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I've made my submission to the Electoral Commission's MMP Review. Can you say the same?
The deadline for those wanting to make oral submissions to the Electoral Commission's review of MMP is today. Of course, I'm not one to miss a chance to open my big mouth, so I snuck my submission in last night - as did others equally enamoured with the intracacies of electoral system design and regulation. God, we're a sad and pathetic bunch.
If you haven't had a say yet, don't worry. You can still do it here, up until May 31 ... it's just you won't be able to speak directly to the Electoral Commission about what you think.
Anyway, I've posted my full submission below (all 5000 words of it - sorry!). I've already covered the first issue (the threshold for entering Parliament) in a previous post, so forgive the repeat performance. But on the other issues, I surprised myself by how conservative I am. Basically, I think MMP is working pretty well and should be left pretty much as is.
Now - tell me why I'm wrong.
1. The thresholds for the allocation of list seats
1.1 I note that there are two alternate thresholds that a party may surmount in order to share in the allocation of list seats. The first I shall term the "Party Vote threshold", whereby a party that gains 5% or more of the Party Vote is entitled to share in the allocation of list seats. The second I shall term the "Electorate Seat exception", whereby a party that fails to meet the Party Vote threshold nevertheless may share in the allocation of list seats if one or more of its candidates win an electorate seat. I shall discuss the Electorate Seat exception first, then the Party Vote threshold.
1.2 The original reason for adopting the Electorate Seat exception is not entirely clear to me—the Royal Commission's recommendation that it be included in New Zealand's MMP model was not supported by any argument. I suspect it simply was carried over wholesale from the (then) West German example (where it exists because of the potential for regional parties that have support in particular areas of that federal country but are not popular enough nationally to break the 5% threshold), without really considering its relevance for a New Zealand environment.
1.3 Thus, the only possible justification for the Electorate Seat exception that I can discern is that it helps to rectify some of the disproportionate outcomes that would result from simply having a 5% Party Vote threshold. That is to say, the Electorate Seat exception serves as a de facto way of easing what otherwise is an overly restrictive limit on parliamentary representation. However, I think that it does not do this job particularly well, and that using it for this purpose creates problems of its own.
1.4 First of all, the Electorate Seat exception has been hit-and-miss in its maintenance of proportionality. Most notoriously, Rodney Hide's victory in Epsom in 2008 meant ACT's 3.65% of the Party Vote brought 4 other MPs into Parliament, while Winston Peter's loss in Tauranga meant NZ First's 4.07% of the Party Vote was wasted. Equally, in 2002 Jim Anderton brought Matt Robson into Parliament with him by winning Wigram and getting 1.7% of the Party Vote. But in 1999, the Christian Heritage Party's 2.38% of the Party Vote was wasted—not to mention the Christian Coalition's wasted 4.33% in 1996. So at best, the Electorate Seat exception retains proportionality for only some lucky players. This seems inherently unfair and contrary to the underlying principles of MMP.
1.5 Second, the Electorate Seat exception only helps retain proportionality by (ironically) giving the voters in particular electorates a disproportionate say regarding the overall composition of Parliament via their Electorate Vote. So, voters in electorates like Epsom, Ohariu, Wigram, etc are able to "double dip", in that their Electorate Vote helps ensure one party is represented in Parliament whilst their Party Vote helps elect list MPs for another party. And voters in such electorates do consciously double dip, as the split Electorate/Party Vote statistics demonstrate. In contrast, it does not really matter whom the voters in seats not being contested as "electorate lifeboats" cast their Electorate Votes for—this will not alter the overall shape of Parliament one iota.
1.6 Third, smaller party reliance on the Electorate Seat exception opens the way for inter-party deals over the outcome of the vote. Not that there is anything illegal about one party giving a message (explicit or tacit) to their supporters that they should cast their votes for a candidate from another party. However, it seems fair to say that such spectacles have not gone down well with the voting public; indeed, they have been one of the main grounds for dissatisfaction about MMP.
1.7 Consequently, I recommend that the Electorate Seat exception should be abolished.
1.8 I further recommend addressing the only possible justification for the Electorate Seat exception's existence—to rectify some of the otherwise disproportionate outcomes that would result from simply having a 5% Party Vote threshold—by lowering the Party Vote threshold. A few preliminaries on this issue, before I say what I think should be done about it.
1.9 First of all, for me the only good reasons for having any Party Vote threshold at all must stem from claims about the functioning of the legislature or government. In other words, I do not put much stock in arguments that without a Party Vote threshold you might get "silly" or "extremist" people elected to Parliament. Using a threshold to save the voters from their own (allegedly) poor choices seems overly paternalistic in the New Zealand environment. (I note that in other jurisdictions—such as Germany—there may be historical reasons for wishing to ensure "extremist" parties are not able to gain representation in the legislature; I do not think those reasons apply here.)
1.10 That said, there still are a couple of matters that I think need taken seriously. The first is the risk pointed to by the Royal Commission back in 1986: without a threshold, Parliament could become so fragmented amongst small political parties that the difficulties of putting together (and maintaining) a governing coalition will impair effective government. And effective government is a good thing that we ought to seek to preserve.
1.11 The second has to do with the functioning of the legislature. MMP is designed to enable parties to place representatives in Parliament to engage in lawmaking/governing. But to be able to effectively engage in lawmaking/governing, you have to be a part of a team of like-minded people and not a lone gunman. Of course, a single MP can act as an occasional flag-waver for her or his supporters on the floor of the House, or may even be able to trade her or his vote into a measure of executive power. But their parties are, for all intents and purposes, non-contributors to the day-to-day functioning of Parliament.
1.12 I admit that there is no objective metric for deciding how important these matters are vis-à-vis the issue of proportionality (which is, after all, what MMP is meant to deliver). And the relative importance of each issue also depends on what the individual observer thinks is likely to happen if the rules on the Party Vote threshold are changed. Will parliamentary representation really fragment to a significant degree once voters realise that a vote for (say) the Aotearoa Legalise Cannabis Party likely will not be wasted? Or are politics in New Zealand now so stable that we have relatively fixed party loyalties that will not crumble into micro-party splinters?
1.13 Having said all that, my own view is that a Party Vote threshold of 2.5% is warranted. I think 5% has proven too high a threshold in practice, in that it has inhibited the emergence and establishment of new political movements. However, I think that (in the interests of creating a legislature that consists of actual parties (in the sense of teams of MPs) and is likely to continue to provide a stable basis for government) requiring parties to achieve a level of Party Vote support that will return at least 3 MPs to Parliament is still a desirable thing to do.
1.14 Consequently, I recommend that the Party Vote threshold should be lowered to 2.5%.
2. List members contesting by-elections.
2.1 There seems to me to be only one real reason for concern about this issue. The election of a list MP at a by-election almost certainly will cause a change in the numbers in the House, in that a party can gain an extra parliamentary seat through the list MP vacating their seat before being declared the MP for the electorate, and thereby get "replaced" in the House from the party's list. In other words, a win in a by-election may effectively result in two MPs from a party being elected, thereby distorting the proportionality of Parliament as established at the last election. I do not regard this "problem" to be sufficiently pressing to justify changing the law to bar list MPs from standing as candidates in by-elections.
2.2 It is important to recognise that MMP does not claim to guarantee a proportionately balanced Parliament for the entire parliamentary term; rather, it produces a (relatively) proportionately balanced Parliament based on the polling day results. The balance of numbers in Parliament may then change over the next three years for a whole host of reasons: parties may split asunder (or merge together); MPs may declare themselves to be independents or members of a different party; or an electorate MP may vacate her or his seat and be replaced after a by-election by a representative from a different party.
2.3 Consequently, any by-election always has the potential to create a "distorting" outcome, irrespective of whether list MPs are candidates or not. And there is no difference, in terms of overall proportionality, between a party winning an "extra" seat by taking an electorate off a competitor and it winning an "extra" seat by retaining the electorate and gaining a "replacement" list MP. So if the concern really is to prevent a change to the proportionality of Parliament, the answer would seem to be to get rid of by-elections altogether and just allow the party that holds the electorate seat to nominate the replacement MP.
2.4 Of course, this can never happen as voters hold a residual belief that they ought to be permitted to choose who is the best individual to represent their electorate as an MP. Consequently, if the voters in an electorate believe they ought to be the ones to choose a replacement electorate MP, and that choice always has the potential to "distort proportionality", then why restrict the voters' potential choices through barring list MPs from contesting the by-election? Insofar as the voters of an electorate see a difference between an MP sitting in the House as a list MP and sitting as the representative of their region, then it seems to me that they should be free to endorse a list MP as "theirs". Any argument that the list MP is already acting as a representative and so does not need to be chosen as the local electorate representative then can be deployed as a campaign message by the other candidates in the by-election, with the political marketplace left to sort out the rights and wrongs of the issue.
2.5 Indeed, barring list MPs from contesting by-elections could itself result in some quite distorting forms of political behaviour. Many list MPs already function as de-facto electorate MPs, in that they have a strong local profile that has been established over a number of elections. Preventing such list MPs from contesting a by-election in "their" electorates would deprive the voters of the opportunity of choosing between them and the new candidate put up by the party that currently holds the seat. Consequently, the list MP's party would have to select a new candidate for the by-election—who almost certainly will not then contest the next general election. This seems a somewhat odd state of affairs.
2.6 There then is a final, subsidiary argument that voters might not actually understand the consequences of electing a list MP as their electorate MP, in that they fail to realise it also will bring in a new list MP for the party concerned. So, for instance, voters may cast a ballot for Candidate A (who happens to be a list MP) without fully realising that if Candidate A wins then Individual X also will become an MP (as they are next on the party's list of candidates from the last election). However, barring individuals from standing as candidates on the assumption that the voters cannot understand the consequences of electing them seems a bad approach to take. For one thing, it is not clear why voters should be deemed unable to understand this particular consequence as opposed to any other consequence of their vote at the by-election (such as, for instance, depriving a Government of its majority in the House). For another, the potential "two-for-one" consequence of electing a list MP is something you would expect other candidates to educate the voting public on. If having Individual X enter Parliament really is a bad outcome, then that is a message Candidate A's opponents repeatedly will hammer. So once again, the political marketplace seems able to resolve this issue.
2.7 Consequently, I recommend no change to the law on this issue.
3. The rules allowing candidates to both contest an electorate and be on a party list
3.1 As far as I can see, there are two reasons why it may be thought desirable to prohibit candidates from running both in individual electorates and on party lists. First, it is alleged that allowing candidates to enter Parliament by both avenues allows individuals who have been rejected by an electorate to become MPs in any case. In particular, this is said to blunt the voters' ability to remove individual electorate MPs that they believe have failed to carry out their job properly. Second, the desire to retain a high list place as insurance against losing their electorates is said to make electorate MPs less interested in listening and responding to their electorates and more concerned with cultivating the favour of their parties. I believe both of these reasons are flawed, and furthermore that prohibiting individuals from running both as electorate and list candidates would have negative consequences.
3.2 At the outset, I simply cannot see any reason to generally prohibit candidates who stand in individual electorates—at least, those electorate candidates who are not sitting electorate MPs—from entering Parliament through the party list. Claiming that an individual candidate's failure to gain a plurality of the Electorate Vote in a particular geographical area somehow makes that individual unfit to represent the party based on the nationwide vote for it as a party completely misunderstands the way MMP works. The decision of individual electorates as to who will represent them as their constituency MP is no longer the fundamental basis upon which Parliament is selected. It is the Party Vote and the subsequent allocation of party list seats that accomplishes this task. Consequently, trying to create a rigid divide between electorate and list candidates seems to me to be an attempt to reassert a First Past the Post approach to representation that fundamentally is at odds with how MMP actually works.
3.3 There may, however, be an additional reason to seek to prevent "failed" electorate MPs—that is, MPs who previously have been elected via the Electorate Vote but subsequently lost the electorate contest to another candidate—from reentering Parliament through the party list. It is at least arguable that where an electorate has decided it no longer wants an individual to represent it as their local MP, a decision by the MP's party to featherbed the candidate on its party list should not be permitted to trump that judgment.
3.4 Before turning to the merits of this argument, I note that the problem (if, indeed, it is a problem) is not that great in terms of the numbers of individuals involved. After each MMP election, at most 5% of the MPs returned to the House are former electorate MPs who have lost their electorate seats. Furthermore, most such individuals either retire from Parliament before the next general election or are moved far enough down their party's list so as not to get returned. Consequently, the combined effects of bruised personal political ego and a party's desire for "fresh faces" means that the number of "failed" electorate MPs who remain in Parliament beyond the subsequent parliamentary term is very small indeed.
3.5 Whether even this small number of "failed" electorate MPs returning through the party list is a problem at all then depends upon an assumption that the Electorate Vote a candidate receives is a direct judgment on their qualities as an individual. This assumption is highly dubious. Even though voters have the ability to split their votes under MMP, the vast majority continues to "two tick" for the party they prefer. (And a non-trivial number of those who do split their vote will do so on the basis of the party that the candidate they are voting for represents, not who they are as an individual). It is thus extremely problematic to equate the decision of a plurality of an electorate's voters to choose an alternative candidate over a sitting MP with a judgment on the fitness of that MP to serve in Parliament. More likely, it represents the voters' changing assessment of the parties that the various candidates represent, with those assessments then flowing on to the decision who to choose as a local representative.
3.6 Furthermore, there are problems with what constitutes "the judgment of an electorate". Given that the boundaries of electoral districts are subject to regular revision, the fact that an electorate appears to have rejected a sitting MP in favour of another candidate may be attributable to a change in the identity of the voters making the judgment, rather than any assessment that the MP has failed to perform their role satisfactorily.
3.7 I do not think that the argument for preventing even so-called "failed" electorate MPs from returning to Parliament via the party list holds up. It simply fails to recognise the fact that the Electoral Vote in many (even if not in all) cases is not a judgment on the qualities of the individual candidate contesting it.
3.8 What, then, of the alternative argument that allowing candidates to stand both in an electorate and on the party list undermines their relationship with the electorate and makes them too dependant on their party's favour? Again, I think this is oversold.
3.9 First of all, there is no real evidence that I am aware of that electorate MPs under MMP are more beholden to their parties than was the case under First Past the Post (where all MPs were notionally directly accountable to their electorates). So the claim that MMP and the desire to obtain a good position on the party list somehow has made electorate MPs more likely to put their parties ahead of the voters in their electorates appears purely speculative. Furthermore, even if electorate candidates were prohibited from standing on the party list, there are reasons why they still would continue to owe a considerable duty of loyalty to their party. As already noted, party identification plays a big part in the voters' decision as to who to support with their Electoral Vote. And political parties not only choose which candidates to include on the party list, but also who to endorse in individual electorates. Furthermore, the desire for advancement within the party, in particular promotion to cabinet (if and when the party wins a place in Government), encourages MPs to be seen to be good team players. These incentives will remain in place even if an MP is forced to rely solely on the Electoral Vote to return to Parliament.
3.10 Equally, under MMP there are incentives for electorate MPs (as well as list MPs) to challenge party policies that they believe are out of synch with the wishes of their electorate. The same voter dissatisfaction that places an electorate-only MP at risk of losing her or his seat also will impact on the overall share of the Party Vote that the party receives. The lower the share of the Party Vote, the fewer party list seats that will be won—as well as the less chance the party will have of forming part of the next government. This basic dynamic of political competition works to keep individual MP's minds focused on the voters' wishes irrespective of how they came to be elected. Simply put, whether candidates enter Parliament through the Electorate Vote or the Party Vote, it's the same voters with the same view of their party's actions and policies that put them there.
3.11 Additionally, any move to prohibit candidates from standing both in an electorate and on the party list would have a range of foreseeable negative consequences. It would effectively stop parties running senior MPs in electorates where they are not guaranteed victory. Instead, senior MPs without a "safe" electorate base would become list-only candidates, thereby actually further distancing them from day-to-day contact with the voters. By the same token, electorates not considered "safe" by one or another party would likely see a reduction in the quality of candidates offered to them. All parties would have to seek out more candidates than currently is the case, which again can be predicted to result in lower quality candidates contesting the election. So, to give a concrete example from my own electorate, Dunedin North likely would go from having 3 sitting MPs contesting the Electorate Vote (and turning up to meet-the-candidates meetings, etc) to having 1 sitting MP doing so, with a range of "cannon fodder" opponents put up against him by the opposing parties.
3.12 I would make one last point here. I suspect the Commission will be encouraged to adopt a range of apparently clever ways to square the circle on this issue. So, for instance, I have seen suggestions that only those electorate candidates that receive more Electorate Votes than the Party Votes cast for their party in an electorate should be able to be elected via the party list. (The assumption is that this indicates the candidate is personally more popular than her or his party.) I would caution against any such rule, or other attempt to allow some electorate candidates to be able to be elected from the party list, while others may not. Such rules open up incentives to engage in gaming behavior, such as vote splitting by a candidate's opponents in order to try and disqualify her or him from entering Parliament. Equally, they can have unforeseen and quite unintended consequences. Instead, I would urge the Commission to retain a simple approach here, whether that be no rule at all (i.e. candidates may run both in electorates and on a party list) or a rule that candidates may not run in both capacities.
3.13 My recommendation is that the law in this area not be changed, and that candidates remain free to stand both as electorate candidates and on a party list.
4. The rules for ordering candidates on party lists.
4.1 I understand the concern behind this issue to be that while list MPs can claim a form of democratic mandate by virtue of their entering Parliament based on their party's share of the Party Vote, the closed-list nature of New Zealand's version of MMP means that that mandate is of a particularly attenuated nature. In particular, the way in which candidates come to occupy their position on a party's list may be opaque to those outside the party, whilst voters may have little idea which precise individuals their Party Vote is helping to deliver into Parliament (or, even worse, may think that their Party Vote is helping to deliver the wrong individual(s) into Parliament).
4.2 There are two (not necessarily mutually exclusive) ways in which this issue might be addressed. First, the selection and placement of candidates on a party's list could be made "more democratic" by tightly prescribing the ways in which parties must create their candidate lists. Second, the voters could carry out the actual selection of individuals to fill the party list seats directly—that is, an "open list" approach could be adopted. While I am less sure on this issue than I am on the others discussed, I think that on balance both of these approaches ought to be rejected in New Zealand.
4.3 Section 71 of the Electoral Act 1993 already imposes a requirement that political parties follow "democratic procedures" of a sort when selecting their candidates (be these electorate or list). However, the actual content of this requirement is not great; a candidate selection process that allows individual party members to "participate" in the selection by way of party officials elected by delegates at the annual party conference meets its terms (see the judgments in Payne v National Party of New Zealand and Payne v Adams). As such, it provides only the most minimal guarantee that the candidates endorsed by the party are those that the individual party members really want.
4.4 However, requiring parties to adopt some "more democratic" process of selecting and ranking their candidates—demanding, for example, that candidates are chosen on a "one member/one vote" basis—runs into the problem of party autonomy. The internal structures and rules of each party reflects the particular ideological views that the party exists to promote. So, for example, the involvement of unions in the selection of Labour Party candidates is a reflection of that party's emergence from (and ongoing commitment to) the organised labour movement. Equally, the Green Party's requirement for gender balance on its party list reflects that party's broad commitment to issues of social equity. The risk is that however attractive it may be to demand that political parties be "properly democratic", adopting prescriptive rules about how parties may (and may not) select candidates may effectively stop some parties from internally organising in ways that best meet their goals and beliefs.
4.5 By the same token, the claim that voters ought to be able to directly select which individuals they want to see entering Parliament from a party's list has an immediate appeal. After all, if those list MPs will be representing the voters, then surely the voters ought to get to say who they will be. However, there are both principled and practical problems with this claim.
4.6 The principled objection is that as the Party Vote is a vote for the party qua party, then it should be for the party as an organisation to decide (according to its own internal rules) who will represent it in Parliament. This is again an assertion of party autonomy; the party's determination as to who is best suited to promote the particular policies and principles it represents ought to be respected. (As an aside, I note that this principle has long been a part of New Zealand's electoral law; even under First Past the Post, voters were simply called on to endorse or reject those candidates the parties placed before them. There never has been a right for voters to "write in" a different candidate's name on the basis that they would rather a party had nominated her or him instead of the actual person endorsed.)
4.7 In terms of practical problems, there is the question of how an open list system would operate. One option would be for voters to cast their Party Vote directly for an individual candidate on the party list, with the candidates receiving the most such votes then filling the party's list seats. Thus, if 30% of the voters cast a vote for the various candidates on a party's list, then the party would gain 36-38 seats in Parliament—with the list seats the party receives being filled by the list candidates that received the most individual votes. However, while this may ensure the "most popular" list candidates enter Parliament, whether it really will solve the "attenuated mandate" problem is debatable. It can be predicted that the great bulk of votes will be given to the highest profile party candidates, the party leaders in particular. This may leave very few votes for other candidates, especially those chosen to fill the last list seats for the party. Simply put, if a list MP enters Parliament because (say) a thousand (at most) voters indicated they wanted to see her or him elected, I doubt this satisfactorily would answer complaints that list MPs have an insufficient mandate.
4.8 A second option may therefore be to allow individual voters to rank the party list according to their own preferred order, with the selection of individuals to fill list seats then being made according to the ordered preferences of the voters (however this is then discerned—presumably through some form of STV mechanism). This approach would have the benefit of being more nuanced than a crude "choose your preferred list MP" one. Again, however, I foresee problems with it. First of all, it would markedly complicate the process of counting votes and declaring who has been elected to Parliament (as well as making this a much more expensive exercise). Second, I think there are real questions about whether voters will have adequate information to conduct this ranking exercise—especially when party lists may have up to 60 names on them. Finally, I wonder whether voters really want to do so, or whether the Australian experience (where the vast majority of voters simply tick "above the line", thus endorsing the party's own ranking of candidates) will be replicated here.
4.9 On balance, therefore, I am of the opinion that whatever disquiet may be expressed about list MPs "not really representing anyone", the potential fixes to this problem trench too deeply on the right of parties to select who they think can best advance their programme, as well as raise some quite challenging practical issues of implementation.
4.10 I recommend no change be made to the law on this issue.
5. The effect of a party winning more electorate seats than its party vote share entitles it to.
5.1 I must admit to being largely agnostic on this particular issue. There seems to me to be no good answer to it, outside of allowing the House of Representatives to grow large enough to remove any effect on proportionality. However, as this falls outside the permitted grounds of this review, there is no point pursuing it.
5.2 I recommend no change be made to the law on this issue.
6. The effects of the ratio of electorate seats to list seats on proportionality in certain circumstances.
7.1 I do not see this as a particular issue of current concern. I note that in 2000 the Department of Statistics projected that in 2051 there will be 77 electorates and 43 list seats. Those numbers do not lead me to believe that there will be any real problems of proportionality caused before that date.
7.2 I recommend no change be made to the law on this issue.


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"Dollhouse" Season 1
a review by Darby O'Gill
What if you could do anything, be anyone, and nothing you did ever had any consequence? Take one part Quantum Leap, one part Charlie's Angels, add a truck load of Joss Whedon's imagination, and you've got one hell of a show. If you missed the first season of Dollhouse, you're in luck because the DVD is out now, and it's time for you to play catch up. A few of my friends tuned out after episode three, but as I told them, you really need to hang in there till episode six. Episodes one through five are basically stand-alone episodes, to please the network I would imagine, but episode six is a real game changer and is truly where the series shows it's full potential.
In Dollhouse we follow Echo, played by Eliza Dushku, a seemingly unwilling Active in the Dollhouse, an underground organization that for the right price will program human beings to fit your every need or desire. Actives have had their brains wiped, and are imprinted with new personalities, and abilities, that allow them to become anyone or anything to achieve their objective. What illegal underground organization would be complete, with out an obsessed F.B.I. agent determined to bring them down? Agent Paul Ballard, played by Tahmoh Penikett, finds himself filling that role, and the deeper he digs the more entwined he seems to get. When we first get to the Dollhouse, an Active, codename Alpha, has gone rogue, and in the process has left a trail of bodies in his wake. For some unknown reason Echo was spared. But, that's not the only unique thing about Echo. She also seems to be retaining, or recalling memories while in her wiped doll state, raising the question, can you ever truly clean a slate?
This show is a dream on so many different levels. For one, it's an actor's dream, because they can be a doctor, a lover, a spy, an assassin, or maybe just someone there to help someone that can't help them self. In episode four, Eliza Dushku and Dichen Lachman play the same character, when Echo and Sierra get imprinted with the same imprint. Two actors playing the same character, with the same traits and speech pattern at the same time! This is what truly makes this show unique. The cast is amazing! The amount of talent on this show, in front of and behind the camera, truly boggles the mind. The other thing about this show is that it raises smart and intelligent questions dealing with morality. Whether it be slavery, human trafficking, or just basic human rights, Dollhouse once again enforces the belief that mankind will always exploit and abuse any and all technologies they discover. I think the part I liked the most about re-watching season one, was knowing all the twists and turns, and being able to see things I might have missed the first time around. I'll say it once again; Dollhouse is an amazing television series! Don't believe me? Well, why don't you get the DVD, and tune-in to Dollhouse season two this year, and see for yourself? Feel free to thank me later.
DVD Special Features:
- 3 Audio Commentaries on Selected Episodes
Joss Whedon and Eliza Dushku do a commentary track for "Ghost," where they talk about the show's shoe budget, and while Eliza's strawberries maybe loud, Joss' tummy commentary is louder.
Joss Whedon does a commentary track for "Man on the Street," and talks about the importance of the turning point in this episode.
Jed Whedon and Maurissa Tancharoen do a commentary track for the infamous unaired 13th episode "Epitaph One."
I would have liked a few more commentaries on some more key episodes, but three is better than none.
- "Epitaph One" Never-Before-Seen 13th Episode
The infamous unaired 13th episode stars Felecia Day and Zack Ward, and takes place in 2019. I would suggest not watching this episode if you want to be surprised by the upcoming relationships and events of the Dollhouse series. It doesn't tell you the hows and whys, but it does show you things they hope to do with the series. Could be a spoiler for some; you've been warned.
- Original Unaired Pilot "Echo"
This is the pilot episode that Joss pulled the plug on and thus decided to take a three week hiatus to rethink the show opener. I for one am glad he did. The episode moves too fast and gives away way too much. But, it wasn't a complete loss, because they ended up cutting it up and sprinkling bits and pieces here and there throughout the season.
- Deleted Scences
- Making Dollhouse Featurette
A behind the scenes look at the making of Dollhouse
- Coming Home Featurette
The Cast & Crew share their stories and memories of working on other Joss Whedon shows, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, and Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.
- Finding Echo Featurette
A look at Eliza Dushku's important role as producer and star, and how she and Joss developed the idea for the show.
- Designing the Perfect Dollhouse Featurette
Joss Whedon takes us on a tour of the soundstage that houses the Dollhouse.
- A Private Engagement Featurette
The Cast & Crew talk about what their ideal doll would be.
DVD Special Features Rating:

subset: commoncrawl


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Waterproof glittery eye pencil for the lash line
Long-lasting, jet black kajal for the waterline
Soft and highly blendable pencil for the lash line
Buildable volume-enhancing effect mascara, from natural to intense
Horizontal-edge brush with synthetic fibers for applying eyeliners
Brightening eye base that improves the hold and enhances the colour of your eyeshadow
muy bueno
Yeux de biche
Alta pigmentación y duración
Non male!


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In the grim darkness of the near future, there is only this game: Warhammer 40K: Space Marine.
An action title from noted strategy devs Relic, it's about Space Marines. And Orks. And Titans. That should be all you need to know.
Oh, and don't mind the fact that this is a developer diary; it's mostly made up of gameplay footage, so think of it as a trailer with commentary.


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This video comes to you courtesy of the folks over at AwfulAnnouncing.com, who point out that retired hoopster Reggie Miller and active Brewer Ryan Braun are neighbors in California. Tonight, the former got to watch the latter complete seven-eighths of an inside-the-park home run before falling flat on his face, thus earning applause.
Reggie Miller Takes In Brewers' Game, Neighbor Ryan Braun's Triple Trip [Awful Announcing]
Cardinals power past Brewers [Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel]


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HIV and Genital Herpes Among High-Risk Men Who Have Sex With Men (MSM) in Lima, Peru
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00023582
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : September 11, 2001
Last Update Posted : August 8, 2008
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this study is to provide biomedical and behavioral information that is necessary for planning and starting HIV prevention trials in Lima, Peru.
The occurrence of HIV is high among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Lima, Peru, and bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HSV-2 (genital herpes) are very prevalent in HIV-positive and -negative MSM there. Methods to reduce both HIV and STDs are urgently needed among MSM in Peru. The information gained from this study is very important for future HIV prevention and vaccine trials that will take place in Peru.
|Condition or disease
|HIV Infections Herpes Genitalis HIV Seronegativity Syphilis
HIV incidence is high among MSM in Lima, Peru, and bacterial sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HSV-2 are prevalent in both recently and chronically HIV-infected MSM as well as HIV-uninfected MSM. Bisexual HIV-infected MSM could be an important "bridge" transmitting HIV and other STDs to women. Interventions to reduce both HIV and STDs are urgently needed among MSM in Peru. Given these associations and the high prevalence of STDs among MSM in Lima, prevention of HIV infections is dependent partially on innovative methods to control bacterial and viral STDs among high-risk HIV-uninfected MSM. The data from this prevention preparedness study is critical for future HIV prevention and vaccine trials that will be conducted in Peru.
All MSM are counseled and tested for HIV, HSV-2, and syphilis at the screening visit. [AS PER AMENDMENT 07/23/02: The syphilis test results are provided at screening, whereas the HIV and HSV-2 test results are provided at the enrollment visit.] High-risk HIV-uninfected MSM in Lima, Peru, are enrolled. Men are interviewed about risk behaviors in the past 6 months. Trained counselors provide risk-reduction counseling according to locally accepted standards. Men are followed at 3-month intervals for 1 year to determine the incidence of and risk factors for prevalent and incident HIV and HSV-2, and to evaluate the effectiveness of retention strategies. In the baseline questionnaire, 2 additional modules address sexual networks and willingness to participate in HIV vaccine or prevention trials, including an acyclovir trial. Study data are collected and entered into a local database.
|Study Type :
|Enrollment :
|250 participants
|Official Title:
|HIV Prevalence, Incidence and HSV-2 Prevalence Among High-Risk MSM in Lima, Peru
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria
Volunteers may be eligible for the initial screening visit if they are:
- Men aged 18 years and older who have had sex with another man in the past 12 months.
Volunteers may be eligible for enrollment if they:
- Are able to stay on the study for 12 months;
- Are willing and able to provide information on how they can be located;
- Have had high-risk sexual behavior and have tested negative for HIV.
Exclusion Criteria
Volunteers will not be eligible if they:
- Have obvious mental problems that would prevent them from fully understanding and participating in the study.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00023582
|United States, Washington
|Rachael McClennen
|Seattle, Washington, United States, 98104
|Study Chair:
|Connie Celum
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00023582 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|September 11, 2001 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|August 8, 2008
|Last Verified:
|November 2006
Herpes Genitalis
Risk Factors
Homosexuality, Male
Informed Consent
HIV Seronegativity
Herpes Genitalis
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Treponemal Infections
Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections
Bacterial Infections
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial
Spirochaetales Infections
Genital Diseases, Male
Genital Diseases, Female
Herpes Simplex
Herpesviridae Infections
DNA Virus Infections


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Hello again people I am back with my second tutorial for the day. In this next drawing tutorial I will be showing you how to draw a spooky tree. I know I said that I wouldn't put anymore Halloween or Christmas tutorials up, but I just had to draw a spooky tree because that is an essential part of Halloween. I mean if anybody tries to draw a haunted house or a graveyard you will need to know how to draw a scary looking tree right? Anyways when you draw one of these trees you can make any kind of scary face you want and you can also alter the position of the branches. One of my favorite looking spooky trees was from the Wizard of Oz. I don't know how many of you watched the movie but there is a part when Dorothy and the Scarecrow go looking for food and she finds an area with a few apple trees. As she begins to pick apples from the tree they come to life and scare the wits out of her. They basically said that she couldn't have some of their apples and then the tree slapped her. In this tutorial I will show you how easy it is to draw a spooky tree step by step. I really wanted to convey the feel of Halloween with this tree and I think I accomplished that big time. It came out awesome and I colored it wicked cool. I used my Wacom Intuos 3 drawing tablet along with Photoshop CS3. I hope you like this tutorial as much as I do. I will be back with more of some cool and fun tutorials in a bit so stick around people.
DragoArt members upload artwork and drawing tutorials! They are also allowed to leave comments on tutorials, profiles, etc. Many more features, as well; it's way better than just being a boring guest! Register Now!


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Stocks dropped slightly after the Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it was making no change to U.S. interest rates. In addition, the Fed's decision not to introduce a third round of quantitative easing when QE2 ends on June 30 had the market slumping.
In the announcement released by the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Fed said the economic recovery is continuing at a moderate pace, "though somewhat more slowly than the Committee had expected," with the labor market showing more weakness than anticipated. "The Committee continues to anticipate that economic conditions–including low rates of resource utilization and a subdued outlook for inflation over the medium run–are likely to warrant exceptionally low levels for the federal funds rate for an extended period," the FOMC said.
As economists had expected, the FOMC maintained the federal funds rate at 0% to 0.25% and expressed no plans for QE3. Quantitative easing increases the money supply by flooding financial institutions with capital in an effort to promote increased lending and liquidity.
In a wide-ranging press conference held after the announcement, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke (above) held to the FOMC script, but he did elaborate on a number of questions about where the U.S. economy is headed.
In particular, reporters pressed Bernanke on the Fed's use of the term "extended period," which has accompanied FOMC announcements for months. "We use the term 'extended period' not to be intentionally opaque, but because we don't know how long" the federal funds rate will remain at such depressed levels, Bernanke said.
Future rate policy will depend on how the economy, inflation and unemployment evolve. "If we do get job creation and inflation closer to expected level, we can look at an exit period," from keeping rates low, he added.
Bernanke predicted that U.S. growth will pick up in 2012 but at a lower pace of growth than the Fed had predicted in April. The Fed expects unemployment to decline near term to a rate of somewhere between 8.6% and 8.9% before heading even lower in 2012.
Looking at the debt crisis in Greece, Bernanke said the Fed is in close contact with European central bankers and talking about how to avert threats to European unity. Domestically, he said, the U.S. deficit crisis cannot be resolved with sudden and severe cuts, as threatened by Congress.
"It's desirable that we lower the budget deficits over the longer term and it is best not to have sudden fiscal consolidation in the very near term," he said. "I don't think that sharp immediate cuts in the deficit would create more jobs."
After the midafternoon press conference, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 50.06 points, or 0.41%, at 12,138. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 4.59 points, or 0.35%, at 1,2991. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 8.66 points, or 0.32% percent, at 2,678.
Anthony Karydakis, adjunct professor of economics at the Stern School of Business of New York University and senior economist at Commerzbank, said prior to Bernanke's press conference that the announcement held no surprises.
"Nobody was expecting any fireworks here. The environment was not conducive to any surprises. There was not much room for them to come up with anything unexpected," Karydakis said. "They did the sensible thing, which was to acknowledge the obvious, that there has been a slowdown on ground in terms of the recovery, but they attributed that with some confidence to transitory factors—the supply chain disruptions because of the Japan earthquake and the run-up in energy prices."
The Fed made no mention of further quantitative easing because there is no chance there will be a QE3 unless there's another catastrophic event such as the 2008 financial crisis, Karydakis asserted.
"Recoveries don't just roll over and die," he said. "It's very hard to derail a recovery in almost the third year of a business cycle. You don't. You can do some damage to the forward momentum of the recovery if you have some developments of the kind we did, and now Europe may potentially lead to trouble. For the economy to have another recession is not an easy proposition, and by the way, it has never happened. We love to talk about these things, but it has never happened."
Karydakis was also unsurprised that the announcement did not address recent news of the Greek debt crisis or theMoody's threat to downgrade the U.S. debt rating.
"Those will be questions for Bernanke later in the press conference," Karydakis said.
Read Bernanke Press Conference: The Message Was the Medium at AdvisorOne.com.


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You'll be a smarter cheese shopper after one of my popular World Cheese Tour classes. Join me there or inquire about a custom class. I teach around the country, too, so please check my calendar.
Planet Cheese
Cheese! You know you love it. Please enjoy my complimentary newsletter on all things cheese (products, people, places, recipes, news). Planet Cheese appears weekly in your Inbox and you may cancel at any time.
Do you have a project that requires an experienced food and wine writer or recipe developer? The food and beverage world is my beat. I collaborate on cookbooks, develop website content and create marketing materials for a range of clients. Contact me and let's talk.


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Thousands in Michigan face loss of jobless benefits
LANSING (AP) -- Thousands of people in Michigan could lose jobless benefits later this month if a federal program paying for emergency unemployment benefits ends.
The Detroit Free Press reports that about 87,000 people in Michigan would lose their checks Dec. 29 and new recipients would be looking at no more than 20 weeks of state support. The program is scheduled to end unless a deal to extend it is reached by Congress.
In the last extension, Congress pared back the potential length of benefits under the federally backed Emergency Unemployment Compensation program.
Gov. Rick Snyder and the state Legislature earlier cut the basic state unemployment benefit from 26 to 20 weeks.


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Take control of marooned Astro-Explorer, Captain Phoenix Valentine as you're compelled to explore, jump and ray-gun to survive the dangerous attacks of an alien planet's inhabitants. In order to get home, Phoenix needs to retrieve his space ship's power supply (a wind up key) and locate his tin rocket ship.
Only registered members can share their thoughts. So come on! Join the community today (totally free - or sign in with your social account on the right) and join in the conversation.


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Diabetes prescriptions soar to 45m
The number of drugs dished out to treat diabetes has soared as the condition continues to take its toll on people across the nation, new figures show.
In little under a decade, the number of prescriptions for the treatment of diabetes has risen by 66.5%, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
In 2013/14, 45.1 million prescription items - including insulin, anti-diabetic drugs and monitoring devices for the condition - were handed out to patients in England, an 18 million rise on the number prescribed in 2005/6.
Prescriptions for drugs to treat diabetes have soared as the obesity crisis grows
The HSCIC said that this equates to an average of 123,610 items every single day.
It also found that p rescriptions given out by GPs to manage diabetes cost the NHS £2.2 million on average every day in 2013/14.
HSCIC chairman Kingsley Manning said: "Today's report brings to light the rising costs for managing diabetes in primary care.
"Diabetes continues to be one of the most prevalent life-threatening conditions in England and now accounts for almost 10% of the drugs bill. Our latest data highlights the growing implications to the NHS and patients of managing this condition."
Local councils, which are in charge of public health in their areas, called on MPs to reinvest some money earned from taxing sugary foods and drinks into activity and weight management programmes.
The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents around 400 councils in England and Wales, said the money would be a "massive boost" to combating obesity - a leading risk factor for type 2 diabetes.
Jonathan McShane, of the LGA's Community Wellbeing Board, said: "The sheer numbers of people with diabetes shows the very real need to help more of the population improve their diets and lead healthy lifestyles.
"Diabetes has a significant personal cost to those afflicted and a huge financial cost to the NHS, the adult social care system and the economy.
"This is why the LGA is calling for whichever political party makes up the next government to reinvest a small percentage of the VAT received by the Treasury from the sale of sugary foods and drinks into locally-run activity and weight management programmes.
"This extra money would be a massive boost in the battle to combat obesity and diabetes and has the potential to improve lives and save the public purse many billions of pounds."
Simon O'Neill, director of health intelligence at the charity Diabetes UK: "This report reflects the growing scale of diabetes and the fact that the condition is leading to huge costs to the NHS.
"The dramatic increase in cases of type 2 diabetes which we have seen in current years is a huge factor in this spending which overall costs the NHS £10 billion a year. So if the Government wants to reduce this enormous cost - and we can't understand why it wouldn't - we need to see it intervening to ensure that the rise of cases is stemmed.
"One way of doing this is through the already established, but poorly implemented, NHS Health Check programme which has the potential to identify people at high risk of type 2 diabetes and give them the vital support they need to reduce their risk of developing the condition.
"We must remember that medication such as insulin is an essential treatment for people with diabetes to enable them to effectively manage their condition, reduce their risk of devastating complications and ultimately stay alive."
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|Image from here
We were at the library last week, exchanging books and idling away some time. Nugget spotted the over-sized chess board in the corner. His eyes lit up, he grabbed Doo Dah by the hand and they headed over to it for a game.
There was a little old woman sitting in a chair by the board. She was reading her latest find and looked to have settled in for the afternoon.
As I approached the boys at the chess board, arms laden with children's books, the lady was busily telling the boys that the chess board was for adults. "You're too young to play", she proclaimed.
Nugget's face dropped, but he stated "We play all the time. We know the rules. We play properly".
She wasn't convinced. "No", she said. "This board is for grown-ups".
I jumped in, reassuring her that I would supervise their game. The board was safe in their hands.
She humphed, looked on for a couple of turns, and then retreated to another chair in the library.
Nugget whipped Doo Dah's butt, but both boys had a fantastic time playing "big people"chess with great big chess pieces.
Did we encounter a case of ageism? Or just patch protection? Do you or yours enjoy a game of chess?


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DPO5034 Oscilloscope
Tektronix - MSO5000, DPO5000 Series
Designing with todays faster data rates and tighter timing margins requires an oscilloscope with outstanding signal acquisition performance and analysis capabilities. Tektronix MSO/DPO5000B Series oscilloscopes provide exceptional signal fidelity, with 2 GHz bandwidth and 10 GS/s sample rate, along with advanced analysis and math capabilities, on your bench and in your lab. Run Windows-based analysis software right on the oscilloscope. Point and click Visual Triggers enable you to capture complex signals with ease. MSO models include 16 digital timing channels, and all models can be equipped to decode common serial protocols, providing a comprehensive view of your systems.
- Bandwidth: 350 MHz
- Analog Channels: 4
- Max Sample Rate: 5 GS/s
- Max Memory Depth: 12.5 Mpts
- Operating System: Windows
- Form Factor: Benchtop


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AutoCAD LT for Mac 2019 CS+, Annual Subscription PROMO for older versions
No ratings. Art.No.: 827L1-WW8203-T409
General CAD software for Mac, technical design
Manufacturer: Autodesk
Discontinued product
AutoCAD LT for Mac 2019 CS+, Annual Subscription PROMO for older versions
Free Bonus tools CS+ including CAD Studio LT Extension!
Are you designing in 2D? AutoCAD LT is the right choice for you!!
It uses well known format DWG by Autodesk, which enables you to easy exchange data with your partners. With each new version is AutoCAD LT comming with additional functionality to increase your productivity and data sharing on Autodesk clouds.
In AutoCADu LT you will find all functionality you need for technical design, like:
- layers
- precision drawing
- smart dimensioning
- blocks and dynamic blocks
- revision clouds
- Windows/Office like use interface
- Autodesk cloud access
- large format printing functionality
- programable menu
AutoCADu LT introduction:
Customer who bought this product also bought:Write Product Review
CADStudio LT Extension Art.No.: S-0190109-0000
Adds a number of useful functions to AutoCAD LT toolbar.
CADStudio Traffic Signs, New perpetual license 3.1 Art.No.: S-0350329-0000
Collection of dynamic blocks traffic signs for AutoCAD and…
AutoCAD LT 2020 CS+ Art.No.: 057L1-WW2664-T964
General CAD software for technical design
Write a review. No review available for this item.


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Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano wasn't kidding when he said he'd call a blitz again on an opponent's "victory formation" if the situation dictated
The Bucs went after the ball three consecutive times Sunday at the end of a 16-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. But Dallas was ready for it. Schiano even took a timeout, yelled at his team for a while, then called the blitz one more time for good measure. The Bucs committed a penalty on the final play.
Relive every game this season online and on-demand with enhanced viewing features, including the "All-22" coaches film. Get NFL Game Rewind.
Schiano's unwillingness to bend to public pressure or NFL norms says a lot. Right or wrong, he's doing it his way.
That stubbornness didn't help with Tampa Bay's offensive approach. The Bucs still were ineffectively running the ball and wasting precious time late in the game when they trailed by two scores. They had 166 total yards in the game and gained just 26 on the first five drives of the second half. They had four negative drives in the game.
"We need to stop being known for the kneel-down play," Schiano said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. "We to start being known for winning games."
Schiano might be calling his victory-formation blitz all too often if his offense doesn't improve.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.


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Bruins Hold Off Alabama in NCAA Tournament, 62-59
March 18, 2006
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Jordan Farmar scored 18 points, including five 3-pointers, Arron Afflalo had 13 points and Ryan Hollins 12 in a 62-59 victory Saturday that sent the Bruins to their first NCAA tournament regional since 2002.
No. 2 seed UCLA (29-6) will play third-seeded Gonzaga (29-3) in Oakland, trying to get back to the Final Four for the first time since their 1995 national championship.
The Bruins hung on for their ninth consecutive victory despite missing seven of nine free throws down the stretch.
Ronald Steele scored 21 points for 10th-seeded Alabama (18-13), which had seven players available. Three players in uniform were walk-ons who didn't see action. Leading scorer Chuck Davis went down with a season-ending knee injury in January.
Twice in the final minute the Crimson Tide came within one point, but the Bruins had an answer.
Alabama closed to 57-55 when Steele scored over Farmar in the lane with 2 minutes remaining. Farmar coughed up the ball into Steele's hands at the other end.
Steele got fouled and made one of two, putting Alabama within one with a minute to play.
Afflalo got loose and launched a 3-pointer, keeping UCLA ahead 60-56 with 34 seconds left. Darren Collison fouled Steele on a 3-point attempt, and he made all three - the first two rolling around before falling in - to get Alabama to 60-59 with 21 seconds remaining.
Freshman Luc Richard Mbah a Moute got fouled and made one of two for UCLA for a 61-59 lead.
Steele's jumper fell short and fifth-year senior Cedric Bozeman grabbed the rebound with four-tenths of a second left, got fouled and made one of two before the buzzer ended Alabama's upset hopes.
Alabama tied the game at 38 on three straight points by Richard Hendrix and Jean Felix's basket off a steal.
Then Farmar hit his fifth 3-pointer, launching UCLA on a 15-7 run that equaled its largest lead, 53-45, since the start of the game. Afflalo made two 3-pointers and converted a fastbreak layup off Collison's steal in the spurt, when Hollins and Jermareo Davidson picked up their fourth fouls.
Then, Farmar and Afflalo had to sit down with their fourth and third fouls, respectively, leaving Collison to run the offense.
The Bruins opened the game perfectly, hitting their first five shots, including three consecutive 3-pointers by Farmar, for an 11-4 lead.
But after Hollins dunked off Farmar's alley-oop pass, the Crimson Tide switched to a zone that forced UCLA into a mistake-prone stretch. The Bruins ran the shot clock down to its final seconds while struggling to find a shot they liked, resulting in airballs and turnovers.
Alabama took its first lead midway through the half on an inside basket by Hendrix. Neither team led by more than four points before Steele hit two free throws for a 30-all tie at the break.
Dressed like he could staff a rental car counter, Alabama coach Mark Gottfried wore his old-school red jacket again, but lost in it for the first time since donning it late in the regular season.
Gottfried started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at UCLA, where he was on the staff for the Bruins' record 11th national championship in 1995.
The Bruins' latest victory came in the same city where John Wooden retired after coaching UCLA to its 10th NCAA title in 1975.
Tue 10/22 | 3:00pm PTLive
Football: Inside Pac-12 FootballTue 10/22 | 6:00pm PTLive
Wed 10/23 | 7:00pm PTLive


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On April 5, 2009, in the first foreign policy address of his presidency, President Obama expressed his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons. The realization of this vision, shared by a majority of citizens around the world, is vital to the very survival and future of our planet. We the people await the actions that are needed to make this a reality. Now is the time for the president and our leaders to put words into action. As we reflect on this vision and prepare to fund our budget and nation's priorities the choice is ours.
Meanwhile, we see a nuclear budget so vast that, for example, in 2012 Los Angeles County taxpayers contributed $1.8 billion straight out of their pockets. New York City taxpayers were required to pay $1.6 billion. To find out your city's or county's share, visit www.c-p-r.net. In effect, we are made to pay for our own mortal risk. This is unconscionable.
It is time to ignore the dinosaurs of old thinking who feel that massive arsenals of nuclear weapons and the huge costs to our society somehow add to our safety. Even our own military planners have recognized that our arsenals could be massively reduced to as little as 300 weapons as a strong first step. The outmoded idea of deterrence now only fuels the arms race and the desire of other nations to have nuclear weapons themselves, thus increasing their potential use either by design or accident. Any use of these weapons risk the potential for devastating consequences. A recent report by the Nobel Prize Physicians for Social Responsibility has identified that the use of as few as 100 weapons would damage the global climate and agricultural production so severely that the lives of more than one billion people would be at risk in a Nuclear Famine. We are now confronted by the fact that even unilateral use of these weapons can result in a slow but assured suicide. We have moved from the insane cold war doctrine of MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) to SAD (Self Assured Destruction). Is there any policy that makes less sense?
Get our best delivered to your inbox.
The theft of these dollars from every community in our nation could be more effectively spent on education, healthcare, infrastructure, energy conservation and development of renewable energy sources and many other programs that must compete for these nuclear dollars and that ultimately add for more to our security and wellbeing. In this time of budgetary debate and sequestration is this really the best we can do?
Speaking in Prague that April 5, 2009 President Obama said,
"the Velvet Revolution taught us many things. It showed us that peaceful protest could shake the foundations of an empire, and expose the emptiness of an ideology. It showed … that young people can lead the way in overcoming old conflicts. And it proved that moral leadership is more powerful than any weapon.
…as the only nuclear power to have used a nuclear weapon, the United States has a moral responsibility to act. We cannot succeed in this endeavor alone, but we can lead it, we can start it.
…Human destiny will be what we make of it. And here in Prague, let us honor our past by reaching for a better future. Let us bridge our divisions, build upon our hopes, accept our responsibility to leave this world more prosperous and more peaceful than we found it. Together we can do it."
The existence of these immoral weapons of mass destruction themselves are just such an empty ideology. As the greatest imminent existential threat to our future, every day that we coexist with these weapons is a gift. We must demand an end to the existence of these weapons. The people are leading. Now is the time for leaders to follow. Make your voice be heard.


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Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation
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Job Details
Full-time Counter Sales Rep -CO Springs Airport, CO
at Hertz Equipment Rental Corporation
Posted: 9/30/2019
Job Status: Full Time
Job Reference #: 180022
Job Description
LocationUS-CO-Colorado Springs
Posted Date1 month ago(9/10/2019 9:57 AM)
- Job ID
- 180022
- # Positions
- 1
- Category
- Sales - Sales
- Division
- Position Type
- Regular Full Time
General Responsibilities
The Counter Sales Representative is an essential member of the airport location team and is the brand ambassador, providing the fastest, easiest, and most valued experience to our customers. The Counter Sales Representative provides attentive, courteous service to understand the customer's travel needs, promote Hertz's products and services and resolve issues.
- Provide world class customer service by managing the rentals and returns process, in compliance with Hertz's policies and procedures
- Personally welcome customers using with a pleasant greeting, assist in answering questions in a friendly manner
- Resolve customer issues and concerns professionally using effective customer service techniques
- Effectively communicate and offer ancillary products and services to enhance customer's travel experience
- Emphasis on selling and revenue maximization on core products such as, but limited to, options to waive customer's responsibility of damage, fuel options and vehicle upsells
- Answer telephone calls in a timely manner in accordance with best practices and policy standards
- Liaise with various Hertz departments
- Achieve personal sales goals while supporting the goals of the team
- Answer questions and provide directions in a courteous and expeditious manner
- Qualify and process customer rentals with accuracy and attention to detail
- Accurately record the customer's information to complete the rental record and maintain all paperwork associated with the rental
- Maintain appearance appropriate for providing best in class customer service in accordance with established guidelines
- Drive continuous improvement by communicating customer feedback to team and engaging in action planning to improve operational performance and customer satisfaction
- Keep work area organized and free of clutter
Mandatory Requirements
- High School diploma or equivalent
- A minimum of one year of sales or customer experience in a high volume or service oriented environment
- Passion for customer service and attention to detail - Goes the extra mile
- Proven strong sales and closing skills and the ability to friendly, engaging manner
- Motivated to achieve and exceed targeted goals
- Strong computer proficiency, including typing skills and the ability to navigate through multiple computer systems
- Proficiency in English
- Good communication skills both written and oral. Communicate in English clearly and proficiently. Candidates fluent in other languages are encouraged to apply
- Work in a fast paced environment with a variety of tasks. Excellent organizational and time management skills
- Demonstrate professionalism and interpersonal skills
- Proven experience of working well within a team
- 100% customer focus, with proven experience within a customer facing environment
- Work flexible shifts including weekends and holidays; and work overtime as required
- Work outdoors during all weather conditions
- Stand for long periods of time


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Effortlessly attain word vocabulary, grammar rules and sentence structure as a downstream by-product of memorizing phrases.
Create your own phrasebook to prioritize which words and phrases are most critical for you to learn and when you want to learn them.
Exchange languages with a member who is fluent in your target language and seeking to learn your native language.


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Ben D necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 759 diseños de 135 diseñadores freelance.
I need a logo for my DJ Master Course website that is going to attract attention, is distinctive enough to be remembered and something that people can't help but click on.
Here is a general overview of how I will be rating all your designs. If your design gets 3 or less stars it means your work is not exactly what I am looking for.
1 Star - Wrong direction missing the mark.
2 Star - Has some elements we like.
3 Star - Getting closer, may need revisions or a different take on your design.
4 Star - Your design is being considered.
5 Star - You made the final cut!
NOTE:I am trying to get back to the designers on each entry with my thoughts, general ideas, comments or even new direction. I encourage you to keep your designs up if I haven't eliminated them as I could come up with something to make it work!
DJ Master Course
Iam after a cutting edge, logo design for a book I have written onlearning to DJ. The book will be sold online as a PDF style EBook through theDJ Master Course website (under construction). The design should work well inboth single and multi colour print.The ideal design is something that will be recognizable both on and offthe site; butmost importantly, the design needs to excite and connect to the aspiring DJ.
- Professional- DJ Orientated- Tagline (optional) I was thinking "The Fundamentals made Simple" but am open to creative suggestions.- The typing/fontis the most important, anything else added though would add to theoverall logo making it more distinctive!- The entire design must be original- Thelogo to be created in Vector format- I am open to any kindof creativity and will gladly give feedback as a guidance on the designs thatare submitted
- Norecycled logos- Anythingtoo abstract or complicated- The course represents both Vinyl and CD mixing so would be best tofocus the symbol away from a vinyl record or CD.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Google Fiber announced Wednesday it will use existing fiber optic cables in San Francisco to bring its gigabit Internet service to some apartments, condos and affordable housing properties instead of building the fiber from scratch.
Using existing fiber brings the service to residents more quickly, said Michael Singer, director of business operators at Google Fiber, in a blog.
Google has already tapped into existing fiber for a number of apartment buildings in Atlanta's suburbs. The company also is working with Huntsville, Ala., to use the city's planned municipal fiber network.
Singer also said that some public and affordable housing in San Francisco will be connected for free. A similar Google initiative was announced in early February for the Kansas City area, where up to 1,300 families will benefit.
In 2012, Kansas City became the first Google Fiber location in the U.S.
Google Fiber is committed to bringing the service to 10 metropolitan areas. In addition to Kansas City, Google Fiber is also now in Atlanta, Austin, Texas, and Provo, Utah.
In San Francisco, Google is working with the Nonprofit Technology Network to host a fellowship to teach people how to use computers to apply for jobs, set up email and use the web.


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It Screams "Martini," But We Hear "Indy Quad-Cam"
Your title here…
Steve Strope is a storyteller. Before the Pure Vision owner (PureVisionDesign.com) even builds a car, he tells its story in his head. This almost always involves a hypothetical mashup of eras, body styles, and racing design ethics, all juxtaposed in a way that would have never occurred in nature. What if the European Martini Racing rally team had a conversation with Ford during the freewheeling racing days of the '60s? What if Ford's feud back then were not with Ferrari but Porsche? Instead of building the GT40, perhaps Ford would have built a first-gen Mustang to go kick Porsche's butt in their own territory. Maybe someone like Ford's racing mastermind Fran Hernandez would have connected some dots, building a rally car powered by Ford's DOHC Indy engine. Enter the '66 T-5R Martini Mustang.
Mix history with a healthy suspension of disbelief, and it adds up. True: A '65 Mustang won the Tour De France road rally in 1965 under Alan Mann racing. True: In 1966, Danny Eames took an Indy Ford quad-cam engine, placed it in a '67 Mustang, took it to Bonneville, and set records. Problem: Martini Racing did not start until 1968. Problem Two: A '68 or '69 Mustang would not make a very good rally car visually (they're too big). Solution: Just dial the Martini look back onto a '66 model, and all's well. "Me taking all of this together is completely legit. I just took it differently," Strope says.
292 ci is very small for a V8 to make 420 hp. — Frank Honsowetz
Another reason why Steve chose a '66 Mustang rather than a bigger model was the ability to use Shelby R components. The car is filled with trick pieces that only a Shelby expert could spot, like the Shelby R radio-delete plate. The windows, door panels, handles, knobs, and other details came from Shelby/Cobra specialist Tony Branda. All those tidbits are cool, but, let's be honest, this car's more about the engine.
Four years ago, when Strope pitched a plan to a customer, he wanted to do a racing Mustang with a high-horsepower Cosworth four-banger. Strope says, "The guy told me, 'There's only one thing—I can't get my head around a four cylinder.'" Strope proceeded to argue that a lightweight, high-horsepower Cosworth would be rocking in the small Mustang, but the customer couldn't do it. We understand.
Quick Facts
– Between 4,600–6,100 rpm, it makes more than 350 lb-ft
– Peak torque of 362 ft-lb at 5,600 rpm
– There are different generations for these engines, but the only differences are internal. All heads and blocks are identical.
– According to the Ford Motor Company 1965 Double Overhead Competition Engine manual: 9,200 peak rpm for qualifying, 8,800 peak rpm for racing
– The engine now has a 10.5:1 compression ratio.
Strope, now on a search for a new engine, stumbled into Ed Pink Racing Engines. "Frank [Honsowetz, general manager] told me how that Cosworth wasn't for us. He said it would mean warming the oil before every startup and that the customer would hate it. He said, 'What about a Ford Indy engine?' I said, 'Like Jimmy Clark? You have one of those?' He said, 'We have four.'" He was talking about the 255ci, dual-overhead-cam V8s that were run in Indy cars from 1964–1978, and which Jimmy Clark had used to qualify No. 1 at the '64 race and win the '65 event. Tom Mashie, owner of Ed Pink Racing Engines in Van Nuys, California, even had the Ford prototype engine, one of Jimmy Clark's engines, and one of Parnelli Jones'.
1] Throttle plate diameter was 2.375 inches; now 1.825.2] Lunati steel billet rods andCP forged pistons.3} Originally 255 ci (3.760 bore, 2.870 stroke); Now 292 ci (3.780 bore, 3.250 stroke). 4] Ford 302 stroker crank. 5] There are 13 gears in the front cover. They run
the water pump, alternator, and all four cams.6] The engine has four mounts; the rear two are shared with the transmission. 7] This is an original distributor, but was altered internally to work with the Holley EFI.
Developed by Ford before the 289 was created, the quad-cam had roots in the Ford 260. It was far from an engine that would survive stoplight to stoplight, but the crew at Ed Pink had the solution. "We tried to get as much stroke in that engine as possible," Frank says. The original engine made all its power high into the rpm range, redlining around 9,000 rpm. "We needed it to be done making power by 7,000 rpm," Frank says. "Originally, the engine builders wanted the power to come in at 6,000–9,000 rpm, and didn't care what happened below 6,000. We need this thing to drive around like a V8." Stroking and boring the engine from 255 to 292 ci helped bring in the torque lower in the rpm range. They started by adding a ¼-inch-stroked 302-style crankshaft, only the front snout had to be altered to make it work. Lunati steel billet rods and CP forged pistons finished up the rotating assembly. The cams were specially ground according to Ed Pink's specs, and the old-school stacks now run on a Holley Dominator ECU and EFI components. The only problem was that the system was not made to run on individual runners, but with some tuning, the shop overcame that hurdle. The injector tubes were originally shorter and fatter but were made as long as possible while still clearing the hood to help build low-rpm power.
Normally in race cars, the exhaust exits in the middle of the engine in the valley, up and out of the middle rear of the car. The Parnelli Jones engine has the heads turned around with the exhaust exiting like a traditional V8, the same as the engine in Strope's Mustang. "This was done a little bit during the '60s," Frank says. This change in exit position was purely for packaging reasons. Check out how close the firewall is to the top of the engine. If exhaust exited there, it'd have to almost run through the dash—not pretty.
A combination of cam profile, increasing runner length and diameter, and the specific headers is how we got that power where we wanted it. — Frank Honsowetz
One major problem with making the Indy engine a street engine is that there is no mount for a starter. Indy engines used a handheld starter motor that a crewman would plug in, turn on, and then remove once started, so the engine has no bosses for a starter. Luckily, Quarter Master has a bellhousing that accepts a starter for a Y-block Ford engine, and Strope spent weeks locating an adapter that would work for the bellhousing, which has a pattern similar to that on a regular Windsor small-block.
The transmission is equally as special. C&R Performance, in Mooresville, North Carolina, builds specialty equipment for NASCAR teams, and designed and manufactured a four-speed transmission for NASCAR Sprint Cup cars. It weighs only 63 pounds: "You can carry that thing under your arm and throw it to someone else, it's that light," Strope says. It's been banned by NASCAR for being too light. The transmission in the Mustang is an off-the-shelf unit and unaltered. According to Strope, "shifting is unbelievably butter."
The front transmission mount/engine mount was custom-built, but the rear mount is all Ford Mustang. It's easy to remove either the engine or trans; remove one, and the other will stay in place on the billet-machined mounts. The top of the tunnel was left open on purpose: "That transmission is such a neat piece of art. I couldn't hide all of it," Strope says.
The T-5R will forever be known as the Martini Mustang for obvious reasons. But it's so much more than a fantasy paintjob. We think of it as the Quad Cam Special.
What's in a Name?
The T-5R badge was a special idea from Strope. T-5 was the designation of Mustangs that were shipped to countries where the word Mustang was not allowed—namely Germany and Canada—because there was a truck already named Mustang. Strope had the T-5R badge made and was surprised as to how many guys understood where he was going with it. His idea was, if this was a shipped car, it would be an R model, which did not exist.
Readers Rank It
Is this car firing on all eight? Here's the score from a poll of HOT ROD readers, 1 piston is the worst score, 8 is the best.
Overall: 7 pistons
Function: 7 pistons
Stance: 7.5 pistons
Engine: 7.5 pistons
Exterior: 7 pistons
Interior: 7 pistons
Vote on feature cars at HOTROD.com
The front suspension is the No. 002 prototype of Detroit Speed and Engineering's Mustang Aluma-Frame cast aluminum front clip. It includes everything spindle-to-spindle and has new suspension geometry and 6 inches of suspension travel, all on a super lightweight cast-aluminum cradle. With tubular control arms, adjustable coilovers, and rack-and-pinion steering, the front suspension not only saved a ton of weight, but it also eliminated the shock towers, giving the Indy engine plenty of room. The rear suspension is also Detroit Speed and Engineering; it's a four-link style with Panhard bar and 9-inch from C&R.


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Gaming linked to heroin, child death in latest attacks from UK media
The UK press is taking a couple of swings at video games again today, linking them to heroin and the death of a child.
Addiction headlines
Report - 1 in 10 children in Singapore addicted to games
According to a recently-released study, one in ten children in Singapore are addicted to videogames.
Britain gets first games rehab clinic
Britain now has a games rehab clinic. The Telegraph has the story. Apparently, "Suffers [sic] spend days at a time glued to their computer screens – going without food, sleep, or any social interaction." Broadway Lodge is a residential unit in Weston-super-Mare, and treats around 400 addicts a year for a range of issues including, […]
WoW rehab now available in the US
Addicted to World of Warcraft? Have $14,000? Live in America, or have access to an aircraft that can get you to America? Son, your boat's come in. Something called ReSTART's been launched in the US, offering a 45-day, $14,000 program that employs a "cold-turkey" approach to help people wean themselves from "pathological computer use," which […]
ESA calls out Iowa games addiction research
ESA boss Mike Gallagher has challenged an Iowa State University study that claimed up to 8.5 percent of game-playing American youths aged 8-18 show multiple signs of behavioral addiction. "As you are likely aware, such a sample is not truly representative of a national population group," Gallagher said in a letter to Psychological Science's Dr […]
Report: 3 million US children addicted to videogames
Whoops. An Iowa State University study has found that 8.5 percent of game-playing American youths aged 8-18 show multiple signs of behavioral addiction. From this Washington Post piece: The study found that 88 percent of the nation's children ages 8 to 18 play video games. With 45 million children of that age in the country, […]
MMO gamers are "addicts," says Pachter
Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter's called MMO players "addicts" in an interview with Reuters. "I don't think (online multiplayer games) get impacted at all, because people who play them are addicts," he said. "Losing their jobs makes them more likely to play because they have more time to play." There are some raw nerves in […]
Chinese fear games "breakdown traditional community life"
Very interesting article here, in which MIT professor Henry Jenkins argues that China's concern over the impact of games centres on addiction as opposed to the western political obsession with morality and violence. "The Chinese had little interest in the argument that games violence causing real world violence," he said, speaking from the International Games […]
Addiction latest
Gaming linked to heroin, child death in latest attacks from UK media


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Gov. Brown has $16 billion reasons to be embarassed -- and to change budget strategies. But he won't.
In an utterly frustrating video release this weekend, the governor of California revealed that the state budget hole out of which he's been trying to dig is nearly twice as big as he thought four months ago. The projected deficit, he says, is $16 billion, up from a January estimate of $9 billion.
But what's worse than the deficit was Brown's response: to continue on the same guaranteed-to-fail path he's been on since taking office nearly 17 months ago.
What's wrong with Brown's approach to the budget? The video, available above, shows four ways:
1. He's talking about the budget as a math problem.
Brown gives himself credit in the video, shown above, for bringing the deficit down from a supposed $26 billion when he came into office to $16 billion now -- as though this was progress on the way to balance. It isn't.
Brown has cut things and tried to raise taxes -- just like his predecessor as governor. But the deficit stays high, albeit bouncing around. That's because the deficit really isn't a math problem. And it doesn't work on common sense principles. You can't balance a $16 billion budget deficit in Calfornia by raising taxes by $16 billion or cutting the government by $16 billion. You'd still have a budget deficit.
Why? Because the deficit is a product of a broken system. That system is too complicated to produce predictable outcomes, so it can't be managed effectively. But in general, the system behaves like a ratchet, ratcheting up certain kinds of spending and ratcheting down revenues. A big reason why budget projections went up from $9 billion to $16 billion is because projections are impossible in this system. Another reason is that revenues didn't grown -- even though the economy is growing. The budget system doesn't have much to do with reality anymore.
But Brown, by talking about this as a math problem, is misleading voters--and raising expectations for himself and for his budget plans that neither he nor his budget will ever be able to meet.
2. His rhetoric is too personal.
Brown has been talking about solving the budget as some sort of test of experience and political know-how and fiscal toughness. If only it were--the governor, who has plenty of all three, would have solved it by now. But the budget problem is a different kind of problem -- a problem that can't be solved by guile or brute force.
But Brown's rhetoric -- and the rhetoric of his critics -- makes it harder to solve the problem, because the narratives that Brown and his critics rely upon are false. They talk about the budget as if it could be solved if politicians were just tougher or more experience or more honest. That's simply not the case. The fact is that no one can solve the current budget deficit -- because it's the product of a very complicated broken budget system that is beyond the ability of any politician to manage or balance.
3. He's overselling his temporary tax initiative as a balm for the budget, when it may well make things worse.
In this video, Brown says things that he can't know for sure are true. He says his initiative will help the schools--but, given the complexity of the underlying budget system, it's possible that the schools will be worse off funding-wise than they were previously even if his tax measure passes.
And it's weird for the governor to tout the constitutional guarantee in the initiative for local governments. Because that's the part of the initiative that has the potential to make the budget worse in the long term -- adding to the ratchet effect. Remember, this initiative includes only temporary tax increases -- which means in the long term this initiative doesn't add to the revenue base of the state. But the constitutional guarantee is permanent. Long run, that's a net loss for the budget.
4. He's not talking about the broken system.
Fixing the budget requires fixing the budget system, which means unplugging all of the tax and fiscal rules that ratchet up spending and ratchet down revenues. And to do these big budget fixes, a governor likely would have to embrace other kinds of political reform to make Sacramento politicians more accountable.
Brown doesn't talk about any of this. Instead, he talks about the budget as a "hole" that needs to be filled.
Please, Jerry, stop trying to throw dirt in that hole. We Californians are stuck in the bottom of it, with the mud already up to our necks.
Lead Prop Zero blogger Joe Mathews is California editor at Zocalo Public Square, a fellow at Arizona State University's Center for Social Cohesion, and co-author of California Crackup: How Reform Broke the Golden State and How We Can Fix It (University of California, 2010).
Send us your thoughts via Twitter @PropZero or add your comment to our Facebook page.


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PORTSMOUTH — The Gallery at 100 Market presents "Un-themed and Varied: the Winter 2013 Exhibit," which runs through April 26, with an artists' reception on Feb. 1, at 100 Market St.
"The title says it all. We occasionally put themes out to spark something new with artists. But generally twice a year we just leave things wide open and see what the submissions bring. The artists have never disappointed us," says Michael Simchik, gallery patron and 100 Market owner. "This exhibit is no exception. If anything it was more surprising than most."
The exhibit features 24 artists with works in photography, printmaking, acrylic, watercolor, oil, mixed medium and wood sculpture. The collection includes representational, abstract, expressionism, modern, and conceptual art.
The Lower Galleries,' (Floor 1 and 2), exhibit features the work of Regina Valluzzi, a doctor of physics, who now paints full time. The show features a series of paintings and sketched trees. The paintings, which feature a DNA double helical motif throughout, are highly textured and embedded with glass beads and lenses.
"The tree's branching form is often used to represent relatedness and diversity," says Valluzzi. "Combined with the double helical motif for heredity it becomes a comment on the commonality of species and on the molecular biological basis for heredity and diversity."
Cori Caputo is the Upper-Galleries' featured artist, (floors 3 and 4). Caputo, a long time seacoast artist known for her distinctive hand, also exhibits a series of trees in sepia and a range of full color works.
"I created these in sepia because it allows me to focus on composition, light and shadow," says Caputo. "I paint in the forest for the reasons listed in my artist statement — luminous lights, shifting shadows, sparking colors and enchantment."
Among the works are three small conceptual works by Bill Paarlberg: their titles expressed in sensory experience rather than language.
Barbara van Buskirk has returned with a new collection of prints and Chris Pothier continues to show works from his boys' series and one from his new businessman collection.
Other artists include Emma Ashby, Adam Bastille, Norman Bastille, Taintor Davis Child, Marcia A. Christensen, Matthew Doherty, Marina Forbes, Gene Galipeau, Linda Gerson, Cara Gonier, Kate Higley, Bruce Jones, Melissa McLeod, Kiera McTigue, Darlene Furbush Ouellett, Bill Paarlberg, Shawn Pelech, JoAnn Portalupi, Daniel T. Rawling, Kevin M. Roddy, Raegan Russell, Nina Shore and Chris Volpe.
"This is the most intriguing show in sometime. Most the works in this show are complex, engaging, and demand thought, " says Simchik. "These are the types of canvas that can keep up their side of the conversation."


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Hello!!!! Has it *seriously* been over a month since my last post?! YIKES!
Hope you all had a wonderful holiday season!
So what's been up? Well, Santa came for a visit and he was a BIG hit this year -
all kids had a blast and we ate it up too :) Kept it pretty simple (yey!) and it was perfect.
We've also been blessed with a decent amount of snow that has been perfect for daily sledding with the kids - Sydney LOVES it and I have to admit that I'm having a pretty fantastic time as well :) This is the first year that I'm not pregnant or really tied down with a tiny baby, so it's WONDERFUL to be outside! We time it perfectly during Matthew's morning nap - so fun!
Now I'm digging out of housework, business work and other odds and ends - should be a fun and exciting year ahead! Will post soon about some great things planned!
And for those of you who participated in the Sew-Along, Stacy and I will post the winner this week - sorry to be a bit delayed... life just got a bit ahead of us for a bit..
As for the sale news.... THROUGH JANUARY 25:
All in-stock items in my ETSY shop and main online shop are 15% off!
No coupon code is needed in my Etsy shop - prices are already updated.
On my website, please use the code monkey15 to receive the discount.
Off to finish hemming some curtains for hubby's office grand-opening tomorrow. :) Good night! ~ Kris