are my three biggies—some I've had tethered to my heart from a young age, others are relatively new.
1) Get my AEA card. The Actor's Equity Association is a powerful tool in this city as it is the key to getting the auditions for productions performed in off Broadway and Broadway houses which also mean a paycheck and protection under the union rules. Since I was very very little it's been my dream to be on Broadway and though that dream has shapeshifter a bit after being exposed to the politics behind Broadway, it remains an ultimate goal. I don't care if I'm 89 years old standing next to the potted plant, stage right, holding a silver tray and saying nothing, it's something I do before I die-I promise you that. My equity card would walk me one step closer to that goal and within the next year it will be something I'll carry proudly in my wallet.
2) Give this blog some legs. To run into the nearest publishers office and sign a book deal. I've written since I was very young, and while my writing as a youngster contained a lot of "I hate my mom! Life is so unfair! I love Mike Vitar!" on the pages, it's something that's always felt like a logical extension of myself. I feel as good after writing as I do on the stage, after a long run or a yoga class. It's all about connection to me, truth-telling and this is one of the ways I do it. I want to publish a memoir or novel or play at some point in my life, and I will. (As a side note, this blog has been one of the best things that ever happened to me, and to those of you that put up with my ramblings and continue to read~I give you my deepest, most heartfelt thanks.)
3) This one is tough. My last "biggie" is to find my other half. I do believe in soul mates and other halves, although I believe that number to be greater than one for each person. I thought I found mine many years ago, but what I ended up finding was one of the greatest lessons I'd ever learn about myself, life and love. Some time has passed, and a few months ago I realized in a burst of agony and hope that I'm very much ready for a partner. Not my perfect match, not a prince, not an idealized mate, but someone who wants to walk through life with me, willing to put up with my many idiosyncrasies and quirks all the while recognizing what they've got next to them. It's been a challenging few months realizing the reality of dating in NYC in 2014, but I can't help but think about what my lovely European friend said to me a few days ago and I'm putting all my stock in that. "Belief + Faith + Patience = Love."
So there they are. My three "biggies." I know it's up to me now to manifest these dreams and I'm ready.
Here we go.


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G&G Combat Machine AEG CM16 Carbine DST (Tan)
sold out
G&G Combat Machine AEG CM16 Carbine DST (Tan)
from 119.99
The G&G CM16 is a staple in the airsoft community as one of the best starter guns with having a reputation of having a very good performance as well as very reliable at a low cost.
The G&G combat machine range are a brilliant range of starter guns, as they perform brilliantly and have a very high standard of build quality.
Velocity Feet Per Second (FPS): 300
Rounds Per Minute (RPM): 480
Gearbox Version (GBV): 2
Min Length: 780mm
Max Length: 890mm
Battery Type: 8.4v Mini
Weight (with Magazine): 2400g
Inner Barrel Length: 357mm
Thread Type: 14mm CCW
Two Tone:
Add To Cart


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A Destination
Vashon Island Baking Company is the island's premier bakery. We feature a rotating selection of hand-made pastries baked daily, in addition to birthday cakes, pies, cupcakes, and seasonal chocolates. We always have gluten free and vegan selections available. Is there a dietary restriction you need to consider? Call us at least 24 hours in advance and we can accommodate most special orders.
Freshest INGREDIENTS possible
We use fresh, locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. You willl find Island-grown vegetables in our quiche and hand-picked fruit in many of our pastries.
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Our coffee is roasted on the island by The Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie.
Wonderful Local Partners
We have wonderful local partners, including: The Vashon Island Coffee Roasterie, Pink Tractor Farm, Sun Island Farm, Hogsback Farm and Smith Brothers Farms


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Isaac Royall Jr. was the largest slaveholder in Massachusetts. At least 60 slaves served on his three estates in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and hundreds more on the sugar plantation in Antigua that was the source of his family's fortune. Before the American Revolution, he was a member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council. A bequest […]Share
Archive | September, 2017
Preserving Southern History: How They Did It in Pocahontas
By Carla Rabinowitz on September 3, 2017 in Remembering history
Last October I wrote a blog post about how Pocahontas, Arkansas, a small town in the rural northeast area of the state, celebrated its 150th anniversary. The celebration covered three weekends, the first of which was devoted to the town's early history up to and including the Civil War. Because of the current discussion about […]Share


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Hey, quick! Somebody tell her that six is even better than "Three." ...and speaking of Britney Spears, here's a deformed cow:
I photographed this calf born with 6 legs (three useless legs in the place of one foreleg) just north of Nha Trang, Vietnam recently. I promise this will be the only post I ever write featuring the tag "Britney Spears".


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About Sue Chan
Describe your journey to real estate.
"Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O'Hara, that Tara, that land, doesn't mean anything to you? Why, land is the only thing in the world worth workin' for, worth fightin' for, worth dyin' for, because it's the only thing that lasts." - Gone with the Wind
This movie quote has stuck with me since childhood and where my appreciation for real estate originates. It's also been a family business so I have gained plenty of exposure and knowledge from my parents.
What most excites you about your work?
There's reward in working with clients and fulfilling everyone's unique motivations. Plus, there's always something new to learn so this business never gets boring.
Where can we find you when you're not working?
Chasing after two kids. Real estate is actually my second job.
What would be impossible for you to give up?
My family. It's my stronghold and what I work hard for.
What is the nicest thing anyone ever said to you?
Mommy, I love you. Coming from a three year old, you have to appreciate the sincerity of such a comment.
What is your dream vacation?
Not so much a dream vacation but a trip I have to take one day, more like a bucket-list vacation. Going to the Kentucky Derby and watching the horses race with mint julep in hand and fancy hat on head.


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This aims to prepare and care for leaders and middle management at all levels through ongoing educational initiatives.
It is a training program for DEWA's deputy managers and Assistant Mangers in the series development program for young leaders to develop and prepare the second row leaders to take over responsibility.
This aims to recruit talented and hardworking Emiratis, promote national identity and Emiratisation, as well as enhance their practical skills, capabilities and knowledge.
Our country is blessed and so are we, living in this good land
HH Sheikh Mohammed bin RashidVisit Website
Mohammed bin Rashid Smart MajlisVisit Website


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STRANGEBUTTRUE- Mock, yeah: Beware, the bird remembers malefactors
Q. Don't mock the mockingbirds, or else. Or else what?–B.Bird
A. These birds can learn to recognize you, and they hold a grudge, says Michael Abrams in Discover magazine. When biologist Doug Levey had an accomplice "intruder" disturb nests of mockingbirds, standing by an egg-filled nest for 15 seconds and then touching it, the birds learned to pick out this threatening individual from a crowd. When other nonthreatening humans approached, they were ignored, but every time the intruder came by, the birds left the nest to dive bomb the malefactor.
"The first time a male mockingbird drew blood on the back of my neck, I was shocked," said intruder Monique Hiersoux. Mockingbirds are strongly aware of humans, adds Levey.
"We might be walking along on campus and see a mockingbird perched on a branch and think, 'Oh, that bird is minding its own business.' But what we don't realize is that we are its business."
Q. If animals ate at restaurants, would they choose the no-smoking section? –P. Morris
A. Effects of second-hand tobacco smoke have been thoroughly tested over the years, including its impact on many different animal species, reports University of California psychopharmacologist Ronald K. Siegel.
* When colonies of luminous marine bacteria are subjected to infused smoke, they turn off their lights.
* Not only do bees, flies, and other insects quickly perish before the smoke, but so do leeches feeding on the blood of human tobacco smokers.
* When placed in enclosed smoky chambers, frogs, pigeons, mice, rats, guinea pigs, rabbits, and dogs died slowly over a couple of weeks or months.
* When beagles were fitted with masks that forced them to inhale intermittent smoke over a period of time, hundreds of them expired.
Q. That $20 bill you just found makes this your lucky day, but you'd like it to be a happy day as well. A good bet here would be to a) treat yourself to a few beers; b) pay down some of your credit card debt; c) rent a video comedy; d) buy a friend a gift; e) give part of the money away.—M. Teresa
A. Take a tip from the Dalai Lama: "If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion." So choose d) and e) above, say Elliot Aronson Social Psychology. Research by E. Dunn, L. Aknin and M. Norton found that people who spent money on others were happier than self-spenders.
"So next time you have a little extra money, rather than buying yourself a treat, try treating a friend to lunch or donating to charity," they write. "You might be surprised how good you feel."
But such prosocial acts don't necessarily come easily to people. Some cultures are known to value simpatia, or friendly helpfulness, prominent in Spanish-speaking , but with no direct English translation.
Researchers sampled 23 cities around the world, noting if people would assist someone who had dropped a pen, or who wore a leg brace, or who was blind. The rates varied widely, with countries that prize simpatia helping on average 83%, compared to 66% elsewhere. Other factors may also play into pro-sociality, so these numbers are only suggestive.
Send Strange questions to brothers Bill and Rich at email@example.com


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Free WordPress Themes
Since its inception in 2003, nearly a quarter of all websites worldwide are now built using a WordPress theme so we have put a list of some of the most popular free ones together for you all of which can be found at WordPress.org.
For a professional and versatile template we like Nictitate by kopatheme. It is completely responsive so viewing it on any screen size is not an issue. This means that you can feel confident in its longevity. It comes with a good layout manager and it functions across all of the main browsers
Another popular multi-purpose theme is Vantage which can boast approaching 1 million downloads. It too is fully responsive and comes pre loaded with a number of plug-ins and works well with the WordPress e-commerce system Woo Commerce.
For simplicity and elegance we like Hemingway by Anders Noren. More suited for use as a blogging site this clean looking easy to set up is straightforward and ideal for beginners to WordPress
For showcasing images we like Portfolio Gallery by Web Dorado. This again is responsive and straightforward to use and will shrink to fit any viewing screen. It is simple and elegant and SEO friendly
Retina Ready
One of the most popular themes with over 100,000 active installations is Zerif Lite by Codeinwp. It is minimal and modern-looking with a clean flat appearance. Retina-ready and compatible with WooCommerce this is an up to date free version of the Zerif Pro theme which boasts that it is the most popular paid for theme in 2015 with more than half a million downloads
Social Networking
If you are looking to boost your viral traffic you might like to look at SociallyViral by MyThemeShop which is designed to improve social shares and traffic from social media websites. This also has great support
This is a minute sampling as there are of course thousands of other free to download template themes. Don't just opt for something that looks good. Make sure that you check out the reviews section especially regarding support – it will make your WordPress experience much better!


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Ashley Nash was ready to solidify a career and her keen interest in technology led her to JEDI's Mobile Application Development program. The course covered a variety of programming languages and now Ashley is able to create websites and program in the latest technology for both the Apple and Android platforms.
"I'm ready to join an ICT company and begin my career as a junior developer," said Ashley. "My future plans include securing a position within the industry where I can utilize the skills and knowledge I have acquired while gaining valuable experience."
The graduation ceremony for JEDI's inaugural Mobile Application Development (MAD) program was held on April 25th, 2014 where Ashley was 1 of 16 very excited Aboriginal graduates from across the province to receive their diploma from the Collège Communautaire de Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB).
The 57-week Mobile Application Development program was created by CCNB in conjunction with JEDI and included a cultural component that was designed specifically for Aboriginal students. Ashley is from St. Mary's First Nation and studied the MAD program in Fredericton.
Ashley worked on several projects during the program. One was a mobile application that allowed the user to subscribe to an organization's newsletter and then view and write reviews of events. Ashley also volunteered during the program and created a website for the Committee for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women. She is now a committee member of the organization.
"The program has prepared me for job-hunting by exposing me to different aspects of the industry," said Ashley. "The job prospects could range from simple website creation to large innovative projects where I can utilize the knowledge and skills I have acquired and be a part of a team."
"To future students, you're learning how to become a magician, pay close attention to syntax and your magic tricks will inspire you."
JEDI wishes Ashley the best of luck and success in her future ICT career.


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Board Game Booster Box
Board Game Booster Box
Looking to bring more intrigue to the game table? Search no further! The Board Game Booster Box is the ultimate game night box—no subscription required! Each one:
Contains 3 or 4 random and complete board and/or card games.
Includes either base games alone or the accompanying expansions — no unplayable mismatched expansions!
Has an average value of over $120!
Features a wide variety of titles from publishers all over the world.
May include highly sought after titles, dings and dents, floor displays, underappreciated games, and more!
Costs only $9 to ship per box (Continental US only).
Spice up your game night and grab your Board Game Booster Box before they disappear!
Add To Cart


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trying to adjust to the pace of life and getting over the feelings of missing my family over here in Singapore. I kept psychoing myself.." It's just a year or 2!" But it just not that easy at all.
Wify informed me that once in a blue moon, boy boy will nag for me. Especially when he is tired and wants to go to bed at night. Think it's because normally I would be the one to pick him up and slowly rock him to sleep. He enjoys that :P
Bad news today was one of our little pups. Either chokolat or kitkat got ran over by my own car. Wife was reversing to park when the pup dashed out. It happened last week but I only knew about it today. My missus intentionally kept the news away from me until I asked about them today. Girl girl said she cried a lot that day. I asked her to take extra attention to cookie whenever mummy is driving.
Work is as usual, hectic and lots of idiotic, no common sense routines. Sometimes I wonder its a form of punishment for me (for having such a blasting wonderful time in Thailand :P). Well, month end is coming and I'm going to get paid. That's the day I would be gladly be looking forward too.
Just a short entry before hitting the bed. RIP Chokolat or Kitkat


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Sylvan Sounds: Freer, Dewing, and Japan
In 1896 Freer purchased his first two Japanese folding screens from Matsuki Bunkyō, a Japanese art dealer based in Boston. Later that same year, Thomas Dewing began to paint a pair of bifold screens, now known as The Four Sylvan Sounds, that combined an eclectic array of artistic sources within a decidedly Japanese format. The screens are even "read" from right to left, as is typically done with Japanese screens. During the two years that Dewing worked on Sylvan Sounds, Freer acquired sixteen Japanese screens, twelve of which (including four pairs) are now in the museum's collection. Many came from the New York gallery of Yamanaka and Company, where Dewing often bought works on Freer's behalf.
After promising his art collection to the Smithsonian Institution in 1906, Freer stipulated that his Japanese screens had to be displayed in a special gallery in a proposed new museum. He envisioned the space as a link between galleries devoted to Dewing and other American artists and those featuring the art of James McNeill Whistler. This early arrangement underscored Freer's belief in cross-cultural aesthetic connections between East and West.


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The holidays are approaching and I know we are about gifts for our loved ones! I wasn't comfortable recommending products to you that I haven't tried. I have a background in product design and know firsthand that styling doesn't necessarily equal a great product. A successful consumer product should have good function, hold up well over time, AND have nice style. So I decided to share 25 of my favorites from around my house!
It is my hope that I can inspire you to think beyond coffee mugs & fuzzy sweaters (though those are great too!). I split my 25 recommendations below into 4 price categories: stocking stuffers under $25, under $50, under $150, and under $500. Happy shopping!!
This article contains affiliate links, you can read my full disclosure here.
Stocking Stuffers Under $25
1. A Magazine Subscription, $5-15
In the past I have been gifted with a Better Homes & Gardens subscription and I just ordered an American Girl Magazine subscription for our 8 year old.
2. Burt's Bees Hand Repair Gift Set $13
I gave this kit to my grandma this past year and she said enjoyed it! So far I've been happy with the Burt's Bees brand and their quality consistency.
3. Multi-Disk Light Reflector $19
This is especially for the photographer in your life. This has been a great accessory for shooting projects in my home, it is affordable, and it folds up nicely when not in use.
4. A hardcover tabletop book $14
Tabletop books make great gifts! They are attractive to look at and are enjoyable light reads for guests. I found The Nesting Place encouraging when we moved into our home 3 years ago.
5. Cuisinart Coffee Grinder $16
This product is great for a coffee lover who wants to enjoy freshly ground coffee. My husband uses ours daily!
6. TV Antenna $20
We haven't paid for cable in the 12 years we've been married! This antenna gives us all the basic channels we need (we watch most shows on Netlflix & Prime), and is fairly minimal to look at.
7. Jumbo Checker Rug Game $16
We keep this oversized checker rug set on our back screened porch. Fun for the whole family! I have washed the mat a few times during pollen season and it has held up well.
8. Lumbar Pillows $25
These pillows from World Market are soft, neutral, and completely on trend. I typically keep them in my office sofa but they also sometimes get thrown onto our living room sofa.
9. Textured White Bowls Set $16 (currently on sale for $10!)
I love pieces that are practical and beautiful. These stoneware bowls are both! Great for entertaining and are dishwasher and microwave safe. I like the different textures each bowl has.
10. Wooden Shelf $22
We keep this wooden shelf in our kiddos' bathroom. It would be fun in an entryway/mudroom or even in the kitchen! I like that there are two storage solutions in one: the shelf and also the hooks.
Gift Ideas for Under $50
11. Chemex Glass Coffee Maker $40
We LOVE our Chemex coffee. My husband loves a pot of strong coffee in the morning and this is the way to make it. We boil water in a tea kettle then pour the hot water over the grounds & filter. Simple and good.
12. Amazon Echo Dot $50
We have an echo dot in our master bathroom (we also have the full-sized echo). "She" is great for telling us the weather, working as an alarm, telling the news, and more. Great compact size!
13. Lodge Cast Iron Double Dutch Oven $36
This is a great choice for someone you know who loves cast iron. And the lid of the dutch oven doubles as a skillet, which I find really fun and practical.
14. Kitchen Cabinet Hardware, 25 pack $35
For the DIYer in your life! Don't be like me and live with ugly hardware in the kitchen or bathroom for 3 years. We have been happy with the quality of these handles!
15. Alexa Voice Remote for Amazon Echo & Dot $30
We purchased this for my father and mother in law as an accessory with their Echo. They can hold down a button and speak into the remote to connect with Alexa.
16. Cocktail Bar Tool Kit $30
I purchased this bar tool kit for my husband last year when he was into making martinis. Good design, affordable, it goes great on our bar cart in the dining room.
17. Cantilever Floor Lamp in Brass $39
Floor lamps have come along way in the past 10 years! I can remember when a nicely designed floor lamp cost a lot of money. We have this one in our living room.
Gift Ideas for Under $150
18. Echo $99
We keep our Echo on the kitchen island. Our kids love to ask her to play music, give facts, test her knowledge. I find myself using her a lot (mostly for silly questions like "how many days until Christmas?") She is also synced to our living room ceiling fan and can turn it on and off!
19. Inlaid Chess set $66
We have had this chess set for a few years now. We keep it on our screened in porch next to our checker mat. It is holding up well and is fun to have out for guests.
20. Faux Ivory Cowhide Rug $150
I installed this faux cowhide rug on our wall in my home office earlier this year. Its a trendy piece and a conversation starter for sure.
21. Metal Dining Chairs $70 for a set of 2
We have had 6 of these metal industrial-style chairs for a few years now. We typically keep 4 in our eat in kitchen and 2 in the dining room, but they are light and easy to move when company is visiting.
22. Keurig Coffee Maker $95
We use our Chemex for slow mornings, but on school days when I have to be up & cheerful (ha!) at 6:30AM I love the quick cup of coffee my Keurig makes.
Gift Ideas for Under $500
23. KitchenAid Classic Mixer $199
Once you buy a KitchenAid mixer you won't change brands. We received ours as a wedding gift 12 years ago and it is still going strong. A beautiful small appliance!
24. Canon Rebel T6 DSLR $364 (refurbished)
I drug my feet when it came to upgrading my camera. I thought a SLR would cost over $1k, but my husband found a refurbished Rebel for much cheaper than that and everyday I am thankful for it!
25 Hunter Ronan Ceiling Fan $229
We updated my office ceiling fan earlier this year. I love how the Ronan looks in the room! Maybe not the most normal "gift" but if you are practical like me...I love a good room upgrade!


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Propionates such as propionic acid and calcium propionate, and sorbates such as sorbic acid and potassium sorbate are used in bread to prevent growth of mold. The effectiveness of these preservatives in retarding mold growth depends on the pH of the dough and the correct amount of preservative used.
The pH of the dough must be lower than 5.2 when using propionates, whereas it must be in the range of 5.0 to 6.0 when using sorbates. In some yeast products, citric acid or vinegar is used to lower the dough pH to the desired level. Only small amounts of preservatives are used in bread because high levels may retard yeast activity, extend the proofing time of the dough and affect the flavor of the baked bread.


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Our week in the forest
Who's that nipping at our fingers and noses this week? Oh! It's Jack Frost!
Autumn is giving way to winter before our very eyes and before we know it there won't be a single leaf left in Fishponds Woods! Between the onset of winter and the fires, we will have a very bare area to play. Thank goodness our children have the amazing imaginations they do to turn twigs into screwdrivers, trees into cat perches and ladders into trains.
Trains have been a key feature of this weeks play for the children with a huge variety of different imaginings for the resources in the forest. Our children have used face painting to become pendolino trains from Italy and alphabet trains from books, and squeezed themselves between the rungs of ladders and wandered round the forest as Thomas the Tank Engine and friends. All on board for this role-playing in the weeks to come!
We have been great treasure seekers this week. There were adventure walks a plenty (including two different walks on one day!) and with the mysterious introduction of a treasure map into the forest, the children have explored almost all the secret places that our forest has to offer. Choosing the right equipment for treasure hunting was very important and the children were very considered in their choices. Spades, trowels, sticks and buckets were all enlisted in the hunt for all the pleasures the woods hold for them.
Marshmallows over a fire and hot chocolate have been essential to keep the cold at bay this week. Little treats for the children, but something that teaches them great skills in fire safety (we walk around the edge of the fire circle, not through it) and correct stances when roasting a marshmallow to ensure the children are stable, comfortable and managing their own risks. This has been very important for our new children and it's always a good reminder for those who have enjoyed many a marshmallow in the forest. These are great learning experiences for the children, all with a tasty reward!
Christmas Forest Party:
Monday 19th December
Remember to RSVP by Monday 21st November!
Stir It Up Fundraising for Crisis:
Support us by buying a jar or two of our Little Festive Folk mincemeat stirred by teeny tiny hands. To donate and find out more click here Justgiving. They will make wonderful Christmas presents for Grandparents.
Our practitioners are enjoying their weekly Mindfulness sessions and look forward to sharing what they learn with the children. Read more about why mindfulness is important from a young age on our blog.
As we are rapidly approaching the end of the year, please note that the first day back for the Spring term will be Tuesday 3rd January.
There is an inset day scheduled for Friday 6th January, nurseries will be closed on this day for essential staff training and planning.
Parents may notice the following acronyms appearing on observations soon. The team will be using these to reference the 7 areas of learning as per the EYFS Curriculum;
- CL Communication and language
- PD Physical development
- PSE, personal, social & emotional development
- L literacy
- M Mathematics
- UW Understanding the world
- EAD Expressive arts and design
What to wear
Next week is forecast to be rather chilly again and although we'll keep the children moving around lots, please do dress your little one warmly.
Check out our recommended winter kit list.
Make sure to clearly label all items of clothing.
Team Update
We are very sad to say that Colleen will be leaving us next month. We will all miss her and would like to thank her for her continued hard work in the forest. We wish her all the very best in her future adventures. Colleen's last day will be the 8th December.
Enjoy your weekend!
Little Forest Folk


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Yes, I agree too. The DTD says CDATA, but should the schema be xsd:string, or should it be the longer and more precise content specifier I posted yesterday? John Boyer, Ph.D. Senior Product Architect PureEdge Solutions Inc. -----Original Message----- From: Gregor Karlinger [mailto:email@example.com] Sent: Thursday, December 05, 2002 11:54 PM To: John Boyer Cc: email@example.com Subject: RE: Exclusive C14N Error: Using #default in NMTOKENS I agree with Joseph that we should fix the DTD rather than changing the name "#default" since this influences already existing implemen- tations of EC14N. Liebe Gruesse/Regards, Gregor Karlinger > -----Original Message----- > From: firstname.lastname@example.com > [mailto:email@example.com] On Behalf Of John Boyer > Sent: Wednesday, December 04, 2002 6:57 PM > To: email@example.com > Subject: Exclusive C14N Error: Using #default in NMTOKENS > > > > The PrefixList is defined to be of type NMTOKENS, but the # > character is not allowed according to the XML rule for NmToken. > > This can be fixed in one of two ways: > > 1) Change from NMTOKENS to CDATA > > 2) Change from # to : > > The latter approach is reasonable because namespace prefixes > do not contain a colon. This would allow us to keep the > NMTOKENS content model. However, according to Joseph Reagle, > the use of #default is designed to profile XSLT. > > John Boyer, Ph.D. > Senior Product Architect > PureEdge Solutions Inc. > >Received on Friday, 6 December 2002 11:33:32 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:21:38 UTC


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Feathers! They are going nutso now in everyone's
(including my own, the ladies at
Mana Culture
did a fantastic job and they lasted for three lovely months!). They are oh so much fun to work with, and awaiting alice was asked to create seven feather brooches for an upcoming wedding in Dallas = fuuuuuuun. It has been one of my favorite projects to work on, incorporating fabric, vintage finds and feathers. ffffffff yeah.
A quick peek at a few of the brooches and materials we are using...
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Cute Card Thursday
Today I pulled out "Party This Way" to make a card for a challenge at Cute Card Thursday. They are celebrating their third year as a challenge blog & their challenge is to make a card suitable for a third birthday. I went with 3 candles & three shades of blue, perfect for a little boy's birthday!!! I added some dazzling diamonds to candles just for a little added touch :)
All supplies Stampin' Up!
Stamp: Party This Way
Ink: Bashful Blue, Tempting Turquoise & Not Quite Nave
Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Brights Patterned Paper Pack
Accessories: Scallop Trim Border & Modern Label Punch, dazzling diamonds, Bashful Blue Taffeta Ribbon, dimensionals
To Order these or other SU! products, Visit my online store!!!
Just a few more weeks to Sale-a-brate...click here to learn more.
Posted by Maureen Merritt at 9:39 AM
8 comments:
- Amy said...
SO cute!! I love this set, I am so glad i got it!! Such an awesome card!!
- March 10, 2011 at 11:33 AM
- Rosie said...
Maureen that's so cute!
- March 10, 2011 at 1:14 PM
- Ann said...
Hi Maureen, I love your card, well I love all your cards! I've never ordered from Stamping Up and I had trouble locating the scallop border and/or this stamp set. Are they still available? Thanks, Ann
- March 10, 2011 at 11:39 PM
- Claudia said...
AMAZING. This card should win awards. It is so cute!!!!!
- March 11, 2011 at 4:46 AM
- Colleen Holmes said...
So pretty! Love the colors and the CAS!! Gorgeous!
- March 11, 2011 at 4:51 AM
- susanna said...
I really like this card.
- March 13, 2011 at 5:48 PM
- Julie said...
This is just beautiful! I love the 3 candles. Thank you for celebrating with us at Cute Card Thursday!
- March 15, 2011 at 7:40 PM
- Birthday Party Ideas said...
Simple and beautiful! I love it!
Year Old Birthday Party Ideas
- March 22, 2011 at 9:05 AM
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In March of 2009 I woke up one morning knowing that I needed to have my IUD removed. It was time to start trying for a baby. At the time Leah was approaching her third birthday. Matt and I hadn't not been trying for any particular reason. We just didn't feel that urge to have another baby yet. We knew we would have another baby, eventually, it just wasn't time yet. One morning I had the thought, "What are we waiting for?" I think I had been waiting for another spiritual prompting to give us the go ahead, and I realized that morning that Heavenly Father was probably okay with us making our own decision. Well, now was the time.
I called the doctor office to schedule my annual appointment as well as my IUD removal. They didn't have anything available until May. I was fine with that. It would give me more to time to prepare myself mentally for what was about to happen in our lives; time that I hadn't gotten with my last pregnancy. Now we could look into a secondary insurance plan an prepare financially for it as well (that didn't end up panning out).
May 10 rolled around and I went to see Dr. Loewen again. She removed the IUD, no problem, and said, "Alright, well I'll see you in a couple months for your prenatal appointment." I said, foolishly perhaps, "I bet it'll take me at least three months to get pregnant. I'll see you in five." Dr. Loewen's reply, "I bet it'll be sooner." I walked out of the office thinking, "Yeah, see you in five."
On June 11, 2009 the little stick showed a positive pregnancy result. I was pregnant. I don't even know why I took a pregnancy test, really it didn't make sense. Okay, so shall we do the math again? My IUD was removed May 10, the first day of my last period was May 31. This time it took a 'long' three weeks for me to get pregnant. Are we starting to notice a trend here?
Monday, August 10, 2009 was my first prenatal check-up. Dr. Loewen waltzed into the room with a huge smile on her face and said, "I told you so." I asked her why it had taken so little time to get pregnant; I mean, I hadn't even had a period for 2 1/2 years. She related the story of the IUD. Apparently the IUD thins your cervical lining, apparently this makes your body think that it is always pregnant, apparently more than 70% of her patients that use the IUD end up getting pregnant within three months of having it removed. Also apparently... no one mentioned all this to me.
Side note: Doesn't anyone think that doctors should be telling all this IUD stuff to the ladies that have a hard time getting pregnant? Me too!
The first trimester was full of a lot of sickness, again. I'd told myself to hunker down and prepare myself for the worst. I could possibly be sick every day of my life for the next nine months, as was the case with my first pregnancy.
The second trimester dawned with no nausea. What? I thought for the first few days and into the second week that it was a fluke, and surely the nausea would resurface. But it didn't. Hm, so this is why some other women don't mind being pregnant. Eh, who cares that my sciatic nerve has practically paralyzed me by my 16th week of pregnancy and my ankles looked like an elephant's, at least throwing up as well.
Also, we found out we were having a boy. Yes, I was bummed (up until about three weeks before my delivery). I wanted a girl. The seasons would have matched up perfectly. Think of all the money we would have saved! Plus, I know what to do with a girl. I feel comfortable knowing that I hadn't completely ruined Leah's first three and a half years of life (we'll see how the remaining years go) and her hair is done 90% of the time; I even learned how to french braid. Girls I'm comfortable with. But this one is a boy. First things first, how on earth am I going to potty train him and who's going to have the big sex talk with him?
Something weird happened to me about 21 weeks into this pregnancy though. All of the sudden I wasn't happy. I wasn't happy with me, Leah, or the fact that I was pregnant. It took me a few months to recognize that I was depressed. Depressed to the point that I no longer wanted this baby that was growing inside me. Depressed enough that I had, on more than one occasion, though to myself, "If this baby were to die anytime between now and birth, maybe that would be okay. At least he wouldn't have such a horrible mother. Yes, I will miss him, but at least he won't have to deal with me."
Then I started bleeding again. Only this time I was further along, 26 weeks along. It was Thanksgiving and it was happening again. I recalled that when this happened with Leah's pregancy, my doctor had mentioned that this could happen with all my pregnancies in the late first or second trimesters. I called my doctor the next morning, and she said that as long as I wasn't cramping or having contractions it was likely just the hemorrhage and I needed to lay low. During the next few days I felt the depression lightening. I felt that connection to this baby again, I felt good.
That didn't last long, it was only about two weeks into December that I felt that cloud coming back. It was suffocating. I felt as though I couldn't raise one child correctly, let alone two. Finally, in January I approached the subject with Matt. I needed him to know what I was going through. It didn't solve the problem even a little bit. I wrestled with that Depression Demon for a long time afterward, but it helped knowing that Matt was on my side and just getting those words out of my mouth, "I think I have depression," helped some as well.
As the weeks went on I couldn't shake the gloom and sadness. I knew I loved this new little guy growing and wiggling around inside me, but I just couldn't get excited for him to come into the world. I'd done the whole newborn thing before, and I wasn't very good at it. I knew how much easier it was to take care of that baby inside my belly as opposed to taking care of him outside of it.
I started telling more people about how I was feeling, my sisters, Mom, Dad, a couple of close friends. People that I knew would keep an eye on me, and would know how to help me if I got much worse. People that were concerned about me and loved me. Lo and behold, it helped. Knowing that people knew how I felt made me want to change how I felt. I made the decision to quit the job I had working at home. I reinvested myself in my family. I started talking to and hanging out with my friends again. It turns out that being a recluse only made me feel worse. I was feeling better about my family and my life than I had been in months. But still, I couldn't bring myself to feel any excitement about bringing home a new baby.
Then, three weeks before my due date, my brother's wife gave birth to twins. Ah yes, there's the excitement. There's nothing quite like the innocence and purity of a newborn baby to make you remember why you put yourself through pregnancy and parenthood. I was finally excited to meet this little guy, still very anxious to bring him home, but the excitement was there.
The difference between your first pregnancy, labor and delivery is so major going into your second. This time I had expectations. Leah came ten days early, so why wouldn't this little boy? Ten days to my due date, he was still happy as ever to keep cooking. I was dilated to a two and 60% effaced, but then again, that's where I was seven days prior. The next week I went into my appointment expecting the worst. So to hear that on March 1 I was dilated to a three and 70% effaced was slightly good news, but I refused to be hopeful. I had my doctor strip my membranes really well to see if that would encourage things to happen and we scheduled an induction date for Thursday the 4th. It worked. I started contracting like crazy about one hour later. The contractions were steadily seven minutes apart for a few hours at a time, then they would stop only to start up again an hour later. It was a long day. That night the contractions stopped all together. I slept all the way through the night, much to my dismay. The next day, March 2, I didn't have a single contraction. That was a black day, I was sure that I had been in false labor the day before and I would have to be induced.
I didn't want to be induced. I wanted to let my body do what it wanted to do. But the planning side of my brain got the better of me. I knew that if I wanted to arrange for care for Leah during the time that I had this baby I needed have something of an idea for when that would happen.
Wednesday, March 3 dawned bright and sunny. I got up, helped Leah get ready for preschool and sent her and Matt out the door. I'd been feeling some contractions since I'd gotten up that morning, but had convinced myself it was false labor. I was sure it wouldn't last. At 9:30 AM I was at the store when I realized that these contractions were actually five minutes apart, consistently, since 7:00 that morning. I called the doctor's office at ten thinking I would leave a message for a nurse to see how far apart they wanted the contractions to be before I came to the hospital. In my experience with calling doctor's offices, they usually take about thirty minutes to an hour to get your message and call you back.
As I spoke with the receptionist she asked, "Let me write down a message for the nurse, how far apart are your contractions?"
I replied, "Five minutes or so."
She said, "How long have they been that way?"
"About three hours."
"Let me just go talk to a nurse really quickly."
She came back on the phone to say, "The nurse wants you to report to labor and delivery right now."
"Oh, alright. Thank you."
I hung up the phone, called Matt and told him we were going to the hospital. I arranged to have my sister pick Leah up from preschool and proceeded to get ready for this baby. Matt came home and we headed out to Intermountain Medical Center.
At 11:15 we reached the hospital and were immediately admitted, the nurse had checked me and I was dilated only to a four and 80% effaced, and I was soon hooked up to the fetal heartbeat monitor. The nurse asked me if and when I wanted an epidural:
Nurse: "What would you rate your pain at on a scale of one to ten?"The anesthesiologist came in within 45 minutes and I signed my life away. The epidural was in full effect by 12:15 PM.
Melanie (by the way I hate this question): "Oh, I don't know a five or six?"
Nurse: "What would you want your pain to be at when you get the epidural?"
Melanie: "I love epidurals. I've wanted this epidural since I was about 20 weeks along. So I would say about a three."
Nurse: "Okay, we'll get you that epidural."
Once again, my mind was relating back to Leah's labor and delivery. After I received the epidural it slowed my progress down a lot. I figured this time would be similar, I'd even brought some DVD's to watch while we were waiting. About an hour later the nurse checked me and told me I was a five with a bulging bag a water. She asked if I would like the resident on call to come in and break my water. I agreed, but within minutes of that request my water broke all on it's own. Another hour passed and I was a seven and 90% effaced. "Wow! This is going much more quickly than I expected," I told Matt. He agreed, and we popped in the movie HITCH anyway.
At 2:45 PM my nurse came back in to check the baby's heartbeat. His heart rate was fine, but the monitor wouldn't stay in place so they couldn't get a consistent read on him. She asked me if it would be okay to put an internal monitor on him (they go in and attach it to the top of the baby's head), I agreed. At 3:00 PM the nurse came in to see where his head was to attach the monitor, and as she was checking me she said, "Oh! Well, let's just have a baby instead. You're fully dilated and fully effaced. I'm going to call Dr. Loewen." My reply, "Are you serious? Okay." Bless that epidural!
Five minutes later, Dr. Loewen and two other nurses joined us in the delivery room. They proceeded to get ready for our arrival. At 3:15 I started pushing. I'd been gearing up for this part, and was quite nervous. During Leah's birth I pushed for a long time. I remember feeling that the room was very crowded with a low hum of noise and activity. This was a completely different experience. The sun was shining, the nurses were quietly, patiently waiting and Dr. Loewen was coaching me along fantastically. Matt and the nurse helped me out, I gave three big pushes and said, "Am I even doing anything?" Bless that epidural again! Dr. Loewen replied with this, "Yep, his head is out." Once again I was flabbergasted! Was it really going to be so much easier? Dr. Loewen continued to coach me, "Just a little push- okay, now a slightly bigger push. Now give me a little push." After a minute of that, his shoulder was caught, it was all over.
He was here.
Parker Ogden Quinney had made it.
Taking his first breaths of air at 3:17 PM on Wednesday, March 3, 2010, Parker weighed 9 lbs. 1 oz. and was 22 inches long. He had some dark hair along with those trademark chubby cheeks. I immediately knew this baby's face as he looked so much like Leah. All of our family and friends remark on how much Parker looks like his dad. I couldn't agree more.


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Longtime Perry Ellis CEO George Feldenkreis to step down
George Feldenkreis — a Cuban refugee who got his start as a small importer of guayaberas in 1967 before taking over New York fashion house Perry Ellis International 32 years later — announced Wednesday that he will step down as the company's chief executive officer in January 2016. His son, Oscar, will take over day-to-day operations.
Feldenkreis, 79, will continue in his role as chairman of the global retailer, although his title will become executive chairman.
"It's not a goodbye," Feldenkreis said in a telephone interview. "I will still be very involved with strategic decisions. But I'm getting to a situation in life where I want to be able to spend some times helping the charities I'm involved in."
Feldenkreis is a trustee of the University of Miami and sits on the board of directors at the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, the Simon Wiesenthal Center and the American Friends of Rambam Medical Center.
The company best known for its colorful, casual men' clothing has struggled to break a profit in recent years as some of its smaller brands failed to grow. The company's best known fashion lines include Perry Ellis (its premier brand), Original Penguin, Jantzen, Savane, Cubavera and Rafaella.
Perry Ellis missed revenue targets at the end of last year as its supply chain broke down during a slowdown at West Coast ports, and faces a proxy fight from an activist investor based in California. The publicly traded company is a major employer in Florida with more than 1,000 employees.
Results improved in the first quarter of 2015 as the company beat analyst expectations, reporting $266 million in revenue for the quarter, up 3.5 percent. The company's stock is up 10 percent since the announcement.
Feldenkreis came to Miami in 1961, seeking a visa for his son Oscar. Then came the Bay of Pigs incident. There was no going back.
"For a Cuban refugee that came here with $700, it's a great American story as far as I'm concerned," Feldenkreis said. "I'm so proud to be in America. This could only happen in America. Whatever I have achieved, I owe it to this country."
The financier Carl Icahn, a friend of Feldenkreis for many years, called his accomplishments "incredibly impressive."
"Although I don't own Perry Ellis, anyone that bought the stock over the last few years must be extremely pleased with the profit on their investment," Icahn said in a telephone interview from his office in New York.
Perry Ellis' stock tumbled to $3.60 per share during the heart of the financial crisis. It now stands at $26.50.
The younger Feldenkreis, who will take over as CEO, has worked at the Doral-based retailer since 1980, becoming president and chief operating officer in 1993.
The retailer also faces a proxy fight from an activist investor, Legion Partners, which plans to run candidates for three open board seats at the next shareholders' meeting in July. The California-based investment firm has criticized the company's performance and said that its governance structure does not allow adequate, independent oversight.
Together with the California State Teachers' Retirement System pension fund, Legion owns 6.3 percent of Perry Ellis stock.
Although Legion has called for the separation of the chairman and CEO role in the past, the firm's managing partner Chris Kiper said Wednesday that Feldenkreis stepping down as CEO did not go far enough.
"More change at Perry Ellis is required due to the domination of the Feldenkreis family," Kiper said.
Oscar Feldenkreis countered that the company has made progress by shedding unprofitable brands, opening up its own retail stores, and focusing on sales in Latin America and Europe, as well as e-commerce.
"We're a much, much more focused company today," Feldenkreis said. "I think we've made a lot of headway and changes over the last two years."
Feldenkreis has also been nominated for a seat on the company's board of directors, along with Bruce Klatsky, former chairman and CEO of the Phillips-Van Heusen Corporation, an apparel company, and Michael Rayden, former president and CEO of Tween Brands.


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I'm sharing the recent article written by Gyari Rinpoche, an article which I fully agree with. I think it is very well written.
I would also like to mention a few words about Rinphoche. I have been very fortunate to work with him, and also under him, for many years. I would say that he is one of few Tibetan officials that from the very beginning of our exile who has worked very hard. He also inspired many of us to take an active part in the struggle. He has good diplomatic skills and is respected by many officials worldwide.
I, with due respect to Jamyang Norbu, do read his articles, but I wish that he with such great knowledge would lead more young Tibetans in the right direction for our struggle. Jamyang Norbu la should have constructive suggestions for the struggle, rather than criticising His Holiness who has done so much for the Tibetan people, and who has kept the Tibetan struggle alive after so many years. He has also kept the Tibetan people together. We are lucky to have such a great leader, despite our current situation. There is too much criticism towards His Holiness. His Holiness is the leader and a symbol of the Tibetan people inside and outside of Tibet.
Here are the links to Gyari Rinpoche's article which I encourage everyone to read.
Status and position of the Tibetan Youth Congress when it was initially established, and some issues pertaining to the just cause of Tibetan struggle: http://www.lodigyari.com/en/statements/1
༈ བོད་ཀྱི་གཞོན་ནུ་ལྷན་ཚོགས་ཐོག་མར་བཙུགས་སྐབས་ཀྱི་གནས་སྟངས་དང་ ལངས་ཕྱོགས། དེ་བཞིན་བོད་དོན་བདེན་པའི་འཐབ་རྩོད་དང་ འབྲེལ་བའི་གནད་དོན་གལ་འགངས་ཆེ་བ་ཁག་གཅིག


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What is Meals from the Market?
Meals from the Market is DCP, Inc's biggest fundraiser event. It is a series of meals in September and October that DCP enthusiasts offer to have at their home, restaurant or other venue. The meals have different themes and numbers of attendees. All the meals are donated by the hosts and the ticket sales go straight to DCP, Inc. If you are interested in hosting a meal and/or attending one, keep your eyes out for the brochure that will hit the streets in August as well as checking out the DCP website for information.
Posted in: Meals from the Market


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Showing items tagged with 'helsinki':
All posts
October activities: Radio of Changes @ Urbanapa x Ateneum, talk in Nashville
December 27, 2018 10:11
Hi! I am part of the Radio of Changes project with Emily & Roy Boswell. We are conducting live hexagram readings on the top floor of Ateneum museum in Helsinki all this week, for a radio broadcast that goes throughout the festival. The hexagram readings will be broadcast as well as some radio dramas we have worked on, interviews, documentation of the festival and some other content. More information (and our hexagrams, which can be consulted online) can be found at www.ofchanges.fi.Read more
Kuusi Palaa: view from within season one
April 25, 2018 11:04
The Biathlon system that I have been co-developing since 2016 has been in use at Kuusi Palaa, a cooperatively operated project space in Helsinki. Kuusi Palaa opened on 1 March 2018 and will run at least until the end of June. The idea for Kuusi Palaa was to continue using the Biathlon tools that Temporary used (and operating in the same physical space), but to further decentralise the financing and become a legal cooperative. So now, instead of just the content and day-to-day operations being spread over a large and open mix of people, the paying of the rent and bills is also shared.Read more
About Temporary (donate, please!)
April 25, 2018 10:46
Since September of last year, my day-to-day attention has been focused on Temporary, which we call a 'sandbox for practice-based research into experimental interactive formats' in Helsinki.Read more
Serious Introspection series (?) finale
July 17, 2016 16:38
For the last episode of Serious Introspection, filmed on 13 April 2016, we did a short set as the opening act of the 2016 Lal Lal Lal festival. But first, we brought Marianna Keisalo (last seen in S02E01 back on stage to catch-up on her life as the hardest working standup comedienne/anthropologist in Helsinki. Marijn aka Red Brut was up next, and then we welcomed the Mental Alaska group, organisers of the Lal Lal Lal fest, to officially open the festival and officially close out Serious Introspection.Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 7
July 17, 2016 16:27
It was great to have Tuukka Asplund fill in as Hype Man for the last two episodes of Serious Introspection's second season. In episode 7, we first welcomed the inimitable Olaf Möller to discuss his approach to teaching cinema, Finnish cinema, and some childhood memories. Then we welcomed the equally inimatble Mari Keski-Korsu to talk a bit about her work, the forthcoming 2016 Pixelache Festival, and to demonstrate her study of Baltic sauna whisking techniques. We additionally celebrated this being our last "full" episode, sang a tribute to Justin, and reviewed some festival experiences together with Ernest. And we tried to phone my parents, but they didn't answer. This episode took place way back on the 6th of April, 2016.Read more
SI at IHME episodes 5 and 6
July 17, 2016 16:03
And finally, the last two episodes of Serious Introspection from April's IHME Päivät festival in Helsinki. These shows were both recorded on 3 April and we moved the outdoor concept indoors due to bad weather. The first show is a roundtable discussion with a handful of young artists who were part of the Marathon event that evening: Nestori Syrjälä, Pekka and Teija Isorättyä, and Eero Yli-Vakkuri (joined by Ernest and Justin of course). The final episode was with manifesto reader Hannu Väisänen and bonus guest Inga Lace.Read more
SI at IHME episodes 3 and 4
June 20, 2016 14:10
The second day of IHME Päivät, 2 April 2016, found us again hosting two episodes of Serious Introspection. The first of the day found busker Stephen Paul Taylor and festival keynote speaker Jan Verwoert meeting for a lively outdoor interview. For the second interview, we moved inside due to weather and spoke with Päivi Raivio and Robin Ellis, leaders of the poster sceening workshop, the great Pierre Bastien, and curator Hamza Walker.Read more
SI at IHME episodes 1 and 2
June 06, 2016 05:33
Here are the first two shows from the IHME Päivät festival, which took place in early April 2016 in Helsinki. We set up these shows outside, on the 'stage' next to Vanha where the festival was taking place, and throughout the weekend interviewed a variety of festival participants hoping to promote it to the general public. On Friday, the first show was with Pontus Kyander and Aleksis Salusjärvi, and later we had a very cold session (temperature-wise) with festival director Paula Toppila and IHME 2016 artist Katerina Seda. These interviews are a bit of a different flavour than what we normally did during the Mad House shows but showcase the work of our for-profit division, SI Services (available for hire for your party, wedding, bar mitzvah or corporate event).Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 6
June 05, 2016 12:38
Serious Introspection actually ended awhile ago, but due to general life commitments I've been way behind on getting the videos edited and posted. So with many apologies, here is the belated episode 6 of season two, which actually took place way back in March. I had the flu and almost canceled the show, but instead I turned up and let Justin take charge, and this turned out to be either the best or worst episode ever depending on your taste. My old friend Hanna Tuulikki, from the UK, was in town to talk about her residency at Saari, and Kimmo Modig came up to help carry the show since I was pretty much delirious.Read more
SI at IHME Päivät 2016
April 02, 2016 19:20
Posting this a bit late, but we are hosting Serious Introspection shows as part of the 2016 IHME Päivät festival, in Vanha Ylioppilastalo (Mannerheimintie 3). Yesterday we did our first two shows and we follow with two today and two tomorrow. These shows are taking place on the 'stage' outside, in the Kaivopiha area immediately to the left of Vanha (or out the back door of the café). Ernest will be accentuating Justin and I as usual with his tweets, and we will post these as fast as we can edit them.Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 5
April 01, 2016 08:47
We've been a bit behind schedule on editing videos, but here is the video from episode 5, which took place on 23 March 2016. Our guests were 110% (Lachlan and Beth), Marek Pluciennik, and the mysterious Mirva. Agnieszka also joined to talk about our trip to Prague. We had some live performance art, and we talked about film and depression too. Ernest sent in a travel report from Madrid, too.Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 4
March 19, 2016 06:28
Serious Introspection season 2, episode 4 took place on Wednesday, 16 March 2016 at Ihana Baari in Helsinki and featured Tuukka Asplund and Kira O'Reilly as guests. We talked about life in Helsinki, ecology and trans-disciplinary approaches to performance, British complaint culture, and the value of making stuff or not. Also, we sang some karaoke, went to Estonia, tried to call Ernest, and spoke again with my parents.Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 3
March 15, 2016 13:26
After some delay (sorry, I am lazy when it comes to my video editing responsibilities), here is season 2, episode 3 from 1 March 2016. Martina Marti was on first to discuss her work Reverie with Gnab Collective, as well as the general balance of being an artirst vs. and administrator, and the different approaches to these topics. Then we had Juuso Paaso, who has been working with the Oranssi Pienlehtiarkisto, here talking about zine culture in Finland and his digitisation efforts. In addition, Justin and I settled some beef, Juuso and I sang a Daniel Johnston song, and I did a STRONG FIVE about the Uberman Sleep Schedule. Ernest provided his tweets, seen here on-screen and followable @room4error via #SeriousIntrospection.Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 2
March 01, 2016 11:25
This week we had Juha Valkeapää to talk about his production 2341 AD, and Malin Gustavsson who explained a bit about her work as a diversity consultant. We also channeled the spirit of a country and western supergroup, phoned John's parents, and met the Pope Urban VII of Mad House Helsinki. As always, it couldn't happen without Justin Tyler Tate (world's best hype man), Ernest Truely (follow @room4error!), video master Lotta Blomberg, and sound master Joosep Tormis.Read more
Serious Introspection season 2 episode 1
February 14, 2016 08:15
We started the new season of Serious Introspection last week at Mad House, and we came back strong (I hope). Guests were standup comedienne/anthropologist Marianna Keisalo, Kosminen and Khaos Publishing's Helen Korpak and Iina Esko, and Brasilian artist Paola de Ramos. We debuted some new segments, enjoyed the strange glow of a 4:3 aspect ratio projector, and enjoyed seeing the audience again. Plus, balls.Read more


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Dave Munger in The end of the RSS experiment presents the results of data collected to analyze what happened when his web site Cognitive Daily turned off partial RSS feeds and substituted full RSS feeds. A reduction in site page hits corresponded to the publishing of the full RSS feeds, presumably because feed reader users had no need to return to the web site -- where ads are visible.
Munger suggests that one option to continuing with full RSS feeds would be to embed ads within the feeds themselves; that way visitors to the site and feed readers would see the ads.
Comments to Munger's post include those who feel that an advantage of full feeds is specifically that ads are deleted by most feed readers, so embedding ads would be counterproductive.
Another commenter points out that an inherent advantage of returning to the original post, even when full feeds are available, is the ease with which comments can be tracked.
I am a believer in full feeds for what I publish here on All Kind Food. But I don't publish ads. I'm aware that my publishing full feeds (such as this one, for my "Managing Technology" section) means that readers of the feed can substitute the full feed for a visit to All Kind Food.
Based on a regular review of my own web site statistics, I've concluded that this probably results in a net increase in eventual visits to my web site, simply because more people are potentially reading my posts when they scan through their feed readers and feed aggregators.
Besides, my goal is to get my stuff read, not to sell advertising. My site is basically one big ad for me and my consulting services, so the more people who visit wherever my stuff shows up -- assuming the outlet preserves the basics of my original post and its content, which I know is not always the case -- I'm happy, even if I don't really have a good handle on the total number of readers.
I am a believer that the more one is published, the more likely it is that someone will read one's publications, either because the publication was referred from another site, it was subscribed to already, or it was located via a search engine search. A full RSS feed amplifies the number of potential exposures to potential readers, so I'm happy with that.
Would I feel the same if I did publish advertising, knowing full well that people could substitute an ad-free full feed for a visit to my site? I can't really say. Intuitively I believe that more feed readers will eventually net out a larger total readership for my original posts, especially among those who are potential returning readers. But I don't have any data on that.
I do know that I get a significant number of referral hits to my blog when one of my posts is picked up on the front page by Social Media Today, an aggregator I belong to. Since Social Media Today posts the entire feed, why would anyone come to my site from there if they can already get the full post there? The answer to that question, I guess, is that readers might be interested in seeing what else I have published and coming to my site is an easy way to follow up that interest.
Also, I'm not opposed to ads, even though I would prefer they not show up in the feeds I subscribe to and read regularly. Intrusive or ugly ads definitely do keep me from returning to a site; for example, I rarely anymore visit a Sys-Con Journal where I once published some articles on "web 2.0 adoption" since the advertising experience is such a turn-off. Also, I can tolerate Facebook ads but not MySpace ads.
So I guess I would suggest to the folks who are reluctant to publish full feeds for fear they will reduce ad revenue is -- if you need to publish ads, fine, but at least try to improve the ad experience on your site so that ad content is an inducement to visit your site, not a detractor.