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Saturday, October 15, 2011
In Need of Some Advice
Here's some good news. I met one of the moms of Nephi's friend at school. She has a super popular craft blog and offered to do a trade: A couple of my hats for some advertising space. I am pretty thrilled about this, because I have never tried advertising on other blogs. So I made a cute little button and she posted it up. Here's her blog, click here!
One of the pieces of advice she gave me to make more money, was to write up some of my designs and sell them as patterns for the do-it-yourself'ers. I am a little scared about this, because I haven't even been crocheting for a year... and making patterns... seems a little scary!
Think I should go for it??
If I do, what designs would you like to see in patterns?? (Here is my site if you want to take a look at what I have right now, also I have a bunch of unlisted ones posted on my facebook page here)
Thanks friends!!
3 comments:
- Heidi said...
I think that's a great idea! At the very least you could do one or two and test the waters. You can ask for feedback too. :) I would pick one cute newborn one and an adult one. Like the puppy or owl, whatever you think people would like to buy. Adults you could do the ear warmer and then one of the hats with a flower. Just some options. :) You can do it! You did a good job telling me how to do the ponchos when we made them oh so long ago. :)
- October 16, 2011 at 3:29 PM
- Grumpy Grateful Mom said...
Your hats are adorable. I think you should go for it too. Maybe pick your most popular hat, though I'm partial to the sock money hat. :)
- October 16, 2011 at 7:02 PM
- Cynthia said...
You really have nothing to lose by trying the pattern thing. I say do the sock monkey hat- love that one!
- October 16, 2011 at 11:40 PM
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For those of you who don't know, NaNoWriMo (to give it its full name) is National Novel Writing Month (to give it its even fuller name). During the month of November, anybody can sign up (it's not an 'offical' sign up, they don't give you numbers and a sponsorship form - it's more of a declaration of intent and a way of measuring your achievement) and write. It is, apparently, a great way of forcing your bum to the seat - and there's a lot of mutual encouragement that goes on, it's all very friendly, you're only competing against yourself, etc.
Deep breath.
Because I would sabotage myself. I know I would, I do it already. And I can't bear the thought of doing it whilst being watched. Although, saying this, I did, informally, 'attach' myself to NaNo a few years ago, so many people were posting their word counts that I was inspired to try to beat them (or at least keep up), and I ended up writing the book now known as 'How I Wonder What You Are' in six weeks. But that was cheating slightly, as I'd already got the idea, the characters and most of the storyline worked out in my head, NaNo was just my excuse for actually sitting down and writing the bloody thing.
For some reason, as soon as I hear the phrase 'NaNoWriMo' I discover that the inside of my wardrobe MUST... MUST and I cannot stress that too heavily, be cleared out. Or, whilst I may have started, full of good intentions, there is a SOMETHING UNAVOIDABLE that simply cannot be put off any longer and must be attended to. It's like procrastination taken to the nth degree, in that, not only do I have to clean the bath, but I have to clean the bath and spend all month doing it.
|Just one of the ways I arrange to sabotage my writing
And good luck to everyone out there who is NaNoing. DO NOT CLEAN THE BATH!

subset: commoncrawl


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text: On 8/6/09 10:40, duncan.garland at ntlworld.com wrote: > ---- Raphael Mankin <raph at mankin.org.uk> wrote: >> On Sun, 2009-06-07 at 12:13 +0100, Duncan Garland wrote: >> >>> I wonder if the problem can be approached from the other end. I wonder if >>> there is a design standard (ISO or such like) which states that a >>> manufacturer should aim for an MTBF of whatever. >>> >>> I'll let you know if I find anything. >> MTBF, when quoted, is largely meaningless. The figures are computed, >> purely theoretical. No-one actually runs a sufficiently large number of >> items for long enough to get meaningful statistics. If they did, they >> would miss the market. >> >> Imagine having to run, say, 10000 disk drives for five years in order to >> get meaningful MTBFs before you could put them on sale. >> >> Only people like Google, Microsoft or Yahoo actually have sufficient >> data, and all they can tell you that is *useful* is that some >> manufacturers are, in the long term, better than others. Nothing about >> models that are not obsolete. > Calculated MTBF figures are not meaningless because they show what the manufacturer expected. The manufacturers base their warranty programmes and even whether or nor to go into production on them, Do you know where I can get some? They're mostly meaningless though as we know that some drives fail within days of installation so some drives must last years past the date the MTBF might suggest. Also, hardware itself is rarely the only factor these days, software faults in firmware are just as likely to cause downtime (in my experience) and as far as I know that's not allowed for in any MTBF calculations. My rule of thumb is that most kit installed in a datacentre will last 3 years if it lasts a week but once you start seeing disk errors you should plan to replace them. In my experience, just replacing kit because it's a certain age usually ends up with more problems, not less, if the kit being replaced is fault free, as a percentage of new kit will die in the first week of operation. If your kit isn't in a datacentre (you didn't say how much or what sort of location you're interested in) then you're more likely to see fan faults or motherboard issues from sucking in half a pound of dead skin cells than you are a hard drive failing. S.


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Now that's a West Coast offense.
California's Obamacare insurance exchange enrolled more than 53,000 people in health-care plans in just the first three days of this week, a blistering pace that had officials crowing on Thursday.
"December is turning out to be an enormous month," said Peter Lee, head of the Covered California exchange.
(Read more: Medicare felons still OK to be paid)
Lee said the surprisingly strong level of enrollments—which comes just days before the key Dec. 23 enrollment deadline—puts the state on track to beat its original projection of signing up as many as 700,000 people in Obamacare insurance by the end of open enrollment in March.
From Oct. 1 until Nov. 30, a total of 109,296 people enrolled in private Obamacare plans sold on Covered California's website.
"We could easily exceed those projections," Lee said. "But we aren't done."
Lee encouraged people to sign up online to get enrolled in health plans by Dec. 23, the deadline for enrolling in coverage that begins Jan. 1.


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Prince of Pentacles
Planetary: Neptune (Above) / Venus (Below)
Diamond Path: Kether, Crown (Above) / Yesod, Foundation (Below)
Geomantic Figure: Carcer
Tetragram: Air (Above) / Earth (Below)
Keywords: Planning Ahead, Methodical, Driven, Variance, Wealthy Personage, Good Business Practices, Captain of Industry, CEO, Increase
Keywords (Ill-Dignified): Stubborn, Boorishness, Stuck in a Rut, Overwhelmed by Material Obsession, Corruption, Animalistic, Avarice
Historical: Called the Knight of Coins, or Knave of Coins, the Knight in the Pierpont Morgan-Bergamo Visconti-Sforza pack, is covered in hexagonal ribbons and suns. One stocking is blue, the other red. His hat is plumed. The coin he offers up is large, the size of a dinner plate. It's etched with the Visconti Heraldic sun, a solar disc surrounded by spiral arms. A forest is in the distance.
This knave is associated with the historical figure Hector, a Trojan Prince, and one of the greatest fighters Troy ever produced. His name is an epithet for Zeus, and it means, "to hold or to have". He is slain by Achilles outside the gates of Troy.
He is later called the Prince of Coins or Pentacles, as well as the Knight of Pentacles, in later packs.
Golden Dawn: Called The Knight of Pentacles, Prince of the Chariot of Earth, The Knight of Pentacles card corresponds to the zodiacals Aries and Taurus and places at Sephira #6 (Tiphareth,) in the Golden Dawn system.
The main figure, the a nude and darkly tanned Knight, carries two shields and a wand or scepter, topped with a holy symbol, sometimes the Magen star or Star of David. He carries a shield and a winged deer head, crowns him. Wheat and other fruit of the land is present.
Thoth: Crowley names the station The Prince of Pentacles. The Prince's chariot is drawn by a bull, and he carries an armillary sphere with a scepter, topped with a Maltese cross crowned orb, which he calls, "the symbol of the Great Work accomplished." Behind him is a circle, filled with spheres, on a background of fruit and flowers, representing fecundity. The Prince himself is tanned and naked.
Mutational Alchemy Interpretation: The Prince of Pentacles' station is very lofty, high up, in the Supernals. His descending path on the Hidden Diamond takes him down to Yesod, Foundation, signifying that his plans are being processed on high. He is also above Kingdom, above the fray, affecting the fresh foundation of Man, virtually forever. This makes him unstoppable!
The planetary of Ouranos over Luna, is very important, as it is a clue to his ultimate nature, that of one interested in raising up the foundation of man (Luna=Yesod.) This will give him a unique perspective on the world, one that doesn't invite any deviation from a higher purpose.
In the tetragram we find Air in the above, Earth in the below, confirmed on the Hidden Diamond path. The geomantic character somewhat resembles a crystal, or a dorje.
The Scene: Air of Earth, The ultimate captain of industry, the Prince of Pentacles is an unstoppable force. Crowley damned him to the pedantic and unsexy attributions, of being plodding, dull and methodical. With Ouranos in the above and Luna in the below, I find it very difficult to agree with this assessment. Considering the effect that living and breathing figures aligned with the Prince of Pentacles energy have on the world, (People like Bill Gates, J.D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, Cornelius Vanderbilt,) his opinion was shortsighted at the very least.
The drawing this painting is copied from is by the master artist William Bouguereau, of Mars. The bulls, of course, belong to Nergal, Lord of the Necropolis at Cutha. They represent Gugalanna, the great Bull of Heaven and his unnameable consort, who were absorbed into the Akkadian/Assyrian war god Nergal's attributes, in later history. War and Industry are matched very well. Everything technological in a modernizing society is brought in through the actions of such captains of industry, as the Prince of Pentacles.
He is at times cruel and ruthless, but also ingenious and industrious. Unusual and technologically advanced creativity is the sign of the station, and that, Nergal most assuredly is. He is not, however, stupid, nor intentionally sadistic. He has a plan and that plan is to be effected, by hell or heaven. Slow and steady, wins the race, through sheer might and force of Earth. The Prince is at the helm of an unstoppable juggernaut of might, power and effectiveness – with staying power I will add – that through discipline, hard work and active countering of any unstable emotions, can bring one through to victory.
Significant Revisions/Additions:
Geomantic: Called Carcer (Latin for *the Prison*) in its medieval interpretation, the correct elemental association should define it as a (Youthful) Masculine/Physical character, corresponding to the qabbalistic Assiah (Action,) in the Four Celestial (or Elemental,) Worlds.
Jungian Type: Idealists Class / ENFJ (Teacher) Type
Excelling in all manner of conversation and social situations, the ENFJ is adept at fine tuning relationships, they excel at diplomacy. They care about people, and depend on the wellbeing of all of the people around them, to find satisfaction.


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Julie Andrews is absolutely spectacular as keen-but-hopeless nun Maria and I never fail to be moved by the blossoming romance between Maria and Captain von Trapp. Add to that the humour, the heartbreak and the beautiful score, and it's plain to see why The Sound of Music has lasted the test of time.
|Treating my mum for her 70th birthday
Whilst the film remains ever-popular, I've also been fortunate enough to see the stage show during its tour of the UK. I bought tickets to see the production at Birmingham Hippodrome for my mum's 70th birthday and we were blown away by the emotional performances which had us leaving the theatre in tears.
And I apologise in advance if you end up with The Lonely Goatherd as an earworm after reading the chapter based on The Sound of Music, but it had to be included - that's one of my favourite scenes!
The Singalong Society for Singletons is available to preorder now in ebook and paperback format.


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The third round of the League Cup produced some dramatic moments in the 1980s, during a prosperous period for the competition. There was no squad rotation or penalty shoot-outs back then, with the old-school big five regularly battling it out in early rounds. The 10 ties below include some ding-dong derbies, a shock, a replay marathon, the end of an era and the start of a new one at Old Trafford, some angst from Alex Ferguson, and some record-breaking exploits from Frankie Bunn. Channel 4 are unlikely to turn them into a "Top ten moments of the League Cup third round in the 1980s" style programme (Channel 5 maybe?), but hopefully this selection will highlight just how highly the competition was regarded in the 1980s.
1983: Big Time Charlie (Tottenham v Arsenal)
Despite scoring two goals in his second Arsenal match against Wolves, the first few months of Charlie Nicholas' time at the club were not as glorious as us Arsenal fans had hoped they might be. Come November, Arsenal were sat in a disappointing 12th place, and with a North London derby to come in the League Cup at White Hart Lane – where Arsenal had lost 5-0 the previous season – time was fast running out for Terry Neill.
Nicholas would make a telling remark while defending himself before the derby: "The big-match atmosphere may be a help. In the last two Glasgow derby matches, for Celtic at Rangers, I scored three goals." Indeed, his love of the big occasion was clear for all to see in his derby debut, as he scored his first goal in 12 matches to give Arsenal the lead – although he was given a massive helping hand by Ray Clemence – and when Tony Woodcock made it 2-0, things were looking good for Arsenal.
Hoddle's penalty shortly after reduced the gap and brought some late scares, but Arsenal held firm, marshalled expertly by Pat Jennings, who was in for a surprise of his own come the final whistle, when Eamonn Andrews arrived on the pitch to inform him that tonight "This is your life".
The feelgood factor didn't last too long though; just 20 days later Arsenal lost to Walsall and Neill was gone not long afterwards. Those three weeks neatly summed up the problem with that Arsenal team. They were good enough to go to Tottenham and win, yet just as likely to lose to a Walsall, Oxford or York. Frustrating doesn't come close to describing it.
1984: The Milk Cup run is over (Tottenham v Liverpool)
And now to a happier evening for Tottenham supporters. When Liverpool arrived in North London on Halloween evening in 1984, they were unbeaten in 25 League Cup rounds (they had lost the odd match in two-legged ties but always progressed to the next round), and had made the competition their own since 1981. Their dominance also meant that since the Milk Marketing Board had begun sponsoring the event in the 1981-82 season, no one else had got their hands on the new trophy.
Of course, all things must come to an end. A Clive Allen strike on six minutes, after a Bruce Grobbelaar fumble, gave Tottenham a lead that they never relinquished, causing more concern for a Liverpool side sitting in 13th place in the league and seemingly suffering from post-Souness disorder. They would recover to finish second in the league, and also reach a European Cup final and FA Cup semi-final (gaining revenge on Tottenham along the way), but for a team so used to winning, the 1984-85 season was a most unusual experience for Liverpool.
Tottenham in turn blew their chance of Milk Cup glory by losing at home to Sunderland in the next round, and although they would win in the league at Anfield for the first time since 1912, and mount a serious bid at the title under Peter Shreeves, they would ultimately come up short.
1984: Oxford blues (Oxford United v Arsenal)
When Graham Rix gave Arsenal the lead after 16 minutes at Oxford's Manor Ground, I sat at home wondering what all the pre-match fuss had been about. Yes, Oxford had taken the scalp of Manchester United the year before, run Everton close in a match that turned Howard Kendall's fortunes around, and were currently leading the Second Division, but as First Division leaders Arsenal swarmed all over their opponents, it seemed as if those hoping for a cup shock would have to look elsewhere.
And then it all began to unravel. John Aldridge bravely equalised after 36 minutes, getting a severe clumping from Pat Jennings in the process and leaving the field for eight minutes. But even in his absence, the 10 men of Oxford managed to take a half-time lead through a Billy Hamilton header. Ian Allinson looked to have saved Arsenal with a fine goal, until a rare moment of ineptitude from Jennings put Oxford through.
David Langan's shot from 35 yards somehow got through Jennings' grasp, although there were mitigating circumstances. The Irishman was suffering from a thumb injury, something the Oxford boss Jim Smith openly admitted to knowing pre-match, and a late withdrawal by John Lukic put Jennings in the firing line. "It's the worst goal I have ever let in," said the keeper afterwards. He would only ever play once more for Arsenal.
Another famous night of giant-killing at the Manor Ground. That's what all the fuss was about then.
1984: No stopping Everton (Manchester United v Everton)
A crowd of 50,918 packed in to watch this tie between Milk Cup-favourites Manchester United and in-form Everton, who had lost just one match in 15. United were out to avenge a 5-0 shellacking at Goodison on the previous Saturday, but honours were even at half-time, after a Graeme Sharp penalty had levelled Alan Brazil's earlier effort.
Not for the first or last time in the season, the visitors were heavily indebted to the agility and reflexes of Neville Southall, as he prevented Frank Stapleton, Remi Moses, Gordon Strachan and John Gidman in a frenetic second half.
And then came the cruel twist of fate for United. A freak own goal from ex-Everton player Gidman looped over Gary Bailey in the 86th minute to book Everton a place in the next round. Astonishingly, they would go on to lose at home to Grimsby – but in a season where Everton had bigger fish to fry, that defeat may have been a blessing in disguise.
"He [Ron Atkinson] may not be able to bear the burden much longer if the heavy Mancunian expectations are not fulfilled," wrote the Times' Stuart Jones in his match report. Atkinson bought himself a little time by winning the FA Cup in 1985, and when United started the 1985-86 season with 10 straight league wins, it looked as if Big Ron would be the man to deliver that elusive title to Old Trafford. It didn't quite work out as planned though.
1986: Big Ron's last stand (Southampton v Manchester United)
After 15 games of the 1985-86 season, United sat 10 points clear of Liverpool by way of winning 13 and drawing two of their opening fixtures. But then the wheels fell off dramatically; just nine wins from the remaining 27 matches saw United drop to fourth, and when this poor run of form continued into the 1986-87 season, the vultures were circling around Big Ron.
A good League Cup run might not have saved Atkinson anyway – a look at the league table before their replay against Southampton stresses just how low United had slumped under his tenure – and without Bryan Robson and Gordon Strachan for the trip to The Dell, along with Whiteside limping off before half-time, United were woeful.
After the 0-0 bore-draw at Old Trafford, Southampton tore into United in the replay. Goals from George Lawrence, Danny Wallace, and a brace from substitute Matthew Le Tissier crushed United. "An unknown, who cost nothing, humiliated the multi-million pound miseries of Manchester United last night," said Martin Hardy in the Daily Express, as United's season lurched from one problem to the next. Something had to be done.
Atkinson was sacked two days later and replaced by Aberdeen's Alex Ferguson. Now we all know how that worked out, but even Fergie experienced League Cup embarrassment back in his early days – more of which later.
1987: Stevens shocks the red machine (Liverpool v Everton)
The battle for the position of top dog on Merseyside was one of the most gripping aspects of English football in the mid-1980s, but by the start of the 1987-88 season Liverpool appeared to be very much in the ascendancy. Although Ian Rush had departed for Juventus, the summer signings of Ray Houghton and John Barnes, along with that of John Aldridge in the previous January, had given Liverpool a fresh edge.
By the time the two Merseyside rivals met in the Littlewoods Cup third round at Anfield on 28 October 1987, Liverpool were sitting proudly at the top of the table with nine wins and one draw from their first 10 matches. Everton, on the other hand, were struggling to cope with the departure of Howard Kendall to Bilbao, the defending champions already suffering three league losses under new boss Colin Harvey. Surely there could only be one winner? Cue form book going right out of the window.
A crowd of 44,071 witnessed a passionate and thrilling derby match – with an estimated 30,000 also watching on a big screen at Goodison Park – as Everton successfully hassled and harried their way to a 1-0 win. Had Graeme Sharp had been more clinical in front of goal, then the scoreline may have been even more convincing.
Everton's winner came in the 84th minute, via the unusual source of Gary Stevens, who temporarily silenced the boos he had been receiving all evening for his part in the tackle that broke Jim Beglin's leg in the quarter-final of the same competition the season before.
Everton's days at the top may have been drifting away slowly, though through this win, along with a 1-0 victory at Goodison to halt Liverpool's 29-match unbeaten run at the start of the season, they gave their supporters something to cling on to. As ever, Liverpool had the final word, eventually winning their 17th league title, having lost only two matches in the process.
1988: Men against boys (Liverpool v Arsenal)
The 1980s were full of crucial Liverpool-Arsenal clashes: the epic 1980 FA Cup semi-final saga, the 1987 Littlewoods Cup, and that match at Anfield in 1989. Prior to Michael Thomas charging through the midfield came a third round Littlewoods Cup encounter, spanning 300 minutes of football, three grounds and over 100,000 spectators, as Liverpool attempted to maintain their supremacy over English football.
The first match at Anfield was notable for a fine display by Liverpool's keeper Mike Hooper – and two wonderful goals. The first came after a mazy dribble by John Barnes, with David Rocastle's equaliser the very definition of a net buster. The replay saw 54,029 turn up to Highbury (with a reported 6,000 locked out), as the two evenly matched sides played out a 0-0 draw after 120 minutes of tight and tense football. A second replay was now required, to be played at a neutral venue (Villa Park), and although the idea of a penalty shoot-out was mentioned to separate the teams, this proposal was thankfully rejected.
Paul Merson gave Arsenal a first-half lead, before the class of Liverpool shone through. Wave upon wave of attacks hit the Arsenal goal, as first Steve McMahon brought the sides level with a superb strike from outside the box, and then John Aldridge put Liverpool through to the next round with a looping header on 87 minutes. The Cockney Pretenders had finally been put in their place by the Scouse Champions.
"It was a case of men against boys and my old Anfield team were the gaffers for the whole 90 minutes," wrote Graham Souness in an article published in The Sun on the day of the title-decider at Anfield on 26 May 1989. "The November night I watched Liverpool beat Arsenal in the Littlewoods Cup at Villa Park also told me who would be champions." Souness had a point – Liverpool were the dominant team on the night – but the simple fact that George Graham's Arsenal team ran Liverpool so close should have served as a warning to anyone who underestimated the eventual champions.
1989: Revenge (Arsenal v Liverpool)
Arsenal's 1-0 win in October 1989 maintained their canny knack of gradually eroding away at Liverpool's dominance. The visitors would wrap up their 18th (and most recent) league title come the end of the season, but lacking Alan Hansen, Gary Gillespie and Glenn Hysén for this tie, Dalglish set his team up to get a draw and take Arsenal back to Anfield. It almost worked.
With only nine minutes to go, substitute Alan Smith ended a barren run in front of goal, giving Arsenal their fourth win over Liverpool in their last nine matches (against Liverpool's two). As with the previous year, the loser would go on to secure the bigger prize in May, although there could be no doubting that Liverpool were nearing the end of their time at the top.
1989: Time running out for Fergie (Manchester United v Tottenham)
Understatement alert: the start of Alex Ferguson's reign at Manchester United was not going particularly well. Three years into the job, there had been a lot of money spent with no discernible improvement, a 5-1 derby defeat at Maine Road, and, by the time Tottenham arrived for the League Cup third round clash at Old Trafford, United were struggling at the wrong end of the table.
Things were about to get a lot worse. Tottenham, undeterred by losing Terry Fenwick with a broken leg early on, picked United apart, dismantling a team low on confidence and increasing the spotlight on Fergie. Goals from Gary Lineker, Vinny Samways and Nayim gave Tottenham a comfortable 3-0 victory. As the final whistle blew, United were booed from the pitch by supporters who were quickly running out of patience.
There was still time before the year was out for more Fergie woe, the "Three years of excuses and we're still crap – Ta-ra Fergie" banner, and newspaper speculation over his job from game to game. A while back, I took the time to ponder the implications of Ferguson getting the bullet. Mark Robins, and the composure of Martin Edwards, have a lot to answer for.
1989: Frankie Bunn (Oldham v Scarborough)
Oldham 7, Scarborough 0. Hardly a closely fought, edge-of-your seat thriller, I hear you say. But this tie was notable for two reasons: the scoring feats of Frankie Bunn and the warning given out by Oldham that, when playing on their artificial pitch, they may well be a match for mightier opponents than Fourth Division Scarborough.
Bunn's six goals in one match, including five in the first half, was unsurprisingly a new record for the League Cup. The striker was fairly modest about his achievemen: "It was just my lucky night. It doesn't happen too often that you get seven chances and take six of them." Sadly, Bunn's professional career would be over by 1990, but not before he had helped Second Division Oldham reach the Littlewoods Cup final against Nottingham Forest.
Oldham would defeat higher league opposition in the two rounds succeeding Bunn's night to remember. Firstly, defending league champions Arsenal were defeated 3-1 at Boundary Park and after a 2-2 draw against Southampton at The Dell, home advantage once more told, a 2-0 win setting up a semi-final with West Ham. When the first leg was won 6-0, Oldham's dream run would go all the way to Wembley. The final may have been one step too far, but coupled with their run to the FA Cup semi-final, Oldham had indicated that they were going places, although I'm starting to drift into a decade that is out of my remit.
• This is an article from our Guardian Sport Network
• This blog first appeared on That 1980s Sports Blog
• Follow Steven Pye on Twitter


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A Family Friendly Beer & Wine Pub
Our further commitment to our community includes conducting business in a sustainable manner. We use napkins made from recycled paper, a more sustainable method than using cloth napkins which are washed and dried after each use. Also, we compost all of our waste including our meats, recycle our used oil and our patio garden is chemical free. From our dishes to our décor, we built this business as much as possible using recycled materials or by reusing existing items. We hope you enjoy our eclectic, decor and menu. We appreciate your business and hope you make Matteo's Public your Cheers!
Enjoy! Matt, Michelle, Matthew and Morgan Margulies


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BBC Review
..Before the Poison is a career high for Ms Faithfull and a timely release in the wake...
Rob Webb 2002
Two years after her last album, Kissin Time, and fresh from her recent appearance in William Burroughs' stage musical The Black Rider, Marianne Faithfull returns with Before the Poison. On Kissin Time it was Beck and Billy Corgan, amongst others, who shared the songwriting and playing duties. This time her fellow passengers, more suited perhaps to her nicotine-stained voice and brooding style, are Nick Cave and PJ Harvey (and their respective bands), with one track each from Damon Albarn and American composer Jon Brion.
Nick Cave's three songs, co-produced with Hal Wilner, are by far the strongest here. The haunting "There is a Ghost" and "Crazy Love", the latter bearing no relation at all to the lazy Van Morrison tune of the same name, feature members of the Bad Seeds plus Cave on tinkling piano. They evoke rainy European boulevards and Proustian moments: classic Cave and a perfect match for Faithfull's measured vocals. The third Cave composition, "Desperanto", crackles like pylons in a thunderstorm. Faithfull raps over a howling sax and wailing Hammond, while the Bad Seeds chant (from the neighbouring room, it seems) lines by Jim Morrison. Yes, it's that odd.
Other than Faithfull's slowburn drawl, there is little in Harvey's contributions - especially "The Mystery of Love" and the oblique "In the Factory" - to distinguish them from Harvey's own recordings: good news, if you like Polly Harvey's work. "My Friends Have" is built around a typically taut Harvey riff and throbs along in a punky kind of way. The languid "Before the Poison", another Faithfull/Harvey co-write, is an odd choice for the title track.
Heavy on the minor chords, Damon Albarn's ballad, "Last Song", resembles Coldplay or Radiohead, with a nod towards the mordant Jacques Brel. Musically speaking, how much further has the former-Blur frontman travelled than his Britpop rivals?
Closing the album on an unsettling note is Jon Brion's nursery-lullaby "City of Quartz", played on a variety of obscure instruments, such as the "paintbrush" guitar, toy piano and "fake glockenspeil". It's apparently about the fall of Babylon, although it may well be inspired by the Mike Davies book of the same name, which portrays a dystopic Los Angeles. If a film is ever made of Davies' City of Quartz, here's the perfect soundtrack.
Before the Poison is a career high for Ms Faithfull and a timely release in the wake of acclaimed new albums from Cave and Harvey.


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Don't Wait For Your Car MOT!
This post was published Thu, 13 Apr, 2017
Our guide to Car MOT, servicing & repairs in central Warrington
Warrington Service Centre (www.warringtonservicecentre.co.uk) provide professional, reliable car services, repairs and MOTs in the central Warrington area, all carried out the highest standards. They believe that by looking after your car, you're less likely to have any nasty surprises when it's time for your MOT.
Here are a few things you can do to keep your car running at its best – and how Warrington Service Centre can help…
Check tyres regularly, repair and replace when necessary
To pass your MOT, tyre tread depth must be a minimum of 1.6mm. If it's not, it's time to replace your tyres. And if you're in central Warrington, then Warrington Service Centre is a great place to buy new tyres and have them replaced for you.
Ensure your car is serviced regularly
There are many reasons your car should be serviced on a regular basis, but the one we're concerned with here is this: regular services are likely to spot potential issues before they become serious problems. Not only could this affect the safety and performance of your car, it could make all the difference when it comes to a "pass" or "fail" at MOT time.
Carry out a few final checks before your car MOT
Are your lights working? Check and replace any failed bulbs. If you're not sure how, Warrington Service Centre will be happy to help. Is the horn working? If not, Warrington Service Centre can carry out the necessary repairs. Do it early to avoid failing your MOT.
Book your MOT as soon as possible
You may not be aware of this, but you can book your car in for its MOT up to a month before your MOT certificate runs out. So why wait until the last minute? Book with Warrington Service Centre and be safe in the knowledge that your car's MOT will be carried out in a timely fashion.
It's time for your MOT!
If you've looked after your car, had regular services and had any necessary repairs carried out by a trustworthy garage such as Warrington Service Centre, getting your car through its MOT should be a relatively painless experience. Good luck!
Warrington Service Centre – for all your car repair, servicing and MOT needs
If you're based in the central Warrington area, Warrington Service Centre are well-placed to service your car, carry out repairs as and when necessary, and perform your MOT. As members of several highly-respected professional bodies, including the Retail Motor Industry (RMI), the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) and the Alliance Autocentre Programme, they're professional and trustworthy. (But don't take their word for it – you'll find testimonials from very happy customers at http://warringtonservicecentre.co.uk/feedback.php).
Find out more about the services offered by Warrington Service Centre – including car services, repairs and MOTs – at www.warringtonservicecentre.co.uk.


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From the President: As Technology Evolves, the Law Must Keep Up
From Washington Lawyer, February 2011
By Ronald S. FlaggThe emergence of new technologies and novel legal issues have been linked throughout our history. As cotton gins, railroads, automobiles, airplanes, computers, and the Internet have transformed society, they also have created myriad new legal issues. The historical ties between new technology and legal developments beg the question: What emerging technologies are likely to spawn the legal issues upon which governments and lawyers will focus over the next decade? In a presentation at the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference, Arizona State University professor Gary Marchant identified multiple areas of technological development that could radically change our lives and the law.
Nanotechnology involves the study, manipulation, and design of materials on a molecular scale—a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair. Sales of products incorporating nanotechnology are projected to grow from about $300 billion in 2005 to $2.9 trillion in 2014. Nanotechnology is being used to develop "smart dusts"—clouds of tiny wireless sensors, so small they can be injected into the human body to detect early signs of disease, or scattered into the environment to detect pollutants, pathogens, bioweapons, illicit drugs, or people. As Professor Marchant commented: "This technology has the potential to provide both a medical and national security bonanza, and the ultimate Big Brother scenario of all-pervasive, invisible spybots." In the United States, more than a half-dozen government agencies already are heavily involved in nanotechnology initiatives, giving rise to legal issues in areas such as intellectual property, privacy, and international regulatory harmonization.
Genetic profiling will become far more prevalent as it will be possible, in the next couple of years, to sequence an entire human genome for less than $1,000. Because of the potential medical benefits from such information, people are likely to store their entire genetic sequence on a computer chip. Although the primary use of this information will be to personalize medical care based on our own unique genetic profile, it also can be used to predict a person's future disease risks, behavioral tendencies, performance abilities in areas from music to athletics, and other traits that we may prefer not to know or that others could misuse.
Genetic profiling will raise scores of difficult legal and ethical questions, as two existing examples illustrate. A criminal defendant in Arizona, whose biological family includes four generations of violent criminals and who started committing crimes at age five, raised as a mitigating factor in his capital defense that his genome included the "murder gene." Thousands of human babies already have been born from embryos selected for implantation in their mothers based on genetic testing using a technique called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis. The set of available genetic traits for which embryos can be tested is rapidly expanding beyond disease traits to include those related to appearance, abilities, and inclinations. If these "designer babies" selected for their optimal genetic predispositions indeed tend to be more successful in their lives, will having babies the old-fashioned way become increasingly obsolete (at least for those who can afford the new reproductive technologies)?
Surveillance technologies are becoming more sophisticated and ubiquitous. More and more products, including cell phones, cars, clothing, store merchandise, identification and credit cards, pets, and even some humans, are being implanted with computer chips that track their locations. The almost unlimited applications of this new gold mine of location data are just starting to be explored, but already law enforcement officials, divorce attorneys, parents, employers, advertisers, insurers, criminals, and cyber-stalkers are finding innovative ways to use (or in some cases, misuse) this information. Thorny privacy issues related to surveillance technologies already are being threshed out, including: How long will service providers retain location information; can they sell information to other companies; under what conditions will information be disclosed to police or to parties in civil litigation such as divorce cases; and can and how should federal agencies regulate the use of locational and tracking technologies?
New functional and structural brain-scanning technologies can reveal a predisposition to violence, just as genetic testing can show a predisposition to certain diseases or conditions. Again, these developments raise significant policy, legal, and ethical questions. How should society react to such foreknowledge? How might schools, employers, the military, and the criminal law system use this information? Europe already has seen the first case of an individual whose movements have been restricted "for the good of society" before he committed any crime. As techniques for interpreting neurological and physiological predispositions improve, there is likely to be growing pressure to remove potentially "dangerous" people from society before they harm others.
As Professor Marchant put it: "While techno-optimists believe that these developing technologies will lift humanity into a new Golden Age, pessimists fear we may lose what it means to be human, even destroying ourselves (perhaps with an artificially created pathogen)." Although technology creates its own momentum, it is not independent of human control. Would increased government oversight or regulation of these technologies prevent the potential adverse health, safety, environmental, and privacy effects associated with their development? Can we undertake this sort of regulation without chilling the development of valuable technology or putting us at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis other countries?
I do not profess to know the answers to these questions, but I am confident that many of them will become the legal issues with which our profession will have to grapple in the coming years.
Reach Ronald S. Flagg at email@example.com.


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Left side usb port can only be used as charger port
My device has two usb ports on right side an one on left. The left side port has quit working. I do not understand this stuff.I tried the battery removal and hold power switch fix to no avail. The usb will work to charge my phone etc but nodata tranfer. Anyhelp would be appreciated. Thx Jerry
Is this a good question?


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In celebration of our little girl turning one, (whew...hard for me to still believe almost a year has passed), at the end of March, Sam redesigned for Caroline a birthday blog! We hope that you will enjoy all the new posts this month as we reminiscence about our little girl's first year of life!
Also, the left side of the blog I will post scripture, thoughts, quotes, and ponderings!
Thanks for stopping by!
Love and Prayers,
The Leviners
1 day ago


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Monday, December 22, 2008
traveling tomorrow
I got my daughter a copy of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and I read part of it myself and think that I might actually be ready now to listen to those ideas. Our daughter has been happy to help me in the kitchen and that has made me more cheerful about making Christmas happen. We had friends over for dinner last night--goose with sauerkraut and sausage stuffing, mashed cauliflower, green beans, and pumpkin flan.
Tomorrow we leave for three days in Rome, John and I and the kids, and then a week in Venice in a small hotel with my two sisters and their husbands and kids and my mother. I'm at the point where I'm feeling overwhelmed by packing and trying to get ready.
I don't know how much I will be posting during the trip but I am bringing my computer.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
I asked John to work on Christmas a month ago, when I was swamped at work, and he has done some things. He has invited friends to come for dinner tomorrow and bought the goose. I know he bought some books for the kids. I did buy a present for him to give me, as he has for years had trouble figuring that one out. I was worried I didn't have much for him, but then I found two books he wanted on CD. I'm also giving him Dragon Naturally Speaking 10 software so he can start experimenting with speech to text. I think he will need a new computer to run it well but I keep wondering if he would be better off with a desktop on a rolling stand with a full sized keyboard instead of a new laptop.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
John seems reasonably content with the way things are now, but I still feel guilty about the things he was complaining about a couple of weeks ago.
I walked through the house we want to move back to with the designer on a bleak day with the heat off and his estimate of what the work will cost is twice what I had thought. Not impossible, as the house we are currently in is the more valuable one (both bigger and in a prime location), but I thought I had all the money I needed lined up and I wouldn't have to worry about that and it isn't looking that way.
I continue to hear more discouraging news about the program I run at work. My job is secure, but what I've built is not.
We are going away Dec. 23rd on another big trip. I'm trying to keep track of what needs to be done. The first few days it will just be John and I and our kids, but much of the time we will be with my sisters, their husbands and kids, and my mother. I always feel torn between being myself and fitting in and I also wonder how they will react to where John is now.
Our daughter is discouraged after a tough semester at school.
I'm still not fully recovered from my sinus infection--now I'm having coughing fits. I haven't been able to do my regular exercise. And the antibiotic has thrown off my digestive system a bit.
People tell me to take things a day at a time and I just feel like a failure because I don't know how to do that. Somebody has to plan. I am too uptight about making mistakes, but I can't change that, except very very slowly.
Monday, December 15, 2008
family history project
He asked me how I felt and I said I can manage with the way things are now, but when he was unhappy and wanted it to be different I didn't know how I could respond.
Our kids come home Thursday and Friday and we go away next Tuesday, so John and the graduate student won't have a chance to work further on the project until after we get back from our trip. But the graduate student went away with pages of notes to make into an outline of what to ask John's aunt about.
employment rate
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Then we changed the sheets and put on a new comforter cover, and that was where John had a hard time. Some of his problem was fine motor skills like buttoning the comforter cover, but where he commented on his difficulties was that he got confused with the process of putting on the cover. My method is to turn the cover inside out and lay it on the bed, attach the comforter at the corners, reach inside the cover and grab the far corner, and then turn the cover right side out with the comforter inside. It does sound confusing when I write it. It is a lot easier to do with two people than alone.
Dried Fruit Fruit Cake
1 cup apricot nectar
¼ cup rum or brandy
1 cup golden raisins
1 cup dried tart cherries
16 oz. apricots, cut in pieces
8 oz. dates, cut in pieces
6 oz. mission figs, cut in pieces
4 oz chopped candied orange peel (optional—if you don't like fruit cake skip this)
3 oz. crystallized ginger, cut in pieces
(total about 8 cups of fruit)
3 cups flour, white or white whole wheat
2 teasp salt
¼ teasp baking soda
2 teasp cinnamon
1 teasp allspice
1 teasp nutmeg
½ teasp cloves
½ teasp cardamom
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
5 eggs
2 teasp vanilla
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
Mix fruit, apricot nectar, and liquor, cook for 5 minutes over moderate heat stirring steadily. Set aside for a couple of hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs then add vanilla. Stir in sifted flour and spice mixture (if you want to use the spices—I left them out). Stir in fruit mixture and nuts and divide into four 4 by 8 inch heavily greased loaf pans. Bake for 2 hours or until a knife comes out clean. Cool in pans.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Christmas letter
John's big news is that he has retired early, and this has resulted from a serious health issue. Indeed it has been quite a tough year for him. The life changing health situation is Parkinson's. One never anticipates such a development, and it was Pam who first perceived what the changes John was experiencing might mean. Pam began to suspect what the problem might be in January, and after John having first visited his regular physician, he was formally diagnosed by a neurologist in early March.That is followed by more about his prostate problems last spring.
In my part of the letter I wrote:
Pam spent a lot of time going with John to doctors appointments and so realized quickly that his diagnosis meant a change in life path for both of us (particularly as the doctors think he has a form of Parkinsonism that has cognitive as well as motor effects). She thinks a lot about how to put feminism and caregiving together and how to find meaning in our new challenges.And then a sentence each about my work, doing triathlons, and serving as a spiritual director. Often we don't get our Christmas cards out before Christmas but I'm actually done my other big tasks and wondering what to try to get done about Christmas.
Friday, December 12, 2008
financial forms
But where I am seriously stumped is that I don't know what of John's income is taxable and what is tax free:
- Is social security retirement (or social security disability if he gets it) taxed?
- Is his retirement income from his job as a state employee taxed?
- Is his private disability insurance taxed?
- The one I am pretty sure of is that his annuity income is taxed, as we bought that with untaxed money such as IRAs
I was thinking maybe I could get someone to help me with the form but after going through it once myself the problem is that I am going to have to go to several different people to get answers to different questions. I am grateful at least for a good online form that saves the information I entered and then prints out a list of questions I still need to answer.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
sick and tired of being sick and tired
I arranged for an older graduate student named Mike to come over yesterday to meet with John. He is going to help John start recording family history--both the stories John knows and they will also interview John's 96 year old aunt who lives in a retirement community nearby. I may take over the interviewing when John gets to telling his own story, but there is a lot of family history he wants to get down first. Mike will figure out the technology--a digital voice recorder with two clip on microphones, probably Audacity to edit the files, and Dragon Naturally Speaking for some transcribing. John seems enthusiastic--he said months ago that he was going to interview Aunt Florence and had not made any progress towards starting so I think he is glad to have help getting focused. He has a lot of background in oral history interviewing so he can also see himself as teaching Mike.
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
oral history
I'm thinking I should do the same with John. Our daughter talked about taping family stories last summer and he liked the idea, but she didn't have time and energy. It would be something of value to our kids to have and would give John and me something to do together.
It is hard for me to make that commitment to John. The voice is still so strong in my head saying "what about me?" What about all the other things I have to do? What about the kind of spiritual journey I wish I could share with him and he isn't interested in? (He says he wants to hear about my journey so long as I don't expect him to feel anything similar; I said it doesn't work that way when it is his disease.)
Monday, December 08, 2008
After I came home I happened to read a story (Christian) on the internet about the importance of being true to our feelings (this link goes to part three, but has links at the beginning to parts 1 and 2). I feel like my only choices are to betray myself to keep him content or to betray him.
It has been one of my philosophies of life that there are always more than two alternatives. But I'm still not feeling well and I'm too low to think of any right now.
Sunday, December 07, 2008
"Advent is about waiting. Sometimes all we can do is to wait in the darkness, feeling abandoned, isolated, that our lives have no meaning. We hide that pain and fear under our busy-ness and consumerism, but it may be better to accept it, to sit with it and try to remember that God is with us there in the darkness.
When my husband John was diagnosed with Parkinson's last spring, my first impulse was to do something. I did research on the internet, I suggested to the doctors medications to try. Sometimes that approach works--it had worked for me five years ago when I was diagnosed with diabetes and changed my way of eating and started exercising and ended up healthier than I had been in years. But sometimes we have to realize we can't fix it. Nothing I can do or he can do will change the course of John's illness. It has been a hard for me to take that in, to accept that."
I invited the other people present to speak if they wished of where they were waiting in the darkness, either in their personal lives or in the world.
The pastor spoke of our words as a lament, which she defined as speaking our pain to God with an expectation that God is listening.
Saturday, December 06, 2008
bad cold
Friday, December 05, 2008
Marathon swim
Thursday, December 04, 2008
John did have a good time in New York and reports that his travel went smoothly. He doesn't seem too exhausted--he got to a massage appointment today. And he has even been acknowledging the strain on me of all the driving.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
One slide
We can say yes to 4 and 5, but I don't feel I have enough information on 3. I've worked some on writing out my wishes for myself.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
appreciating what I have
I think the reason it is not working is that I have not been able to fully get past my resentment over the things I didn't get from my mother (like a safe childhood). I'm not willing to appreciate the things she did/does give me because she didn't give me things I critically needed as a child. So I easily get stuck in child feelings of "it isn't enough." But I don't know how to heal that further with my mother either.
So I am beating myself up about being stuck in anger and resentment. John used to express concern that I was feeling bad about feeling bad. Maybe I just need to give it more time. But I'm wondering what other ways out there might be.


text:
- Tropical floral print
- Wrap front
- Elasticated waistband
- Pleat to front
- 100% Viscose
- Length from (approx) 90cm/35"
- Machine Washable
- Model is 5"9/175cm and size UK 16/EU 44
Plus Sizes: 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26-28, 30-32, 34-36
Fit & Fashion Notes:
Designed with an elasticated waist for an easy fit, this on trend midi skirt is designed to give a relaxed fit. Style with a woven cami top and heeled sandals for an on trend SS17 look.
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This skirt has us dreaming of sunshine, summer holidays and cocktails! It's perfect for this season!
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Join Anthony, Imran and Rugboy as they celebrate The Jock and Nerd Podcast's second birthday! The hosts look back at the past year's worth of reviews and interviews, and share birthday wishes from the listeners! The geekfest includes The Walking Dead, Justice League teasers, more Spider-Man spinoff movies from Sony, and The Nerd is still watching Powerless!
Be a part of the show! Send us a message: speakpipe.com/jockandnerd Voicemail: (312) 248-4376 (312-248-HERO) Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @jockandnerdcast Facebook: facebook.com/jockandnerd Facebook Group: jockandnerd.com/community Share audio clips on Clammer: jockandnerd.com/clammrus Tip Jar: jockandnerd.com/patreon Subscribe to Jock and Nerd on YouTube! Merchandise: jockandnerd.com/shop Subscribe: iTunes | GooglePlay | Android | Stitcher | TuneIn | Player.FM | iHeart Radio | RSS
Rate and review us in iTunes! jockandnerd.com/review Show notes: jockandnerd.com/159 Help spread the geekery with a Jock and Nerd merchandise! Support the show on Patreon for bonus content! Links and other stuff we talked about Follow Rugboy on Twitter @ReallyRugboy Subscribe to Jock and Nerd on YouTube! Links Anthony Mackie on MCU Crossover With Marvel TV: 'It Wouldn't Work' Sony Pictures has plans for a Silver Sable and Black Cat movie Arrow's Felicity Smoak is Becoming a Superhero Henry Cavill keeps teasing Green Lantern, but why? John Wayne The Conqueror [00:41:55] The promos we played 365FLicks Podcast Varmints! Podcast BrokeBot Mountain Thank you to A Place to Hang Your Cape, The WeBeGeeks Network, The Tangent Bound Network, and The Lounge Network for their support! Make sure you check them out for more great geek content!
Check us out on Geek Life Radio, a 24/7 geek internet radio stream! Every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. CDT


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Monday, December 18, 2006
Your friend's S.O. is a loser -- do you say something?
Deirdre: Wow. That's a tough one. On one hand, your (hypothetical) friend is a grown-up and capable of making her own decisions. On the other, you might see something she doesn't.
Alisha: Exactly. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but surely she would take that as a friend looking after her friend. I worry I'd come across as prying into their personal life. Is there really an easy to way to say, "Hey, your boyfriend is a creep and downright slob?"
Deirdre: I had a situation once where a friend had a complete boor of a boyfriend. No one in our shared social circle liked him or understood why she stayed. She'd even said some things that made us feel she might be thinking along the same lines, but she stuck with him. Meanwhile, the more we were around him, the more obvious his jerkness became.
Deirdre: We'd all been wondering how to talk to her about this dude. I'm the most blunt person in our group (surprise!) and my friends are used to my straight-shootin' ways. So one night I just told her no one liked her boyfriend and we were worried about her.
Alisha: See, that's where you and I differ. I just don't have the gonads to be as upfront as you are. How did your friend respond?
Deirdre: She laughed off my comments at the time, but she broke up with him before too long. She just had to do it when she was ready.
Alisha: And you can't really say "I told you so" after it's over, or can you?
Deirdre: Oh, no way! How cruel would that be? We just let her know in subtle ways we were relieved she'd made the decision. I mean, the dude was getting possessive and dangerous. And I'm happy to say that she is now engaged to an AWESOME guy.
Alisha: [Sigh] Ah, we love happy endings! [Snap to reality] But happy endings don't happen all the time. I wish we could protect our friends from the losers. Though, really, it's often much easier to scrutinize someone's faults than to praise the positives.
Alisha: So we're obviously not talking about just random folks. What you're saying is, it would need to be a good friend, not just an acquaintance?
Deirdre: Yes. My closest friends are my extended family. We take care of each other and trust each other. And if one of those friends tells me something troubling about a man I'm dating, I take them seriously because I know they have my best interest at heart. The problem is, most of us know people who might not be so noble. They might actually do or say something just to cause pain. So you do have to consider the source.
Alisha: Good advice. There are so-called friends who could be secretly pining over your significant other, so it is a wise move to consider the source. I wonder how many people would actually take someone else's advice? I would listen to my friend's advice, but I also know when you're in love, it's hard to just walk away.
Deirdre: Personally, I would want to know. It's hard to walk away, but it's also hard to ignore information people are giving you because they are concerned about your well-being. I think it's best to give the person that information and they can do with it what they will. And you would need to have proof, not just a hunch. They may choose their mate over you (I've had that happen as well), but ultimately, it's their decision.
Alisha: I hear what you're saying. I'm just torn on the subject. I keep thinking about my friends who are engaged. Hypothetically speaking, if I went to one of them right now and said, "you cannot marry that person," I feel like I would lose out on a good friend. On the other hand, I feel like my friend should know how I feel. Gosh ... you make it sound so easy, but it's just not that way, I'm afraid. If it were, don't you think the divorce rate might be a tad lower?
Deirdre: I would never say "you cannot marry that person." No one has a right to make such a pronouncement about someone else's life. But I would say "I'm telling you this because I love you and I'm concerned for you and I have reservations about your man. Here's why ..." If your friend knows you are coming from a place of love, and they are confident enough in themselves and your friendship, they will listen to you.
7 comments:
- Anonymous said...
I'm assuming the S.O. is doing or has done something really bad. Otherwise you are sticking you nose where is doesn't belong. Sometimes personalities clash. If the S.O. is into sci-fi or model building or bottle collecting and this is why you think he's a loser, keep it to yourself. If he hit on you or you find out he is into drugs then let your friend know. I know some people that would be surprised to find out that not everyone cares what they think. Most of the time those people would be much better off being quiet.
- Anonymous said...
I agree- unless he is a habitual drug user, a beater or a womanizer (who has been caught while dating your friend), then keep your mouth shut. You don't have to live with that person, she does. And who he represents himself to be to you may not be who is really is with your friend. And no one says the three of you have to be best friends, you just have to tolerate him every once in awhile.
- Anonymous said...
Sounds like two people adamant about staying with idiotic exes, when their friends keep telling them what retards they are for doing so. I've had friends tell me someone I was dating was no good, and they were absolutely right. And typically the ones that get the seal of approval tend to be good people to date. My friends know who I am as well as anyone, and can absolutely make that judgement. And what kind of weirdo changes their personality like the second commenter suggests?
No wonder so many hillbillies down south have such high divorce rates compared to other parts of the country. In your zeal to get hitched so young (again, compared to the rest of the country) you don't stop to really consider if the person you're with is right for you, and you don't want to hear the truth from your friends, nor do you seem willing to speak the truth to your friends when the shoe is on the other foot. Geez, with friends like that, who needs enemies?
- Anonymous said...
My point about the guy being someone different around you versus their girlfriend is that SOME people are shy, SOME people are not good in social situations, and SOME people could give a hoot about what YOU think about them. Deep inside, you know if the person you're dating is a total loser, you don't need your friends beating you over the head with the information. It's a decision and an issue you have to deal with yourself, your friends don't live your life.
And by the way, I am from the NORTH. And I see more people in the town where I grew up getting divorced than I ever have in the South, where I have lived for over 10 years now.
- Anonymous said...
Anonymous at 3:19am. You appear to be one of those people who think everyone not only needs to hear but also cares what you think. You would have been much better off to have kept you rude rambling to yourself. You apparently have a huge problem with the south. My problem with all the damn yankees is that they think everyone wants to know their opinion and that their opinion is always best. Please notice that you are attacking other people you don't know because their opinion differs from your's. A true sign of an arrogant idiot!!!
- Anonymous said...
Being shy and quiet is much different than coming off like a jerk or worse. There is a major difference, and one people can usually pick up on. And if deep inside you know (as if your perception of things would ever be shaded by what you want to feel, rather than the facts) someone is a loser, why would you stick around? Yet some people do. Sometimes it takes a good pal to give you a metaphorical whack upside the head.
As for my comments on the divorce rates, there again, perception meets reality. I've known, sadly, far too many people north of the Mason-Dixon that have gotten divorced too. But if you look at actual statistics, actual divorce rates by geography, you'll see the most frequently divorced people hail from your neck of the woods. Too many people rushing into it with the wrong person, and sometimes I'm sure, friends sat idly by when their opinion was needed. And I'd rather hear an opinion I didn't necessarily like than go through life not hearing a different viewpoint. Why be so closeminded?
- Anonymous said...
They say, "Love is blind," and I know what it's like to be crazy about a man my friends don't like, and find myself defending him against their comments, sort of like, "You and me against the world." Of course, later on, the fog clears, and I then see what it was they didn't like. But because I know what it's like to be in that situation, I try to be sensitive to my friend's feelings if she is dating someone I don't think is right for her. I feel like, she's a grown woman, she can make up her own mind, and she will wake up and see the light. (Of course, I'm talking about being an arrogant jerk or cheater, not abuse where her life is in danger...that requires some intervention.) And as her friend, I'll be there for her, giving a shoulder for her to cry on. Now, IF she goes back to him, that's a whole 'nother story. She hasn't learned her lesson, and you really do need to speak up. What she chooses to do is up to her, but that's a case where she needs to hear a voice of reason.


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Shiny graphics are great, and teraflops are okay too, we suppose, but nothing stirs up deep, primitive, nostalgic gaming memories like the squeak of a long-forgotton 8-bit sound clip.
From PAC-MAN's waka waka to Zelda's melodies and Sonic's ring dings (yes, that's the technical term), there are plenty of sounds that we've stored away, deep in our brains, just waiting to resurface once again.
We've rounded up some of our favourite gaming sounds through the ages. Obviously there's plenty more, but these should tide you over for a while, we reckon. Enjoy:
The Ring ding – Sonic the Hedgehog (Mega Drive, 1991)
There are few sounds more satisfying that zooming through a long line of gold coins as your favourite blue anthropomorphic hedgehog, with each collective ding providing more satisfaction than the last. Watch out though – one stray spike or slip up will transform all that happiness into bitter feelings of loss and resentment, as your precious gold circles are flung across the map, like the coins of a drunkard on a night bus.
That sodding Duck Hunt dog – Duck Hunt (NES, 1984)
If any pooch deserves to be screwed, it's this annoying mutt right here. Its incessant ear-piercing laughter mocking our every Duck Hunt failure drove us around the bend - until, of course, we got the chance for revenge in Vs. Duck Hunt, which had a hidden bonus level that let you take out your frustrations at long last. Take that you stupid mutt (and sorry, PETA).
"Finish Him!" - Mortal Kombat (1992)
You've battered your opponent from side to side – embarrassed them really – and you've more than earned those two sweet words. You cement your superiority with a steely glare before executing a perfect fatality, watching your foe's virtual (and real) world crumble around them. Enjoy your victory pizza, and graciously accept the plentiful gifts the masses lay before your feat. You've earned it.
'Puzzle Solved' melody - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (N64, 1998)
This three second melody is sweet, sweet music to any Zelda fan's ears. We recommend playing it every time you solve a problem in real life. From increasing your profit margins to getting the lid off a stubborn jar of jam, it'll enhance the moment greatly. Feel free to use it as a notification tone too, if you like.
"Say-gaaaaaah" – Sega Mega Drive
The second that white screen, blue text and harmonised voice fires up, you know you're in for a good time. From ploughing through levels in Sonic to mowing down enemies in Desert Strike, the Mega Drive console startup sequence initiates a Pavlovian drool response in us to this very day - which is why we stopped using it as our ringtone. People started to look at us with a mixture of disdain and shock.
"Stay a while. Stay FOREVER!" – Impossible Mission (C64, 1984)
Evil Elvin Atombender's opening line in Impossible Mission still occasionally haunts our dreams. Then we remind ourselves that we defeated Dr. Atombender's rubbish 8-bit sprite many, many years ago. Yeah, take that you stupid pixel man. You're nothing to us now. You hear that? Nothing.
Night vision goggle power-up whine – Splinter Cell (2002)
When you hear the camera flash-like sound of Sam Fisher's night vision goggles, you know it's business time. Sure, it's odd that guards completely ignore its green glow and high-pitched whine – but who cares when you're having so much fun dishing out death from the shadows? Funny how it also sounds a bit like the Catchphrase buzzer, isn't it?
"Hadouken!" – Street Fighter 2 (1991)
Our panicky Street Fighter 2 button mashing resulted in firing countless desperate energy balls against quick-reflexed foes. The sound is permanently etched on our minds. Sadly, shouting it out in real life does little to clear packed Underground carriages or Sainsbury's queues. Well, depending on how loudly you bellow. Sometimes it works a right treat.
Headbutt coin ding - Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES)
This is quite possibly the most recognisable game sound ever. It almost makes us want to smash our heads against brick walls in the hope of releasing golden treasure, but after multiple experiments, we can confirm that it doesn't work. This is quite possibly the most recognisable game sound ever. It almost makes us want to smash our heads against brick walls in the hope of releasing golden treasure, but after multiple experiments, we can confirm that it doesn't work.
Newspaper hitting a porch – Paperboy
There are few things as satisfying as a perfectly-timed newspaper throw in Paperboy. It cements one's status as a master delivery boy, a higher station than we'd ever hoped to achieve in real life. Few things sound less like a newspaper hitting a porch, mind you, but tht's besides the point. We think. Wait, what were we talking about again?
You've been spotted! - Metal Gear Solid
The most rage-inducing, panic-creating sound in gaming history, the klaxon from Metal Gear Solid (coupled with the massive on-screen red exclamation mark) generated many a controller-to-floor incident. To this day, we have to stick a red dot over the '1' key on all of our keyboards to avoid any PTSD incidents. On-screen keyboards, as you can imagine, are nightmare. #JustPTSDGamerThings
Three. Two. One. Beeeeeep! – Super Mario Kart (SNES, 1992)
It's only five short seconds before you and your friends descend into karting madness, throwing turtle shells, bananas and lightning clouds at each other. The adrenaline is high, your palms are sweaty, and already, you can hear the blue shell's stalking, merciless approach in your ears. Who cares if you've been first place all race? That blue shell respects no one...
"Waka Waka" - PAC-MAN
Do you trust us? Then take your finger, and repeatedly poke it in and pull it out of your ear. Boom. PAC-MAN. Check out the video for proof. Cleaning your ears just got a little bit more enjoyable.


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The US has offered no help to India as far as bringing most wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim back from Pakistan is concerned, former home secretary R.K. Singh, who has now joined the BJP, said Monday.
In an interview to CNN-IBN channel, R.K. Singh said: "Firstly, if a third country's intelligence agency is agreeing to help you, you don't talk about it in public... Secondly FBI has offered no such help...so this statement of bringing back Dawood with the help of FBI is wrong.
There is even no assurance from FBI on Dawood, I was present at that conference with (Home Minister Sushilkumar) Shinde... he is lying."
At a press conference last week, Shinde had said that Dawood was in Pakistan and joint efforts were being made with the US to nab him. Dawood is wanted in a number of cases by India, including the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
On his reported differences with Shinde, R.K. Singh said: "The differences with home minister were known to everyone and it was known to higher officials and its not new...this is not something that has cropped up today."
Asked about Shinde's reported interference in stopping the interrogation of a senior businessman, he claimed: "Again it's not an allegation, it's a fact."
"As far as I recall, I think it was in connection with the match fixing case and this businessman had some sort of links with Dawood," Singh claimed according to a release by the news channel.
Liked the story?


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New Research – Digital Identity in Emerging Markets
Download our Digital Identity in Emerging Markets report now.
Identity has long been a topic that has intrigued us here at Caribou Digital. It sits at the centre of transactional behaviour, essential for financial, property, health and educational services, and it is hub around which we create our on-line identities within social media platforms. Most importantly in emerging markets a basic identity, verified by the state, is something that is not available for many people. Without the foundation stone of a digital identity, many digital and real-world services will be denied to them.
In countries such as India and Pakistan the Government is taking the lead to introduce digital identity, using their ability to drive people to register and reaching over a billion users very quickly. This creates a huge potential platform for the private sector to build other services on top, but we were intrigued as to how the private sector – from Facebook, to the mobile operators, to start ups – is starting to crowd into this space. Driving demand to digital identity services is hard – it's not a product many users spontaneously ask for, it's more a by-product or gateway to what they really want to do. Understanding, and responding to, demand drivers for identity-based digital products will be critical for these private sector actors.
We will be soon be starting a new research programme to better understand user demand and the social & cultural structure of digital identity in emerging markets, but we have just completed our first research report on landscaping private-sector digital identity in emerging markets. Over here on Medium our lead researcher Bryan Pon talks in more detail about our landscaping of the private-sector digital identity sector in emerging markets report that we're very thankful to Omidyar Network for funding. You can read it here.


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Through StreetLib, you can get a global overview of your book's sales, both its paper and eBook version. Check the number of sales and earnings, and use filters for more targeted results (period, titles, etc.
Let's see how you can monitor your sales:
In your general dashboard, click on Analytics>Reports
You will get an overview of your ongoing sales and be able to use two types of filters:
- By period of time: to be able to check sales from the previous week, ongoing quarter, last 15 days....
- By type: If you need to see reports for a specific book, author, language, etc.
Once the filters set, you'll see the related sales data in various sections:
- The OVERVIEW: where you'll see right away the total earnings and sales units of the period chosen. With the percentage progression related to the previous period:
- TOP PERFORMERS EARNINGS: The top 5 stores, titles, authors and genres generating the most revenues. You can streach each section to see all the retailers, titles, etc.:
- The SALES PERFORMANCE table, showing your earnings and the number of sales. In this table, some data is temporary (the blue bars):
Temporary data is calculated based on averages and estimation we make to give you a daily idea of your sales. The real data may be different. The definitive data is always the one found on your invoice.
- The TOP PERFORMERS SALES graphics show you the transaction shares between languages, retailers and whether it was a free book or not:
- The WORLD DISTRIBUTION map shows you the sales distribution between countries:
- SALES DETAILS: The last part of the Analytics show you a detail of each of your sales, where they happened and when, still based on the filters you set at the beginning.
Enjoy and have a good analytics time :)!


text: All companies strive for happy, more productive employees in the workplace. After all, most people spend more time at work than anywhere else in their day-to-day lives. Therefore, it only makes sense why the attitude and health of your employees can have such a large impact on how your company functions as a whole.


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Many companies these days are looking to cut costs by laying off workers and forcing the employees they have left to work longer hours for less pay. This often results in illegal business practices of making employees work overtime without the proper overtime compensation or, in some cases, without even earning the legally mandated minimum wage.
According to the allegations in a recent class action lawsuit, companies that own and run assisted living facilities are not exempt from the strive for higher profits. The lawsuit is against Emeritus Senior Living, the country's largest assisted living company, and it alleges that hands-on workers at the company's facilities have been short changed in their paychecks. Further, the lawsuit alleges that the company violated state laws regarding mandated meal times and rest breaks.
ProPublica and PBS Frontline recently conducted an investigation into Emeritus's practices which showed that the company's top executives allegedly believed that controlling labor costs was key to sustaining the publicly traded company's financial success and maintaining appeal to Wall Street investors. As a result, senior officials at Emeritus decided to cut their labor costs. This has resulted in alleged under staffing at many of Emeritus's facilities and dissatisfaction among the employees who were left that have been stuck with alleged heavier workload and low wages.
Despite having recently settled the case for up to $2.2 million, Emeritus has continued to deny the allegations of the lawsuit, both in the media and in court. It insists that its almost 500 facilities nationwide are adequately staffed and that all of its workers are properly compensated. The company further asserts that "we strive to be the employer of choice" according to a statement made by the company to ProPublica. "We are competing to hire the very best staff that we can, and we are committed to our community teams. We work to be competitive in terms of total compensation within our industry, and we conduct wage analysis in markets in an effort to stay at or in line with the competition.
Despite these assertions, many companies, in a variety of industries, have been trying to undercut their competitors by cutting costs in areas such as the wages they pay their employees. At the same time, it is commonly understood that lower wages leads to lower morale and a higher turnover rate among employees.
Experts in the assisted living industry say that low wages paid to employees by companies have produced a workforce that is often poorly trained. According to J. Kevin Eckert, a researcher from the Center for Aging Studies at the University of Maryland, many of these workers "haven't graduated high school, are often immigrants, and earn roughly $20,000 a year. Many are single parents that have complicated lives. And they're often leaving one job because they can earn fifty cents more somewhere else."
The lawsuit was initially filed in 2011 by two employees at one of Emeritus's California facilities and it alleged that the company regularly denied its workforce wages it was legally owed. The lawsuit was granted class action status and the proposed settlement is now available to hundreds of employees who worked at more than 50 of the company's California facilities from 2007 to 2013. These workers include non-salaried aides and support staff who performed such tasks as bathing and feeding the elderly, administered medications, and cleaned the hallways and restrooms of the facilities.
The Illinois class action attorneys at the Chicago Overtime Law Center are investigating unpaid overtime claims against hospitals, senior and assisted living centers and large doctor and dental practices and chains for erasing or altering time sheets or time records, pressuring workers not to report or record overtime, and otherwise failing to pay workers for overtime and other wages. If you are the victim this practice call us at (312) 869-4095 or contact us online by filling in the form at the side of this blog.
The Chicago unpaid overtime lawyers at the Chicago Overtime Law Center have decades of experience fighting for wage earner's rights. We have a team of Chicago unpaid overtime attorneys who focus on nationwide class action lawsuits and work out of Chicago and Oak Brook offices and prosecute claims for workers all over the Chicago area including Romeville and Park Ridge. We protect unpaid workers who haven't received overtime throughout the Chicago area including in DuPage, McHenry Kane and Cook Counties.
Our Orland Park and Elgin overtime lawyers are intimately familiar with the issues that arise during wage claim litigation, and we know the laws that govern overtime cases well. Many employers misclassify employees as being exempt from overtime laws and pay workers salaries instead of hourly wages in order to avoid paying them overtime. Some employers mistakenly classify employees as exempt and others intentionally do so in order to circumvent the law. In either case, workers do not receive the wages they should, and a lawsuit may be the only way to recover their earned wages.
The Chicago Overtime Law Center is based in Chicago and represents clients throughout the country who have not been paid for the overtime hours that they worked. If you believe that you are owed overtime wages, contact one of our Chicago class action attorneys by phone at (312) 869-4095 or through our online form.


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Belarusian Embassy refused visas to representatives of Swedish NGOs
This is the information provided by Radio Liberty.
The Belarusian Embassy to Sweden refused visas to 9 representatives of Swedish non-governmental organizations that had planned to attend the Belarus-Sweden conference in Minsk. Also, Minsk City Executive Committee required that the organizers of the event, the Swedish Center for International Cooperation Forum Syd and the Minsk department of the Embassy of Sweden in Moscow, provide special permission for the conference. As a result, it was called off.
A contact Belarus-Sweden conference of non-governmental organizations had been planned to take place in the Belarus Hotel. The goal of the conference was organization of joint projects in the social and environmental spheres. However, days before the event, the hotel managers required permission allowing the conference. The referred to the letter faxed by the ideology department of Minsk City Executive Committee. The conference organizers were not allowed to read the fax which, however, the Belarus used as a reason for refusing rental of the premises.
Uladzimer Zubryk, the deputy head of the ideology department of Minsk City Executive Committee explained that organizers of such conferences must apply for an appropriate permission.
(Zubryk: ) "They contact us and we spell out the required procedures, the documents to prepare, people to contact for permission. They did not contact us, so we… The hotel general manager contacted us. He asked if we could explain how such events should be held. We briefed him on the problem".
Mr. Zubryk related the contents of the paper sent to the hotel general manager.
(Zubryk: ) "The permission is issued by the Chamber of Representatives, the commission, this commission receives documents on the conduct of events from the Ministry of Economy. That's why, it is necessary to contact the Ministry of Economy that hands over the documents to the Chamber of Representatives, where they take the final decision".
The representative of the ideology department of Minsk City Executive Committee did not specify the legal framework of the procedure.
The conference organizers, Forum Syd and the Swedish mission, were prepared to change the meeting format and conduct it outside the hotel. However, another problem appeared: the conference participants from Sweden did not get Belarusian visas and so could not come to Minsk. Why did the Belarusian Embassy in Stockholm refused visas? This question is for the representative of the information department of the Foreign Ministry of Belarus Ruslan Iesin.
(Iesin: ) "The Foreign Ministry, as a rule, does not issue comments. This is an internationally accepted norm observed by Belarus and by all other countries of Europe. No further comments, sorry".
At the same time, the representatives of the Swedish center Forum Syd in Minsk Uladzislau Vialichka explains: the Belarusian authorities created conditions that led to the cancellation of the conference.
(Vialichka: ) "The information was submitted in due time, everything was being done openly, all the preparation involved, we exchanged information with the Foreign Ministry of Belarus. I can't say they have a positive attitude to this event but they did not give any negative comments to us during the preparation, or place any ban on the ongoing activities. So, it was absolutely unexpected, the decision why the Swedish citizens did not get Belarusian visas remains ungrounded.
Yet another representative of the Swedish center Forum Syd Tatsiana Pashevalava continues to add:
(Pashevalava: ) "True, there was a kind of directive: given the current international context, all public events, like conferences or seminars should be called off – to be on the safe side. For some reason the authorities do not like them. They just do not want many people gathering together in one place and discussing something there, they are just afraid of public discussions, even those devoted to the social topics".


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Telling friends and acquaintances that I was single and pregnant wasn't easy, but figuring out the financials of having a baby alone in Los Angeles proved to be impossible.
For several months I avoided telling the world I was pregnant, but after gaining about thirty pounds in the first trimester, people who knew me were starting to do double takes.
But what was the right way to tell people that I was following in January Jones and Scary Spice's footsteps and carrying a "bastard baby" (a term I had heartlessly used several times in recent years) without having to rehash the brutal and gory details of the Jason drama?
"Just be confident and tell people that you are pregnant and the father isn't in the picture and you are going to be a single mom," one of my friends suggested. "No one is going to pry."
That was like saying the tabloids didn't care about Kim Kardashian's pregnancy weight. This was Los Angeles, where everyone made it a point to know everyone else's business and this wasn't exactly one of those tidbits of news that was going to fly under the radar.
One day I decided to squeeze into my Rag & Bone skinny jeans (which I now had to wear unzipped) and emerge from the cave of my apartment where I had been hiding in for months watching back-to-back episodes of Pretty Little Liars and gorging on excessive amounts of carbs and sugars. Strolling down the trendy street I lived on, I ran into one of my neighborhood friends, Anthony, who asked me what was "new."
"Work is okay, just got back from Hawaii, and I'm pregnant," I answered, hoping that somehow if I didn't make a big deal out of it, he wouldn't either.
"Are you serious?" he finally spurt out after about thirty seconds of staring at me through skeptical eyes, waiting for the punch line. "I didn't even know you were dating anyone."
"And here you probably just thought I was getting fat," I joked, because I didn't really know what else to say. Reactions to my impending motherhood ranged depending on the person, but the general consensus from the people in my life was shock and then awkwardness – because asking about the paternity of my child-to-be took a little more than social couth.
"Are you so excited?" was another response that I would get, and also come to dread, because I absolutely wasn't but I couldn't exactly give an honest answer.
"Am I excited to be a single mother of a baby whose father wanted me to abort him and have to financially support a child on my own, full-time, without any help? Not so much," I wanted to say, but I didn't. I lied. I said what everyone wanted to hear and pretended to be the strong and independent woman they thought I was.
At this point, I had avoided morning sickness, but I was getting stressed out about the reality of my situation in terms of work and finance, that I was a walking zombie, averaging about two hours of sleep a night.
I made enough money to live the Los Angeles lifestyle I was accustomed to, but my finances wouldn't exactly support Leah-plus-one in the same manner. The doctor's bills were already starting to pile up, and with my lackluster insurance plan, it was clear that this pregnancy was going to cost me over $10k. There was also the technicality of my freelance work status, which wasn't going to provide me with maternity leave, and I didn't exactly have family close by who could help me out with childcare, nor could I afford to hire a nanny, so I would be stuck dropping my newborn child off at the baby kennel early every morning, sitting in traffic driving to and from work every day, and spending my evenings up all night in my cramped and loud apartment. I was going to be that single mother.
"You need to stop stressing out," friends, who had clearly never been in my predicament before, would tell me. "Your baby can feel everything."
It was suggested that I speak with other single mothers who had walked this path before me, but that turned out to be more depressing than helpful. Though they loved their children, most of them were noticeably bitter about their baby daddies and were more interested in discussing all of the sacrifices they had made for their child and the legal battles with their exes, than inspiring me with their success stories.
I tried to talk to my doctor about my situation, but she didn't seem to have time to deal with my blood work, let alone my emotional trials and tribulations. I was paying top dollar to see this woman, but spending hours in the waiting room filled with couples, only to get about 10 minutes of quality of time with her, where she would briskly tell me everything was fine.
I had never felt so alone in my life and not my faith in God, the support of family and friends nor my best thinking was easing my stress and anxiety about the stark reality of single motherhood.
Next: Part 5: How My Pain Taught Me to Change
Previously: Part 1: Sexy, Single, and Pregnant in the City of Angels Part 2: Officially Single and Definitely Pregnant Part 3: The Single-and-Pregnant First-Trimester Blues


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Welcome to WNY Small Engines, Inc.
We invite you to browse through our store and shop with confidence. You can search our website for aftermarket parts. You may create an account with us if you'd like or shop as a guest. Either way, your shopping cart will be active until you leave the store. We want to guarantee that you have 100% satisfaction on every purchase. If you have any questions please feel free to contact us by phone at 1-877-848-5229
Thank you for visiting.
WNY Small Engines, Inc. email@example.com


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Easter Kids Crafts
If you're hosting an Easter gathering this year, or just trying to think of ways to make things extra special for your little ones, Martha's slideshow of crafts and activities will get you inspired...
There are games that can be played by the kids, as well as plenty of springy crafts. We particularly like the alternatives to traditional baskets including a DIY basket made from a cookie tin, a felt bag for a basket, and a slip-covered basket that can be used throughout the year. There's also a good reminder to just shred old paper for your Easter "grass" rather than buy that green stuff.
Watch the whole slideshow at Martha Stewart.
(Image: Martha Stewart)