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What could be better, really? These elegant little flowers are beautiful and edible!
Archive for the 'Cheese' Category
nasturtiums are everywhere
Posted in Cheese on May 20, 2011| Leave a Comment »
It's done.
Posted in Cheese, Fruit, Restaurants, Whimsical, Wine, tagged American Academy in Rome, Amy Campion, Amy Campion food, Cafe Necci, eat locally, local food, locavore in Rome, Rome locavore, roving locavore on June 22, 2010| 2 Comments »
My dissertation, that is, is done. Sadly, so is our packing.
We've been saying goodbyes to good good friends here in Rome, and will leave on Thursday. It's an anticipated sadness and loss, so it's one that ebbs and flows, comes and goes at unexpected moments. Life goes on, too, as do the food and wine discoveries. Why did it take 9 months for me to learn about this vino vivace I'm sipping right now? Monsupello, an off-white slightly fizzy wine made with Pinot Nero grapes (skins taken out), from the Pavia region in the north of Italy. The reason I didn't know about it sooner is that Jeannie and Valeria, friends and moms of Jack's friends, discovered it at our local enoteca—wine shop—and bought it all up. But with the new season, new caseloads have come in, and we're all drinking it. I had it first on Jeannie's balcony in Trastevere while Jack and Nico "went fishing" with coat hangers over the edge. Then I had it two nights later at Valeria & Andreas' apartment. Two Roman veterinarians, they told us about their dreams of opening a restaurant in London or Berlin that serves good basic Roman cuisine.
Late, too, I found out about Necci, a wonderful little cafe that does everything from breakfast pastries to toy-swaps for the kids with aperitivi for the parents. Jeannie, Sarah, and I went to Pigneto, a Roman neighborhood outside of the city center, last week, on a mission to taste the artisanal cornetti (Italian croissants). The chef, a British guy named Ben, is one of those admirable chefs who uses only local and seasonal ingredients and who is reviving old ways of making things. Jeannie and I had chocolate cornetti and agreed that they were the best we'd tasted in years. Light crunch to the pastry flakes—dark, warm chocolate within.
Necci is a fun place with great deck seating, kid-friendliness, a sense of humor, and delicious food. Some pictures.
After a long, leisurely hour and two cappuccini at Necci, we walked down a central neighborhood street that has an open air market during the morning. I bought a melon, a bagful of cherries, and susine plums.
Then we wandered with our fruit-heavy bags back to Sarah's car, stopping in little shops along the way. One of them was a funky second-hand store, with everything from a vintage Singer sewing machine—from the 1910s—to Pokemon cards. Now, if I had known then what I know now, I would have bought a huge handful of those cards. For the past few days of goodbyes Jack has been cathecting all of his mixed emotions onto his carte di Pokemon. I buy a pack for him (and they're exploitatively expensive!) and he gives them all away as regali. Or his more cunning friends convince him to trade 4 for 1. I tell him I won't buy him anymore, and he cries and says he doesn't want to go to school or see his friends again. I say, "I know you're sad that we're leaving. Let's talk about what you like about Rome" and he'll say, "I like the buses and the carte di Pokemon." It's been a sad time for him, because he's had such a wonderful year. He learned Italian and finally feels comfortable with his Italian friends and teachers. He loves his school. He loves life here at the Academy where there are always friends available right next door. So he channels his emotions into the things he can grasp at and consume until we go away (friends are too complicated for these operations): Gormiti (little Italian elemental action figures), Pokemon cards (which, he doesn't know, are everywhere), and ciambellini (the mini doughnuts they make at the Kosher cafe we stop in almost every morning before school). We all do it. I'm drinking more coffee because I know I won't taste coffee like this in the New World. I'm putting one more slice of mozzarella on my plate because it might be my last for years. I'm getting a cup of pistachio gelato even if Jack doesn't want any. We're trying to squeeze in one more coffee-date, playdate, late-night conversation with the wonderful friends we've made here. And I'm trying to drink in the views and sounds of Rome so that I won't forget any of it, so that it won't become muted and hazy when we get back to "real life."
Posted in Cheese, Dairy, tagged Amy Campion, eat locally, local food, locavore, locavore in Rome, roving locavore on April 23, 2010| Leave a Comment »
Not a mis-spelling of burrito, no. Something much, much better. Exquisite, even.
While I sit here waiting for my Byron chapter to print out, I find my mind drifting back to dinner last night with Tess and Jessie (interns at the Rome Sustainable Food Project and co-producer—that's Tess—of the must-see Food Inc.) and David (a documentary filmmaker and husband of Jessie), at a tiny table in a teeny apartment in Trastevere, where, while we sat around the burrata like worshipers at a sacred font, Jack jumped on the bed in the other room.
Oh, my! This is how burrata, a soft, fresh mozzarella with liquefying cream in the middle, looks at the store. When you take it home to serve, our Italian associates in food-loving tell us, you put it in a bowl, pour a bit of your best extra virgin olive oil over it, slice it with a spoon, and eat it—preferably with a spoon.
Burrata is my new love. It's better than gelato.
some Roman domes I love
Posted in Bread, Cheese, Shopping, Sweet Things, tagged Amy Campion food, Antica Caciari Rome, Antico Forno Roscioli Rome, eating locally, local eating, local food, locavore, locavore in Rome, roving locavore on November 29, 2009| Leave a Comment »
The forecast was for rain for the long Thanksgiving weekend, but each day, we had mist and then sun. That was a nice turn of events, because we had lots of touring of Rome to do with our visitors. Yesterday morning, I had to swear to everyone that I didn't plan it this way, but en route to Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, we ended up walking by both Antica Caciari (where we bought fresh ricotta, fresh pesto, and fresh sausages) and Roscioli, my favorite forno (where we bought fig bread, hearty bread for dinner, and a torta di mele—apple cake—the last of which I've been wanting to buy since I first laid eyes on it).
Some other observations…
Sorry, this is gross and unappetizing, but interesting. Don't park where the starlings roost:
What would beauty be without shit?
Now, though, let's turn to beauty.
Lion and pinecone: fierce, lordly, evergreen; pignoli, carne, regeneration, peace, power, teeth, needles, mane, shade.
Giant Bernini-designed river god, at ease in his musculature, reclining in the center of Piazza Navona:
The oculus:
Another, humbler, dome:
Mmmm… so moist and appley.
the Mediterranean diet as cultural heritage
Posted in Cheese, Dairy, Drinks, Fruit, Grain, Pasta, Philosophical, Seafood, Sweet Things, Trends, Vegetables, Wine, tagged agricultural biodiversity, Amy Campion, Amy Campion food, Bioversity International, Diversity for Life, Italian food culture, Mediterranean diet, roving locavore, UNESCO Italian diet, UNESCO Mediterranean diet on October 31, 2009| 3 Comments »
Italy's Parliament voted unanimously this summer to recommend that UNESCO list the Mediterranean diet as endangered, so that it might be protected and preserved as a part of cultural heritage.
I'm interested in this public declaration, in part, for its semantic implications. Can a diet be treated as an aesthetic or religious object, or as a plant or animal species? In fact, the Mediterranean diet is all of these things. Italians are rightly proud of their food, and of their heritage. Diet here is interwoven with cultural practice, with religious ritual, with craft and design, and with plant and animal species that have an intimate connection with both the geography and the history of Italy's distinct regions.
Of course, the natives of this boot-shaped land could describe the complex set of cultural practices that is the Mediterranean diet better than I, an outsider, and a barbarian American, could. But I'll offer a few arguments, anyway, in favor of designating this diet an endangered piece of cultural heritage.
The Mediterranean diet is interwoven with national and regional identity. This goes deeper than the kind of identity declared by small towns with billboards at their borders declaring them the pistachio capital of the world. It's an identity that has less to do with marketing, and more to do with the deep emotional ties of childhood memories, in which food and family are tightly woven together. Particular foods and foodways are tied to family traditions, religious rituals, and to regionally specific cooking styles.
When I was at the Bioversity offices yesterday, I met one of the senior scientists there, a man named Stefano, whose work as a scientist and educator about agricultural biodiversity perfectly aligns with his passion for food and food memories. In our brief conversation, he gave me many examples of the Mediterranean diet as cultural heritage and as endangered. When he was a child, he said, the whole neighborhood would get together in someone's garage to peel, cook, and bottle tomatoes for use as sauce. While he was living in Africa, his homesickness took the form of a craving for the comforts of pasta. His mother and sister write down the recipes and menus of family meals; these recipes are their family scrapbooks and triggers to memory. One of these recipes is for a stew containing 57 varieties of wild leafy green. (Surely this recipe and the knowledge of how to find, much less cook, 57 varieties of wild green are endangered!) Another recipe is for quince jelly. How many quince orchards have you seen lately?
These foods and practices—this cultural heritage—is endangered for several related reasons: the globalization of simplified diets based on cheap, and less nutritious, commodity crops; the lure, or necessity, of convenience foods for working mothers who don't have the time or inclination to hunt out 57 varieties of wild green; the encroachment of fast food into the diets of children; the loss of food and cooking knowledge through the generations. One of the terrible consequences of the loss of food practices is that the actual foods can be lost as well. Many of the crops that have sustained peoples all over the world for millenia fall under the new designation of "neglected and underutilized species." This is how food as a cultural and aesthetic practice shades into an endangered species.
Another, no less important, reason to preserve the Mediterranean diet is that it works. People have thrived, and not been prone to cardiovascular disease or obesity and its consequences, on this diet for many generations. This is because of the intrinsic nutritional value of the foods themselves, and it is also because of the set of cultural rules that guide eating. The people here eat small portions, a variety of vegetables, whole grains, fish, and cheese, meat, and wine in moderation. No cappuccino after lunch, no hard liquor before dinner or gelato in the morning… the list goes on. And dessert is often fresh fruit.
Fall and Rainbows in Rome
Posted in Baking, Cheese, Dairy, Shopping, Sweet Things, Whimsical, tagged American Academy in Rome, Amy Campion, Amy Campion food, Antica Caciari Rome, Antico Forno Roscioli Rome, Canestro Rome, eat locally, eating locally, local eating, local food, locavore, locavore in Rome, locavore Rome, Rome locavore, Rome sustainable food, roving locavore on October 13, 2009| 2 Comments »
Fall fell in a swirl of branches, leaves, and whole trees. Yesterday afternoon, we watched the pines and bamboo swaying in circles as the wind picked up. Rain fell hard, and stopped quickly. And then, the most magnificent double rainbow I've ever seen arched across the Rome skyline, and the mountains, free from the haze after a long hot summer, seemed etched into the sky. This morning, the air was crisp, about 15 degrees cooler than yesterday's, and smoke from burning piles of brush signaled the arrival of autumn. We rode the bus to our usual stop, just past Piazza Ottavilla, where we saw a huge pile of downed trees and branches. Later, I ran through the park at Villa Pamphili, and saw huge old pines and palms lying broken on the grass.
I had spent the morning on a long market circuit in Trastevere, stopping at my favorite shops: Antica Caciari for fresh ricotta, Canestro for organic cereals, grains, lentils, and peanut butter, and Antico Forno Roscioli for delicious bread and un cornetto integrale–a whole wheat croissant with bitter honey inside. I knew I'd found an amazing baker when I saw the impossible combination of whole wheat flecks and buttery thin flaky pastry. How do they do it?
I love walking around Trastevere because of its spider web of narrow off-angle streets that open onto beautiful architectural surprises.
Rena sent me on a hunt for this place, which carries organic milk in a little fridge near the door.
Wow! It looks pretty, but what would it be like actually to eat this nutty tart?
The Fontana d'Acqua Paolo, seen from the pedestrian bridge, Ponte Sisto, jutting up at the top of the hill, marked the line I'd need to walk to find the steep set of stairs that would lead me up the hill back home.
And now, the pictures we've all been waiting for…
Il Arcobaleno!
I'd been cooking dinner, when Jack, sitting at the high counter in the kitchen, said, "there's a huge rainbow in the sky." Uh huh. I was busy. But then, I decided to look, and couldn't believe it. We ran down the stairs, but not before Jack resourcefully thought to pull on his puddle boots. We buzzed Lulu and Jesse's apartment, and ran outside with them to stand in the street. The rainbow made a full half-circle. And then we realized it was doubled by a fainter, inverted rainbow above:
Peter called down from the terrace, where everyone else was watching it.
The view from up there was even more amazing.
pizza con rosato frizzante
Posted in Baking, Cheese, Fungi, Sweet Things, Wine, tagged Amy Campion, Amy Campion food, chanterelle pizza, eat locally, eating locally, local eating, local food, locavore, locavore in Rome, locavore Rome, Rome locavore, Rome sustainable food, roving locavore on September 23, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I just happened upon a new, exciting flavor combination. With a still-heavy bag of chanterelles in the bottom of my fridge, and a ball of mozzarella needing to be pulled, I decided to make pizza.
For the crust, check out this post. For the topping, I sauteed green onions, garlic, 1 sliced sage leaf and a small sprig of rosemary, and a big pile of chanterelle chunks in butter and olive oil. I brushed the crust with olive oil, spread the veg, sprinkled on the mozzarella strings and some grated parmesan and salt, and baked it for about 15 minutes.
We opened a bottle of one of the staggeringly cheap, good local wines, a rosato frizzante (is just what it sounds like).
The combo was the best kind of thrilling comfort food that I love so much.
For dessert, we each had a little amaretto cookie I'd picked up this morning at the bakery on Quattro Venti. These cookies—I tell no lies—are perfect. The outside can be tapped with a fingernail, but is chewy, not crisp. The inside is a moist, chewy crumb that pulls apart with delicate resistance. The flavor is pure essence of almonds, sugar, butter.


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Memories by hollyh Star this if you like it!
This was a special photograph for me because I was close to the older women in the photograph. she died of health problems and the family invited me to stay with the family at the wake. They showed me this photograph and explained that it was the only one that they had of their parents together. At the time, I was trying to photograph the picture as to make copies for the other family members. However, what I love about this picture is that you can really see the affection between the old man and his wife. In this part of rural West Africa, you very rarely saw that as that most people of this generation were married through arranged marriages. But here you can really see how much they loved eachother.
- 8 April 2003
- Tags: #people #and #competition
- Send as postcard
Fantastic emotional capture.

subset: commoncrawl


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Plan for changing West Oakland approved
A sprawling debate at Oakland's Planning Commission on Wednesday night about a proposal for the future of West Oakland in many ways underscored the city's deeper questions about rising housing costs, changing demographics and urban vitality.
At issue was the city's West Oakland Specific Plan, a document that lays out how to redevelop the district by changing the zoning of certain areas from commercial to residential, increasing parkland and modernizing streets and avenues.
The Planning Commission approved the plan, 4-2. It has been in the works since July 2011. It will be considered by the City Council in July.
But public comment on the plan became a discussion about gentrification and affordability.
West Oakland has traditionally been the heart of African American culture in the city, if not the Bay Area. But over the past 10 years in some West Oakland census tracts the number of white residents has doubled, bringing their numbers nearly equal with their African American counterparts. Asian and Latino residents have increased as well, while thousands of African American families have left the neighborhood for areas outside the city.
Robbie Clark, a housing activist with Causa Justa, an Oakland nonprofit that is fighting gentrification, said the plan is "very much about pushing out poor people, that is clear."
Demonstrators marched from DeFremery Park in West Oakland to the hearing at City Hall, where they met many longtime activists. The debate was often raucous and opponents of the city's efforts often drowned out planners.
At one point the crowd chanted, "Satan! Satan! Satan!" and drowned out Ed Manasse, a city planner, as he tried to introduce the plan. Two people were handcuffed by police and marched out of City Hall after they tried to block people from entering the meeting. Police said they were later released without being arrested.
Monsa Nitoto, 65, a West Oakland activist who has lived in the area for 40 years, said the plan had flaws but would bring much-needed investment to West Oakland.
"There is some gentrification going on, but no more than these Occupy folks moving into West Oakland," Nitoto said. "They're gentrifying while they're talking about not gentrifying, and they don't know what is going on."
Will Kane is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com Twitter: @WillKane


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Series Profile
Network: FOX
Genre: Drama
Genre: Drama
Status: Ended
Rating: TV-PG
Rating: TV-PG
Synopsis: This long-running drama dealt with the experiences of a group of young people in Beverly Hills, CA as they navigated high school, college and ultimately the real world. The series focused on their travails as they tried to maintain their friendship while dealing with romances, family and personal crises, tragedies and countless drug addictions.
Brian Austin Green,Ian Ziering,Jennie Garth,Tori Spelling,Jason Priestley,Shannen Doherty,Gabrielle Carteris,Tiffani-Amber Thiessen,Luke Perry,Carol Potter,James Eckhouse,Kathleen Robertson,Lindsay Price,Vincent Young,Joe E. Tata,Hilary Swank,Jamie Walters,Mark D. Espinoza,Vanessa Marcil,Daniel Cosgrove,Douglas Emerson,
Photo Galleries
- Brian Austin Green2 Pictures


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This post 'He is the Man! - Mr. Rudbeckia 'Magnus' was originally uploaded by Tyra Hallsénius Lindhe in the blogg Tyras Trädgård/ Tyra's Garden
Who is the Man - He is the Man
Hip, Hip, Hurrah!
Happy Birthday! Mr. Magnus B. Nilsson
The famous Swedish nurseryman that celebrate his 105th birthday today.
The gardener and breeder who is the "father" to one of my favourite perennial flower, the Rudbeckia 'Magnus' Echinacea purpurea. The Rudbeckia 'Magnus' was the plant of the year in 1998 both here in Sweden as well as abroad. I just love this perennial coneflower with the most fascinating colour combination. The rusty centre combined with the pale cerise coloured silk-like petals. It is not just we people that enjoyes Rudbeckia 'Magnus', so does the butterflies and bees too, they love it.
Don't be a stranger - Do write something! Love to hear from you.


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Lighter winds and an easing of the Atlantic groundswell lured Paul and myself down to Penzance for a tour around Mount's Bay.
It's one of my favourite circuits: from Penzance harbour along the coast to slingshot around St. Michael's Mount, then three plus miles of open sea across to Mousehole and then back along the coast to Penzance with a nose around Newlyn harbour on the way.
St. Michael's Mount was looking even more impressive than I was expecting….it always does even though I have paddled past it dozens of times.
Although there was more of a rolling swell than I was expecting for the sea crossing to Mousehole, the wind was light and the sun was trying to appear so Paul and I didn't feel uneasy about the level of exposure. He did however intermittently disappear behind the swells.
I was a bit disappointed not to see any sea mammals on the way over. I have encountered several species of dolphin and a whale around here and was expecting a porpoise at the very least but it wasn't to be.
We ventured a little way down the coast past Mousehole but the current combined with increasing wind and steady swell made it feel a bit less safe so we headed for the extreme cosiness of Mousehole harbour. Always a few seals hanging around St. Clements Isle just offshore.
Around the corner in Newlyn there was a lot going on as usual with a constant movement of fishing boats. Tucked in behind the harbour wall out of the wind it, at last, felt really quite warm as the strong sun emerged from behind a cloud.
Half a dozen chattering Sandwich Terns floated past along Penzance promenade to confirm that Spring really had arrived. Yaroo.
Next day took me to Gerran's Bay and a launch from the stunning Carne beach. Even better that there is no parking charge here (unlike £8.50 for the day at Penzance….blooming heck!).
I swung offshore at Nare Head where I caught a microglimpse of a Chough after drew attention to itself with its animated call before disappearing. I checked out the Guillemot colony on Gull Rock before a long looping circuit out to sea, after reporting my journey plan over the radio to Portscatho NCI.
Wandering Gannets passed and the occasional Porpoise puffed, as well as a scattering of Guillemots, Razorbills and a few passing shearwaters.
Fifteen miles later I arrived back at Carne beach which was now buzzing with activity and echoing to the shriek of holidaymakers finding out how cold the water still is.
Just offshore was a handful of loons (the ornithological ones, not the Paddleboarders), and I was extremely pleased to see some of these spectacular birds had moulted into their stunning breeding plumage, making them even more impressive to look at.
I could hardly believe that another day of light winds was in prospect, especially as we were in the middle of a low pressure system so the weather was far from settled.
This time I paddled out from a small side creek of Carrick Roads at Percuil (another absolutely excellent launch location) and out across glassy waters past St.Mawes and the lighthouse at St. Anthony and into the open sea. This time I was really hopeful of a BIG cetacean sighting as the water was completely smooth.
I could hear the Gannets hitting the water with a 'thoomph' from half-a-mile away, but when I came upon the mini-feeding frenzy which also involved a load of Manx Shearwaters, the only cetacean involved in the show was a single Porpoise, which was however unusually animated and surged at the surface while on the hunt.
Although I had registered my offshore paddle with Nare Point NCI, a couple of fishing boats came over to see if I was OK, which I suppose was quite understandable as a kayak bobbing about motionless (as I was eating a cheese 'n pickle sandwich at the time, and cheese 'n onion crisps with a handful of cherry tomatoes to provide the healthy bit) a couple of miles from the shore, is a bit weird.
The most surprising wildlife sighting of the day was a lone Puffin that was squadron leader at the front of a V-formation of Guillemots.
There is alot of hardware in and around Falmouth Bay but I was much more interested in the natural history which was made even more photogenic by the exceptionally smooth conditions.
The North coast usually looks like this:
or this:
So it was nice for it to ease off for a day or two to allow sea kayak access.
This was my first decent paddle trip on the North Cornwall Coast since last Autumn. I set off from Rock which is another of my favourite launch sites. Unfortunately the excitement of the day was a little bit soured by the slipway attendant who first told me I wasn't allowed to use that particular slipway (which left me struggling for words as I had trolleyed my kayak down the water from the carpark and there was absolutely nobody else in sight), and then informed me I had to pay a £3 launching fee. It would be the same price if I was to slide the QE2 down the slipway. Someone hasn't quite thought this through, methinks.
My clenched teeth slowly relaxed as I slipped out silently into the watery wilderness, serenaded by squadron of Sandwich Terns and their 'kirrick' calls.
Out of the mouth of the Camel Estuary I crossed over to Pentire head and then into the more swirly water of Rump's Point.
A ghostly white shape below my kayak was my first Barrel Jellyfish of the year, quickly followed by two more.
As I watched the seals and Auk colony on the Mouls island I was joined by a couple of huge RIBs bristling with tourists on a Wildlife cruise. They sped off North while I followed a smooth patch of water, along which the Shearwaters tracked, back to Newlands island and then back to the Camel.
These sheltered waters reverberated to the sound of boat engines as people enjoyed the last few days of the Easter holidays.
Noisiest is the 'Jaws' speedboat which looks like it has been lifted from a scene from a James Bond movie from the seventies (or possibly sixties). A bit of a contrast to the stealth of a kayak.


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So you and your friends got together and decided to call yourselves a "band," and now you're ready to start performing in public. Small problem: Your current equipment doesn't exactly meet public performance standards. If you don't have 10,000 dollars stuffed in your mattress, you'll probably want to start with the basic setup, just the necessities -- whatever will get you out of your folks' garage and into a real "venue."
In this article, we'll take a quick look at the basics of band sound systems, also known as pro audio equipment, so that you can put together a system that would work in a small club, a big party or even a school gym.
The first step is to figure out the kind of venue that you will be playing, because you can potentially save yourself a lot of money by matching your equipment to the venue. For example, if you're going to be playing in clubs that host a lot of live bands, chances are these places have their own permanent gear: A PA system, speakers and a house mixer permanently installed. This is the best-case scenario, because all you have to do is hook into that system. In a club with this kind of equipment, grab your instruments and a couple of microphones and you're ready to go. If that leaves you feeling a little empty handed, you could bring along your own mixer -- it's not necessary, but you'll have more control over the sound.
If you are playing in theaters and/or school gyms, the same is true -- there may already be equipment on hand, and you don't have to bring anything besides your basic gear.
But, if you are going to be playing at parties, or in clubs and school gyms that don't have equipment, then you need to have your own setup in tow.
Parties and Small Clubs
Let's assume that your band has five members:
In addition, two of the other band members sing background vocals.
When you are practicing, this is all that you need. With this basic equipment, you can play in a garage or a basement and make plenty of noise for the space.
This same equipment may also be enough to handle a party or even a small club. It depends on the size of the amps that the players have. If they are 10- or 15-watt units, they may not be enough to fill a space larger than a garage, especially if there are a lot of people in the room talking. On the other hand, a 30- or 60-watt guitar amp can handle most rooms.
The gear you probably don't already have is a mixer and mikes for the background vocalists. When you are practicing, you may not even care about the background vocals. But during a performance, the background vocalists need to be heard to fill out the band's sound.
The easiest way to handle the background vocals is to buy a small 4-channel mixer. With the mixer, you can mix the background and lead vocals together and amplify the signal with the lead singer's amp. So, just add the mixer, the mikes for the background singers, mike cables and mike stands to your shopping list -- and you're set for a fairly intimate venue. But, if you're booked to play something larger, keep reading...
School Gymnasiums
Chances are that the amps you have cannot fill a school gym with sound, especially if you are playing to 500 or more people dancing and screaming on the gym floor. For a situation like this, you need a real PA system and a mixer to gather all the signals that need to be amplified. If you find yourself financially challenged, a great option is to rent the equipment -- at least until booked gigs begin to make a more frequent appearance on your day-planner. And, if you are ready to make a purchase, you should consider places like pawnshops, used music stores and eBay to find used equipment -- used equipment can save you a ton of money.
To set up for the gym, you will need to mike everything or run signals directly from the instruments. For example:
- You can mike the lead guitarist's amp, or run the guitar's signal through an amp emulator and then into the mixer.
- You can mike the bassist's amp, or run the bass through a direct input box or an amp emulator.
- You can run the keyboard's signal straight into the mixer.
- You can mike a drum kit, or run electronic drums straight into the mixer.
- You can mike the lead and background vocalists.
If you have four instruments and three vocalists, you need an 8-channel mixer to handle all the inputs.
The mixer sends its signal to an amplifier. For a venue the size of a school gym, you will need at least 100 watts -- but 200 watts would be better. Now you need PA speakers that can handle the power that the amp delivers. Depending on the speakers you select, you may need stands for them, too.
In addition, you may want monitor speakers on stage. Your mixer will have a monitor-out signal, so you will need a monitor amp and several monitor speakers.
All together, the equipment list for a gig at a school gym might look something like this:
- One 8-channel or 12-channel mixer
- Main amplifier
- Monitor amp
- Main speakers
- Speaker stands if appropriate
- Monitor speakers
- Speaker cables for main and monitor speakers
- Three to seven mikes
- Mike stands
- Mike cords
- Power cords and extension cords
- A van for hauling all this stuff
Equipped Clubs
Even if you are playing in a large club that has its own mixer, amp and speakers, you should consider bringing several pieces of your own equipment.
For example, many bands bring their own mikes, mike cables, mike stands and an 8-channel or 12-channel mixer. The band runs all its mikes to its own mixer. The band sets its mix with its own mixer and then sends its mixed signal to the club's mixer. That way, the band can control the mix rather than letting someone at the club control it. It can also simplify things if there is no one at the club to run the sound board. You won't have to learn the club's board, since you'll be using only one of its channels.
If you plan to mike your guitar amps, then you should bring the amps and the mikes you plan to use. If you are using amp emulators or direct input boxes, then you should bring those and plug them into your own mixer.
A Sample Mixer
In all three of the scenarios we've gone over, the band has needed a mixer. To help you recognize the typical features found in a mixer, let's take a look at one of the simplest mixers available today: The Peavey RQ 200. This is a six-channel analog mixer and is about as simple as a real mixer can get.
No matter how simple the mixer is, it will have the following features:
- The ability to handle two or more inputs and mix them together - The multi-channel aspect is the essence of a mixer -- if it can handle only a single channel, it would be called an equalizer or a pre-amp, instead. Typically, the mixer will have an XLR input for each channel, and may also have RCA or quarter-inch line inputs as well. Each channel can be mono or stereo depending on the mixer. On the mixer's panel, there will be a linear pot (also called a slider or a fader) that lets you set the level for each channel you're mixing. The Peavey RQ 200 has six channels.
- The ability to send the mixed signal, known as the main output, to an amp - Powered mixers have an amp built in. Unpowered mixers are more common and require a separate amp, with the mixer providing the main out for the external amp.
- The ability to create a separate monitor output signal with its own levels for each channel - Normally, a knob is available on each channel to set the monitor level for that channel. A monitor out on the mixer can then connect to a monitor amp.
- Some sort of EQ of varying sophistication depending on the mixer - The Peavey 200 has a high and a low gain control to cut out or accentuate high (above 10 KHz) and low (below 70 KHz) frequencies.
Most mixers can:
- Add effects, such as reverb
- Produce stereo output from mono inputs - You adjust the "position" of each channel in the left/right mix.
- Provide phantom voltage (48 volts) needed by some microphones
More sophisticated mixers can provide all sorts of additional features. For example, you can find mixers with two or more auxiliary outputs, with a different mix on each output. And, digital mixers can accept and produce digital signals. The sky is the limit, really -- unless, of course, you're on a budget.
Buying Equipment
There are thousands of products and dozens of product lines and manufacturers in the pro audio marketplace. All the information can be pretty overwhelming. To take the edge off, and make it more manageable, try the following:
- Read industry magazines and get an introductory book.
- Talk to members of other bands, or even offer to help another band set up and tear down.
- Buy some inexpensive used equipment and use it to learn what you do and do not like.
Also, don't forget to check out places like pawnshops, used music stores and eBay -- they're prime spots to find used equipment. Check out the links in the following section for even more information.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
- How Cutting Your Own CD Works
- How the Club Circuit Works
- How Music Royalties Work
- How Record Labels Work
- How Recording Contracts Work
- How Acoustic Guitars Work
- How Analog and Digital Recording Works
- How Amplifiers Work
- How Electric Guitars Work
- How CD Burners Work
- How CDs Work
- How Speakers Work
- How do microphones work, and why are there so many different types?


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The holidays open up a block of time to catch up on "I meant to read that" bookmarks, RSS feeds, and all the favorited and forgotten tweets. I made it through 50 before a NormanShark blog post kicked off a research project.
The analysts found a malware sample which was using .bit domains in their communications infrastructure, but .bit … what is that? .bit is a TLD operating outside of ICANN. Some would say they are TLD squatting, but I leave that opinion up to the reader.
To catch up on .bit and TLDs being used outside of ICANN's approval, the "Special-Use Domain Names of Peer-to-Peer Systems" memo is a good reference. The memo covers "six peer-to-peer domains that (given their decentralized design) do not require a central authority to register names ".gnu", ".zkey", ".onion", ".exit", ".i2p", and ".bit."" One could say they are sticking it to the man, where in this case the man is ICANN.
The .bit TLD is the decentralized peer to peer namespace for Namecoin. To access domains in this space you need to provide your OS configuration details so they can find a DNS Server which is hosting the .bit zone. You can also pass your requests through a proxy, etc.
Having read a bit about what Namecoin is and .bit, I started to wonder, how can I create the .bit zone file? What interfaces are available for querying the state of domains in the name space? The only way to know is to get your hands dirty so I spun up an Ubuntu 13.10 small instance in Amazon US East.
I would have gone for something a bit more beefy, but it being on my personal credit card, I wanted to keep a spot price below $0.04 / hr. #Scrooge. I've read many an article about the cost efficiency of mining currencies in AWS, the amount of work a small instance can do isn't going to be generating Namecoin anytime soon (CPU mining is so out).
For now we will hold off on delving into the details of the proof of work computation and focus solely on the Namecoin DNS data.
So here's how it all went down:
1) Install dependencies
2) Git clone https://github.com/namecoin/namecoin.git
3) Populate the config file
4) Start the Namecoin daemon
Once the daemon is started it will make a local copy/update an existing local copy of the block chain. The daemon also has an interface for querying the Namecoin block chain.
But what is a block chain? "A block chain is a transaction database shared by all nodes participating in a system based on the Bitcoin protocol. A full copy of a currency's block chain contains every transaction ever executed."
In the case of Namecoin, it includes all the domain registrations, record additions, modifications, etc. Therefore, the Namecoin block chain provides a transactional history for the Namecoin namespace! You can use this block chain explorer site to take a look. Each block has an ID and is made up of transactions and name operations (adding domains, records, etc.). The block chain is the history of blocks.
As my local copy of the block chain updated, I went back to thinking about the easiest way to explore the .bit zone. I started looking into scripting an interaction with the namecoind block chain (BerkleyDB currently, but a migration to LevelDB is in the works to keep in pace with Bitcoin), but then stumbled across a project on GitHub where someone had already done most of the work.
It was a collection of PHP scripts which interface with a local instance of namecoind and generate a BIND zone file. To remove the hard part and get right to some data I used these scripts to generate the zone file. One thing to keep in mind is I haven't taken a look through the NamecoinToBind code so the high level analysis is based on a sample generated by the NamecoinToBind scripts.
Based on the IPs used in A records, what is the geographic distribution of the .bit name space?
- 260 Distinct Autonomous Systems are represented
- 427 Netblocks
- 532 IP addresses
- 14317 DNS Records of Interest ( A / AAAA records )
Are there certain IPs or Netblocks which have a dominating presence? You betcha!
- Count IP Address used in the A Record
- 1008 184.108.40.206
- 4570 184.108.40.206
- 4980 184.108.40.206
When looking at the records related to 18.104.22.168 and 22.214.171.124, they both appear to have registered a large collection of popular words and digits, as well as two and three letter combinations.
Another pattern they have in common is the wildcard is registered for each zone as well. If I had to guess, these represent some of the early adopters of the system who are taking advantage of the namespace gold rush. Another interesting pattern that pops up is a number of domains have been registered which match the pattern below.
xn--IN A *.xn--
What is this weird pattern you might ask? PUNYCode! PUNYCode converts the utf-8 charset to ascii since domain names can only be ascii characters. So it looks like both of these groups have the same strategy to also buy up popular PUNYCode domains names …very clever. (RFC for PUNYCode) 18.104.22.168 falls into a the same bucket in the sense that the domains registered fit a similar pattern of domains from 2 – 12 characters.
Another interesting insight might be a breakdown of the countries by distinct AS involved in the namespace.
What would be interesting to know from a DNS Operations perspective? Count of record types?
This leads to an interesting comparison of A vs. AAAA record usage ( v4 vs. v6 ).
Only 23 AAAA records … 5 of them are associated to the same FQDN so really … 18 distinct IPv6 addresses
Number of Wildcard records?
- Count WildCard Record Type
Then (selfishly), are there any relationships between Dyn and the current Namecoin domains? Of course!
- erix IN NS erix.dyndns.org.
- vvoid IN NS vvoid.dyndns.org.
- beeemm IN NS beeemm.dyndns-home.com.
- sentuny IN NS
- fstopflash IN NS fstopflash.dyndns.org.
- jeremychan IN NS jeremychan.dyndns.info.
- jeremychan IN NS jeremychan1.dyndns.info.
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MUA: Marc Cornwall
Copyright Marlowe Holt 2011
Model Kat DeLeon
Photographer Jessica-Laura
MUA Elinia Eads
Model Erin Moore
Sharon TK ( NJ )
Suicide Girls model TWWYLY
Model, Melanie Gore
(More @ Model Mayhem)
Cheryl from Cherbu Cosmetics
Makeup by Jennifer Thorington (West Hollywood)
Model Chelsea Ching (Honolulu)
Photography Brandon Ching (Honolulu)
Model Valery Whitaker (Virginia)
Makeup Sidory (Washington)
Photography by Brady Photography (Maryland)
Model Kayko Tamaki (LA)
Makeup Jessica Hoffman (Honolulu)
Photography Wandering Bohemian (Pennsylvania)
Clothing Designer Bizarre Boudoir (Pennsylvania)
Hair Stylist Robin Dortin (NJ)
Model Sharon TK (NJ)
MUA Darya Latham (NJ)
Eyeworks Photography (Missouri)
Photography Harold Julian (Honolulu)
Model Stephanie Burrows (Colorado)
Makeup and Styling T H Taylor (Wisconsin)
Model Trackbelle (Chicago)
I don't know about you, but who wants to work for free? I'm making a promise to put an end to TFP, starting with me.
Who's with me?!?!?!
Kristie Manning
If you aren't familiar with Model Mayhem, it's a networking community for models, photographers, MUA's, the people who make it all happen! You can run around mayhem clicking favorites and adding photos to your "favorite folders." Eyeworks photography have been in my folders forever. Some of the hair, makeup, and creative concepts really stood out to me. His style is truly unique. Just recently I did a blog on model Shaholly from Honolulu. Apparently she had the opportunity to work with this talented photographer, and I had noticed his work in her portfolio. I decided respect is due. Brian is a talented photographer, and if he didn't live so far, I'd love to shoot with him!
Model: Sindel Chaos
What camera do you use?
aI currently use a Nikon D90… however, mostly everything on my Website was shot with a Canon Digital Rebel… however, artists have been using everything from pinhole cameras to a plethora of various equipment to create beautiful images for over 170 years or so… so it really doesn't matter what you use… however, if Nikon or Canon will stuff my pockets with money to say they are better, I'd be totally down for that…
Do you do your own photoshop?
I do. I think passing that off to someone else would be like having someone else finish your painting… I would never let anyone retouch one of my images… the result, for better or worse, would not represent me as an artist…
Who does your concepts?
99% of the concepts I have come up with… and most of those have been on the fly after the model arrives… I rarely preplan a theme or idea… I wait until I see the model in person because my shoots are influenced by model, their personality, posing style and emotion vs. having a pre-arranged idea and trying to stuff that model into those parameters…
Where did you learn photography?
In my Studio. I have no formal training in photography. I do have the background of being an oil painter, and thus I feel what is important and separates one photographer images from another is their understanding and ability to manipulate the principles and elements of design.
Where did you go to school? Degree?
I went to Missouri Southern State College in Joplin Missouri for an Art Degree and every minute sucked. I would have learned more by purchasing coloring books at the dollar store. I quit early without a degree… however, I did continue to study on my own and learned much by hitting the library and studying art and design.
Where did you learn photoshop?
Once again, no training… I learned the program by just playing with the program and doing a few tutorials online. Although I will say it is not a very intuitive program and for beginners I do recommend taking classes or buying some books… they have purposely made it difficult and have changed the interface like 3 times in the last few releases, so they can't even decide between themselves which one is the most confusing and will sell more training materials… ha.
Favorite Gig?
I recently worked with the Midwest Regional Ballet and it was extremely artistically rewarding. From shooting their studio practice sessions to seeing the finished production was an amazing journey. Kaye Lewis, their director, is a genius and the male lead, Jacob Marshall Garrett, is phenomenal to watch. It is emotionally moving and breathtakingly gorgeous to watch these dancers in action.
Favorite models to work with? Makeup artist? Hairstylist?
Without a doubt Sammi Sutton and (L.A. model) Sarah Hilker have been my all-time favorite models to work with… they are ridiculously gorgeous, amazingly talented and hilariously fun to work with. Much adoration, respect and admiration to them both if there are reading this… As far as models I currently work with, I wouldn't wish to hurt any feelings by pointing out any favorites. However, I will say I feel that I am very blessed and fortunate to work with such a group of talented and beautiful young ladies.
My wife Dena is my favorite makeup artist… I mean, besides getting the crap beat outta me if I don't say that… she is extremely talented and never fails to give me exactly what I ask for or an improvement on my original thought… and all within a few minutes…
I'm kinda digging doing the hair myself, although it usually looks totally Avant-Garde or stupid… (take your pick) …and I would like to give huge kudos to Marty Serroque of Kansas City. The dude is a workhorse and extremely talented… always produces amazing styling.
How did you get into photography?
About six years ago I was doing web design for a local modeling agency and started retouching their images… after wanting to do more creative work the owner set me up with my first shoot.. (Many thanks David!)… After that shoot I knew what I was here for…
What are your inspirations?
Hmm… will try to keep this short but the list is never-ending… I'm inspired by everything from the great fashion work of Irving Penn to a logo I saw on a gas pump yesterday… Most influences are art related such as the cinema of Krzysztof Kieślowski and Ingmar Bergman, the ethereal and haunting music of theCocteau Twins and Delerium, Art movements from Gothic to the new Pop Surrealism, Vogue photographers Paolo Roversi and Miles Aldridge and most recently by professional Ballet… and of course by the models themselves…
What are your goals as a photographer?
My only goal is to continue to work in my studio for my own satisfaction. If people like the work, great, if they do not, great. However, don't tell me why you don't like it because I don't frankly care… when I start letting others guide my work by their critiques then I know it will be time to hang up my camera…
I sincerely with to thank you for taking an interest in the work and by giving me this chance to discuss it… with the limitless range of amazing artists, I do feel exceeding grateful for this opportunity and obviously without the hard work and dedication from all my amazing models, makeup artists, hair stylists it would not be possible…. Much love to you all. Oh, last thing… if I don't mention her I may hear about it… so I will. Skylear. Okay, all done, thank you!
Brian DeMint is a 3x Picture of the Day Winner on ModelMayhem.
Commercial Fashion Work
Brown Shoe Company Style Guide
Community X
Pink Label Corsets
Infidel Concepts
Stables Casino
Styles Boutique
Shae Belle Boutique
Staxx Boutique
So You Boutique
Harem & Company
Many others…
Cd Covers/Insets
Shannon Thomas: "Brainstorming"
A Day Away: "Touch me, Tease Me"
Shadows Chasing Ghosts: "Never get a Wolves Attention by Pulling it's Tail"
ASY9: "Forlorn"
Siva: "Demo"
Downtown Now Magazine (3 covers and 2 fashion editorials)
Downtown Beat magazine (3 covers and features)
417 Magazine
Go Magazine
Echo Immortalis Magazine
XM West Magazine
Teaze Magazine
Groupees Magazine
Supermodels Unlimited
More Pictures http://www.modelmayhem.com/eyeworks
Myspace http://www.myspace.com/eyeworks
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=623396990
Brian DeMint is a regular shooter for Fiori Fashion Magazine… will be a featured photographer in the next issue of AfterCapture magazine. He is also on the DVD series Photovision and does lectures around the country. He currently has 2 ads that will be running in Elle magazine for a jewelry designer.
"I am just fortunate to work with outstanding models who make me look much better then I am… but I did want you to know that there is much more then what I post here on MM…"
Refreshing to meet a humble photographer with talent. Sometimes talent can go to your head and you forget that it takes a whole team to make a professional production.
Italian "A" magazine & Anti-Dull Fine Art Magazine
Kristie Manning


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What You Should Know About Plumbing Website Design
If you are interested to know more information about the plumbing website design, then this article is a good read for you. The truth is that there are some aspects you need to think of first before you can even begin making one. In this article, you can also learn the importance of plumbing website design to your online business. It is deem important because it is one of the key factors that can lead to success if you do good about it. By saying this, you need to make sure that you only invest on a good design for your business site. The good news is that there are now a lot of website designers you can find these days because of the increasing demand. Because of this, you need to take time and do some researches about the website designers in your area. This is because if you fail to find a good website designer, your plumbing website will not become a successful. If you don't like to see your plumbing website failing, then look for a good website designer out there.
Aside from that, you also need to list down everything your business needs or everything your plumbing website needs. If you don't know what your needs are, it would be difficult to come up with a beautiful game plan for that matter. Since there are a lot of website designers out there, you can easily choose the perfect one through the needs that you have identified. You have to make sure that the website designer you choose is able to meet and understand your ideas. One of the ways to get great ideas is through the internet, so make sure you also take time on visiting some useful websites. For example, you can visit some famous plumbing websites out there and take note of the special features that they have. By doing this, you can easily know how to get a good plumbing website design and be properly guided with all your decisions about it.
If you want to know what your needs are, then you need to do some researches for your plumbing website. If you have to have a successful plumbing website design, you need to choose an excellent website designer for that matter. The goal is to make your dreams happen and experience success in your business. Aside from that, you can need to also take the shoes of your customers, in order to be able to create a plumbing website design that is suitable for their needs. This is because you are not the one that will use your site, but your clients. If your clients like your website, then it will become successful in the end. If you want a good plumbing website design for your business, choose the preferences of the majority.Short Course on Designs – Getting to Square 1


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South Florida should have temps in the upper 40s early Monday, but it should warm up to the 70s by the afternoon.
Although the cooler weather resulted in fewer beachgoers in Miami Beach on Sunday, the surfers knew the breeze would leave conditions ripe for surfing.
"It doesn't faze us," said Angel Rodriguez, one of several surfers in the water in Miami Beach. "We're die-hards when it comes to getting out on the water. And all we care about is catching good waves."
Marcela Criado and her family were in South Florida visiting from Argentina. Criado said she didn't expect the 40- and 50-degree weather.
"We brought very few jackets," Criado said while at the beach. "In fact, I bought a jacket here."
She added: "The sun is really nice, but it's too windy."
More Weather Stories
Tom Lyon, visiting from Kansas, said whether you think it's cold in South Florida depends on where you normally live. "It's cold for, I think, everyone here," he said. "But for us, it's OK."
He said he was making the best of the cooler weather. "Hey, the sun is out and we're on vacation, so it's all good," he said.
Interactive Radar


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Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of Western Recycling
Buyers of All Scrap Metal, Stainless Steel, Radiators, Misc Steel, Cooper, Cars, Brass, Appliances, Aluminum, Up to $500 for Scrap Cars & Trucks, Up to $1000 for Cars & Trucks, Scrap Cars & Trucks
Western Recycling was originally incorporated in 1976


text:
Following the recent increase in extrajudicial killings by his colleagues, ACP Abayomi Shogunle has advised Nigerians to henceforth stop speaking Queens English to police officers that accost them on duty. Abayomi wrote
For now, don't go and be speaking Queen's English with them on the road. For proper understanding talk to them in Pidgin, another way to avoid kasala.


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Nursing can be a great profession. It is a career where an individual can know the work they do matters. Nurses have the opportunity to make a difference in the life of their patients. For those interested in the nursing profession, there are several options for the type of degree they can earn. One degree that usually can be earned in as little as a year is a practical nursing degree. [continue reading…]
SVP, Sunbelt Staffing
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Springsteen's passionate listeners have been grateful for his music that address their causes and struggles for years. From movie producers/directors who've asked for something special to fit the themes of their films to the lyrics that come from Bruce's own conscious and the issues swelling from the times of our lives. Springsteen has created music and lyrics that help carry us through. Think of Philadelphia, The Wrestler, so many others. Bruce
Springsteen has given and given to the difficulties. What else do you know about Bruce Springsteen? What if we give him a fine, slender, collection of poems written just for him, from the similar spirit he gives to so much that matters.
This collection, edited by Jennifer Bosveld, has a target release date of September 2009 but could fill and close as soon as March 15, 2009.
So assume a deadline of March 15. Be blessed by The Ides of March. As usual, Jen issues an Ides of March message. This year it is this CALL to the value of the observant poetic response to one individual who has done likewise for decades. Join Pudding House in gratitude for Bruce Springsteen, the man he is, and the work that
proves he pays attention, issued warnings, and gone beyond to also issue blessings, issued notice regarding the fragile times of our lives.
This is not a contest and has no reading fee. Perhaps 20 poems/poets will be chosen and twenty copies of the sm
all collection will be sent to Springsteen with great effort to make sure he actually receives them. Contributors will
receive 5 copies each in gratitude from Pudding House. Anyone who wants to serve as a proofreader for the collection, to receive it by email attachment after it is formatted, please send a separate email stating that. Those selected to this task will be serving as a labor of love with your name listed in the front as "editorial team" and will need to print out the small collection and mark corrections in red.
Send poems in the body of an email only, one at a time (one poem per
email) to: email@example.com
subject line: Springsteen poem
Jennifer Bosveld, editor
Love Poems and Other Messages for Bruce Springsteen
Pudding House Publications
* the largest literary small press in America*
81 Shadymere Lane
Columbus Ohio 43213
Most submissions will be responded to immediately or within a day. Be aware that our email acts up. If you don't hear from Jen within 24 hours, assume it didn't reach her and send again. No simultaneous submissions but previously published work is fine as long as author owns copyright and includes copyright statement at the bottom of the poem. Absolutely NO lifting of lyrics or language from work owned by other writers please.
That is illegal and people are paying hefty fines or going to jail for that.


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Outlines: Friends or Foes?
One of the most popular debates in writing- or at least one of the most oft-resurrected ones- is whether or not to outline. The sheer amount of advice out there is staggering. Everyone does it (or doesn't do it) a different way, for different reasons, and if you're trying to figure things out before making the jump into your first novel, the truest and most frustrating piece of advice is: try it different ways, see what works for you, and go with that.
This is not a "here's the right way to do it" post. Think of this as more of a tour through the possiblities of planning a novel. Each method has advantages and disadvantages, and in the end, the only way you're going to figure out which one is for you is by trying different methods. (Sucks, but if you're setting yourself up for a lot of work anyway to write a novel, don't shy away from the beginning stages just because they look scary)
Whether it's on its own or in conjuction with another method, 95% of writers will put time into brainstorming. This is usually when the idea strikes you, and you start by madly scribbling down everything you can remember before the storm passes. Think of it as fringe bands with a hurricane- the storm will cycle back, but you need to get that first good soaking. Other methods of planning are usually formalized (or organized) versions of this brainstorming, and it will happen quite frequently in both planning and writing.
Pros: This is where the ideas percolate, where you discover new things. Never ever ever be afraid of brainstorming, even if your roommates think you're staring off into space like a drooling idiot. You know the scientific theory that all the elements of life existed in a primordial stew until BAM! LIFE! ? This is your brainstorming; you are bringing life to the muck.
Cons: It's easy to get lost in brainstorming.The world you're creating is so big and exciting, you know everything there is to know about its history, but keep in mind, all those extra details that inform you as the writer are probably never going to get seen by the reader. Don't get bogged down, and don't use it as a form of procrastination. There comes a point when you know everything you need to know, and anything else is just delaying that terrifying moment of figuring out the first word.
This is one that's very popular for journaling or for writing exercises, but there are authors who write their entire novels this way. They brainstorm a bit, then they sit down and just go. Once they get to the end of the first draft, they can go back through to tidy up, tighten the story, check for consistency, add or excise, and all the other things second and third and infinites drafts are for. They write down everything, then sift through the pieces that work.
Pros: This is a fantastic way to find voice, especially in first person works, and can also be very useful in picking the right tense for your story. Most likely this also means you've successfully avided the urge to procrastinate. Removing the filter or censor button also allows for things to emerge that you otherwise might not have seen, the way one character feels about another, a hidden event, etc.
Cons:Stream-of-Consciousness isn't particularly stream-lined. If you go this route, you need to go in understanding that you'll have a LOT of work to do when the first draft is done. Like, more than the usual lots fs work. The other trap SoC tends to have is that it wanders. You may or may not know where you're going (depending on your brainstorming) but this method has a way of taking the most circuitous route possible.
Story Map
We used to have to do these for book reports, complete with the diagram that looked like a kickboxing mountain. We drew it out, labeled Exposition, Rising Action, Climax (which made all the boys giggle in high school), and Resolution, and then had to determine the start of each within the story. Everyone's map of the same book usually came out a little differently.
Pros: Gives you four points (fixed points in time, anyone?) to work towards and lets you fill in between them as you go. You know when you need to start amping it up and when to hit the high note while still leaving room for an ending.
Cons: Maybe it's only this way for classic literature, but any book I had to story map tended to have really long plains of exposition. You know you need to get from the start of Rising Action, but unless you filled in the foothills, you might not know how to climb to the summit, so you'll start sliding down the mountain.
Character Map
Some stories are far more about the characters than the plot; plot is just what makes things happen to the characters so they'll do interesting things. For this kind of story, it can be very useful to create a character map. Here's where your character starts, here's how they change along the way, here's where they end up.
Pros: This lets you focus on the character, which is what you want. You know the growth (or change, at any rate) that you want to happen, so you have a pretty good idea of what needs to happen to create those changes.
Cons: Sometimes those pretty good ideas don't work out the way you thought they would, so either you have a character who's changing in a completely different direction, or who's unrealistically shoved in your original plan. This can put you in a pretty good pickle.
Plot Point
This is sort of another book report option, but remember how you had to hit all the important points in your report? That's pretty much what this is. You write out a list of all the important things that have to happen and maybe a sentence or two about why they're important or what needs to be done and then it's an enormous dot-to-dot puzzle.
Pros: This lends itself to a fairly fluid style. You know the big things so you can let the little things come naturally, and the next dot pretty much always seems a managable distance away. Also lends itself to (slightly) shorter chapters than can keep things moving along.
Cons: Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered how in hell people can see pictures in the stars? Sometimes those dots are too scattered to easily connect and you end up with something that's at best episodic. At worst, you can get seriously stuck.
Roman Numeral Outline
This is the thing you had to turn in before you wrote a term paper in high school or college to "prove" you weren't putting it off til last minute. Each major idea had a Roman numeral and a heading, then the major points were labeled with capital letters a few spaces indented, then important details with a regular number, then minor details with little letters. Everything was very organized and dissected, theoretically to make the writing just about wording rather than content when we reached that point.
Pros: It's very hard to get lost when you have it all marked out, and if you know certain details in the brainstorming stage that won't come to light until late in the draft, this is a great way not to lose them. This also lets you see at a glance if things are more or less balanced.
Cons: These can get very stiff and formulaic, and depending on how detailed the outline is, doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room. Outlines this specific can be difficult to change if you have one small surprise with far-rippling consequences. This one often shows up in the writing like cue cards.
Wind Sprints, or Chapter by Chapter
This type of planning actually happens during the draft itself. You plan a little bit, write in a spurt, then plan out the next bit. Repeat ad infinitum for rest of first draft.
Pros:This lets you look at big picture and little picture at the same time. Rather than having to go back and insert clues or foreshadowing, you can add it piece by piece, keep characters consistent, and so on and so forth. You can adapt for new directions the story or characters insist on going, but you don't feel trapped into anything.
Cons: The spurts can show, and sometimes you sit down to figure out that next sprint and realize there's a brick wall in the way. You get excited about the spurts and only later realize that some very important characters a/o things got left behind because they simply weren't in the front of your mind at that point.
Of course, it's the nature of a first draft to kind of suck no matter what method (if any) you use. The whole point of multiple drafts is to go back and fix everything, to smooth out the plot and sharpen the characters, to drop the hints so we can do a facepalm later, and all the other things that gradually add up to a finished novel.
So, for those of you who are writers, do you plan? Did I forget one? Misrepresent one? Do you have a preferred style? Leave a comment and tell me how!
Until next time~


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Fire Safety Tips to Prevent Fires in Your Bedroom
Part of the responsibility of being a homeowner involves practicing fire safety to protect your home. Fires are among the most dangerous and destructive disasters that can happen in a home, and most of the time they are preventable. One thing some homeowners may not realize is that most electrical fires start in the bedroom. Half of all deaths that occur as the result of a house fire happen in the bedroom as well. This makes it important to focus on your bedroom when it comes to fire safety by taking preventative actions and forming a fire escape plan.
The following tips will help you reduce the risk of a fire in your bedroom:
- Make sure electrical cords are untangled and have space around them for the heat to dissipate. You should never have electrical cords running under the bed or carpet, or pinned between furniture and the wall.
- Use space heaters with caution. You should never leave them running unsupervised or leave them on when sleeping.
- Make sure electrical switches have arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCIs) which turn off the circuit if it becomes overloaded.
- Cover electrical outlets or install tamper resistance receptacles if you have children to prevent them from sticking foreign objects in the outlet.
- Put charging phones, laptops, and other electronic devices on a hard surface, never leave them on your bed or carpet.
- Use electric blankets with caution and turn them off before going to sleep.
- Make sure there is at least 3 feet of space between heat sources like candles, space heaters, and electronics, and combustible items such as curtains and bedding. It is probably best not to use candles in your bedroom.
- Get a mattress that meets the 2007 Federal Mattress Flammability Standard.
- Never smoke in bed. Falling asleep with a lit cigarette is extremely dangerous.
- Install smoke detectors in every room of your house and test them monthly to make sure they are working.
- Form a fire escape plan with your family that includes two possible exits from each room. You should also practice the fire escape plan so your family knows what to do when a fire occurs.
Your bedroom is supposed to be your sanctuary from daily life, not a dangerous fire hazard. By following these simple fire prevention tips, you can keep your bedroom safe and reduce your risk of deadly house fires. If a fire does break out in your home, evacuating safely should be your top priority. However, once the fire is put out, you must call a fire damage restoration professional immediately. These professionals have the knowledge and the tools to limit the damage caused by fire, smoke, and soot and salvage as much of your home as possible.


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Anthony Doerr is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See. He is also the author of two story collections Memory Wall and The Shell Collector, the novel About Grace, and the memoir Four Seasons in Rome. He has won four O. Henry Prizes, the Rome Prize, the New York Public Library's Young Lions Award, the National Magazine Award for fiction, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Story Prize. Doerr lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife and two sons.
On the day his twins were born, novelist Doerr got another big surprise: he won the prestigious Rome Prize. An account of his sojourn with famiglia in the Eternal City. With a three-city tour. Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
"Anthony Doerr is dazzling in this book, in the way he celebrates
the joys as well as the pain of being a parent and in love, being a
writer and being in Rome, reminding us that certain experiences
never grow stale when they are expressed through the fresh eyes of
a real writer."
-- Azar Nafisi, author of Reading Lolita in Tehran
"Doerr's journal is a love letter written with the ear of a musician, the sensibility of a Buddha, the heart of an inamorato. Rome is the chosen beloved, but Doerr's true subject is writing."
-- Sandra Cisneros, author of Caramelo
"I loved this book which, in turn, made me laugh and weep at the relentless twins, Owen and Henry, who never sleep, the descriptions of Rome, the clouds, the light -- especially the light -- the people Doerr meets on the street, again the light, Pliny, Jonah's feet dangling from the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Shauna's steadfastness, Doerr's generous and intelligent spirit, his discerning eye and his perfect prose. Complimenti!"
-- Lily Tuck, author of Interviewing Matisse
"Anthony Doerr found himself in the perfect Eternal City with the eternal Paternal Problem: how to care for two beautiful newborn twins while still doing his work as a writer and student and observer. The result is a funny, precise, touching account of cultural barricades crossed and fatherly exhaustions overcome; a story of the universalities of parenting and the specificities of Roman life that will lift the heart of every parent and delight the mind of every lover of Italy."
-- Adam Gopnik, author of Through the Children's Gate and From Paris to the Moon


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The University of Maryland School of Social Work (SSW) has been awarded a three-year, $2 million implementation grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Children and Families, Children's Bureau to end and prevent homelessness among youth and young adults on living in Maryland's mid-Shore region.
These are young people with current or prior child welfare (foster care) involvement. The grant, known as Thrive@25, is the second phase of work that was started under a two-year Children's Bureau planning grant awarded to the SSW in 2013.
Thrive@25 is led by The Institute for Innovation & Implementation at the SSW, in partnership with the Maryland Department of Human Resources (DHR), the Talbot County Department of Social Services on behalf of the five local departments of social services on the rural Mid-Shore, and the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare.
"This award represents an opportunity for us to continue to build upon our incredible partnerships on the Eastern Shore and implement strategies to end and prevent homelessness among our youth," Sharp notes. The five jurisdictions are Dorchester, Caroline, Kent, Queen Anne's, and Talbot counties.
During Phase II, Maryland will implement a multifaceted intervention responsive to the individual needs and strengths of youth transitioning from foster care—one that is culturally responsive to the needs of minority and LGBTQ youth and relevant to rural and non-rural communities across Maryland and the nation.
"Thrive@25 is a unique university-state-local-nonprofit partnership that is focused on implementing and sustaining high quality, effective interventions that are trauma-informed and responsive to the strengths and needs of youth and young adults in foster care," says Deborah Harburger, MSW '04, program director at The Institute and Thive@25 Phase I project director.
Thrive@25 builds upon the capacity of Maryland's child welfare system to prevent homelessness among the most at-risk youth with child welfare involvement. The grant will install, implement, refine and evaluate an intervention model that is grounded in implementation science and a commitment to trauma-informed care to improve four core outcomes: stable housing, permanent connections, education/employment, and social-emotional well-being.
"During Phase I, Thrive@25 provided the necessary resources, technical assistance, evaluation and support to enable our Ready by 21 Committee to develop a strategic plan which was the basis for the Phase II application," says April Sharp, MSW '82, LSCW-C, director of the Talbot County Department of Social Services. The committee reference is to the DHR program, Ready by 21, which helps ensure foster youth are as prepared as possible for independent living by the time they reach age 21.
Phase II Project Director Ryan Shannahan, MSW '11 says, "Thrive@25 is an unprecedented opportunity to prevent homelessness among our most vulnerable citizens and will greatly contribute to national efforts to end youth homelessness by 2020. The model being implemented in Maryland's Eastern Shore will not only have significant implications for our state, but for the entire country as well."
Thrive@25 will benefit from the lessons learned from Youth REACH MD, a concurrent state-level effort to obtain accurate, detailed information on the number, characteristics, and needs of unaccompanied homeless youth and young adults in Maryland.
"The evaluation that is part of Thrive@25 has been monumental—it has enabled us to start to paint a picture of what life is like for Maryland's former foster youth. Through this we have been able to develop a specific plan to help better prepare our foster youth to exit child welfare into young adulthood," comments Elizabeth Greeno, PhD '08, MSW '98, LCSW-C, research associate professor and principal investigator for Thrive@25.
Of the 18 Phase I recipients, all were eligible for Phase II funding, which was awarded only to the SSW and five other entities.
"It is an honor to be a part of the Thrive@25 team and to have the opportunity to work with so many partners who are so committed to ensuring that youth and young adults leaving foster care have been given the necessary resources and have access to—and know how to access—services, supports, and interventions to be successful in adulthood," says Ruth White, MSSW, Executive Director of the National Center for Housing and Child Welfare.
Thrive@25 focuses on youth in the five Mid-Shore counties entering foster care between ages 14-17, youth in foster care who are ages 18-21, and homeless youth and young adults under 21 with child welfare histories. These youth and young adults will be identified as being high, medium or lower risk for experiencing homelessness based on a constellation of risk and protective factors, and service planning and delivery will be tailored accordingly. This identification will be done through the piloting of a new risk survey that was developed with input from youth and young adults in the priority populations, foster parents, and caseworkers during Phase I.


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Family-Friendly Fall Farm Fest in Ossining: September 23, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Tom and Kristin Deacon of Fable: From Farm to Table
Fable: From Farm to Table, in Ossining, will hold its Fall Farm Fest on September 23, from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. With its family-friendly activities and prices—admission is $3, and children under 5 are free—the festival is an opportunity for parents and kids to get outdoors together and celebrate the autumn harvest season.
Visitors can take part in arts and crafts for all ages; hear live music; try a variety of culinary treats, including grilled fare, hearty dishes and baked goods from local shops and food trucks; buy farm-fresh produce grown in Westchester County; enter a raffle drawing (no need to be present to win); listen to live music; and try some Yoga at the Farm. They can also feed Fable's chickens, tour its hydroponic greenhouse and pick a pumpkin and take family photos in the pumpkin patch.
Tom Deacon, Fable's owner, says the Fall Farm Fest is a fun way to remind people of the benefits of eating sustainably. "We would like to make local and organic farming the norm," he says. "Not only can we grow food that is delicious to eat, it is the medicine that will make you healthier as well."
Fable: From Farm to Table is located at 1311 Kitchawan Rd. (Rte. 134), Ossining, NY. For more info, call 914.862.0205 or visit FableFoods.com.


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New Life for 'Phantom' at Kennedy Center
The Phantom of the Opera (photo by Alastair Muir)
As a heat wave pours through the area, Washingtonians want to go out and yet stay cool. Fortunately, the Kennedy Center has welcomed a "new production" of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera. The 1909 Gaston Leroux novel turned Broadway hit tells the story of a young talented soprano, Christine Daae, and a haunted opera house in Paris. As the story begins, the ownership of the opera house is being transferred to two eager businessmen. As they become familiar with the opera house and its performers a sudden "accident" takes place, but they learn that this is not a random accident but one of many incidents caused by the infamous "Phantom of the Opera," who is the real owner. As the businessmen and the stars of the opera house try to gain control, more extreme "accidents" occur. Caught in the danger is Christine and her young suitor, Raoul, as they seek freedom from the snares of the Phantom.
This production has an appealing design (quite impressive for a touring production), music, and individual performances. One of the most notable pulls of the show is its Phantom, Chris Mann. Mann is well known for his time on the NBC hit vocal contest The Voice. To some extent, Mann's personal style seems to clash with Webber's composition. Mann's decision to speak or whisper certain phrases in the middle of famous songs not only made the words hard to understand, but poked a sore thumb within the production as the rest of the characters were making more consistent, traditional choices. It is Phantom of the OPERA after all, and such choices hint that Mann may be trying to create something new and different, which should be appreciated, but he should trust his voice and its ability to deliver the emotion of the songs without filling the story with contemporary flair. At many points throughout the performance, Mann proved that his talents are more than enough to carry such a demanding lead role.
Philip Kennicott, Anne Midgette, and Nelson Pressley, A musical whose time has gone: Three Post critics take on 'Phantom' (Washington Post, July 22)
Cheryl Danehart, The new 'Phantom': Masking some of the mystique (Washington Times, July 24)
The Phantom of the Opera runs 2.5 hours with a 15-minute intermission. This production continues at the Kennedy Center through August 20.


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Reporter Todd Ackerman writes in Tuesday's Chronicle that insured patients in Texas are responsible for nearly a quarter of their medical bills, amounts they typically weren't expecting, according to a study of health insurance claims released Monday.
Have your co-pays and deductibles increased in the last year? Let us know in the comments.


text: Agencies UM Wins Spotify's Global Media Agency Review Brand spends $40 million to $50 million annuallyBy Patrick Coffee|August 15, 2017 The company sought to streamline its marketing efforts around the world.Getty ImagesShare By Patrick Coffee|August 15, 2017 Share UM recently won a competitive review to handle global media planning and buying duties for Spotify.An IPG Mediabrands spokesperson deferred to the client for comment, while a Spotify representative confirmed the company is working with UM but declined to elaborate or answer specific questions about the scope of the win.According to two people close to the matter, however, the agency beat out finalists including Dentsu's Vizeum and Publicis Groupe's Zenith Optimedia. While Omnicom's Hearts & Science was reportedly engaged with Spotify during this process, a spokesperson said today that the agency did not pitch for the business itself. The review began in late 2016 and ended several weeks ago. Goodstuff had been agency of record in the U.K. since early 2016 but will purportedly no longer work on the account. 360i, which shares a parent company with Vizeum, won the company's last U.S. review in February 2015.Research firm COMvergence estimates that Spotify spends $40 million to $50 million on measured media around the world each year. According to the latest numbers from Kantar Media, approximately $16.6 million of that total was for U.S. campaigns last year.Spotify handles some of the media duties surrounding its marketing internally. Earlier this year, it expanded its own capacity for programmatic audio sales by acquiring recommendation app MightyTV and hiring its founder, Brian Adams, as vp of technology. On the creative side, the company works with both its in-house team and agency partners, including Wieden + Kennedy.According to a person who worked on the pitch, Spotify launched the review to streamline its agency roster and establish a single platform for all future global campaigns. Earlier this summer, it also hired two former WPP executives to further develop relationships with agencies and advertisers alike.Despite persistent rumors, the company has not yet launched an IPO. Share http://adweek.it/2i3C3du copy Patrick Coffee @PatrickCoffeePatrick Coffee is a senior editor for Adweek. Adweek Adweek


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If you use Sellwire to sell your themes and plugins you can now benefit from the new licensing we have just released. This means that you can now limit updates to plugins and themes with valid licenses from Sellwire, just like we introduced not that long ago for Envato marketplaces. You will now see a new integration option in the settings page for Sellwire. Once you have added that you can add and save your Sellwire API key.
The next step is edit the theme or plugin (this example is for a plugin) and select to 'Verify Updates With' with Sellwire. You will need to set the version of your plugin, so that all subsequent versions will be verified against Sellwire. Then enter the Sellwire File ID (found in Sellwire when you edit the file, under Licensing).
You will need to make some changes to your plugin. There is a new version of the plugin updater class that is now accessible when you are managing the versions of your plugin. Download the wp-updates-plugin.php file and replace the old file in your plugin. You will notice the code to instantiate the updater class now has a third parameter, the license key.
new WPUpdatesPluginUpdater( 'http://wp-updates.com/api/2/plugin', plugin_basename(__FILE__), $license_key );
Once you have made the changes and released the new version of your plugin, all future updates will only be delivered if the user has entered a valid purchase code for your plugin.
That's it – updates for your themes and plugins sold with Sellwire are now verified.


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Jamie McNeil is a 56-year-old grandmother of two-year-old twins. As a nurse by trade, she was aware of the benefits of living-kidney donation for needy recipients. But when her twin granddaughters Adele and Aubrey were born two years ago, one was diagnosed with multicystic kidney disease. This was when McNeil began researching how she could play an active role in helping Adele.
Online research brought McNeil to the National Kidney Registry's (NKR) donor voucher program website. The National Kidney Registry's (NKR) Donor Voucher Program allows donors to donate their kidney many years before their intended recipient may need a kidney transplant. Voucher recipients receive a "virtual voucher" for a living donor kidney to redeem when and if they may need it, and are registered on the NKR's inactive list, often for many years. This gave McNeil the chance to help her two-year-old granddaughter Adele, as well as a stranger who was waiting for a match on the paired kidney donor exchange wait list. The paired-donor exchange program is available for recipients who do not have a donor match but who have a donor willing to match with someone else so their loved one can receive a kidney.
"The day I donate my kidney is going to be one of the most significant days of my life," said McNeil prior to her surgery in September. "It will be one of the best feelings in the world to be able to give the gift of a kidney donation to someone. We must be the change we wish to see in this world and I wish to see more love, so I am going to be that love."
McNeil, along with the Emory Transplant Center, have together created a safety net for Adele, while also starting a chain of kidney transplants. McNeil is Emory's first participant in the voucher donor program.
"Jamie is our first patient who has come forward to be a voucher donor," says Nicole Turgeon, MD, professor of surgery in the department of Surgery, division of Transplantation at Emory. "She immediately let us know that this was for her granddaughter, who does not need a kidney at this time but may need one in the future. Our hope is that she doesn't need one in the future, but now her granddaughter will have that opportunity to get a living-donor kidney later in life if she needs one, as a result of Jamie's goodwill."
With more than 100,000 people waiting for a kidney on the deceased-donor waiting list, living kidney donor programs are making a big difference for patients in need.
McNeil's surgery was a success, and her kidney donation began a chain of paired-donor kidney exchanges involving eight people, with four kidneys transplanted into grateful recipients.
Emory Living Donor Kidney Program
Emory's Kidney Transplant Program has a well-established living donor kidney transplant program. To date, we have performed more than 1,300 living donor kidney transplants. We encourage living donation because of the excellent outcomes and the shorter wait times for patients to receive a kidney.
Emory Transplant Center also offers a paired exchange program to donor and recipient pairs who do not match. We work with the National Kidney Registry to locate matching kidneys and exchange with other recipients who have donors who do not match with them.
To learn more about kidney transplant and Emory's Living Donor Kidney Program, visit emoryhealthcare.org/kidneytransplant or call 855-366-7989.
Tags: national kidney registry, national kidney registry donor voucher program


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Why Blogging is Beneficial and How it can Make You Money
The internet is a wonderful place to do certain things and one such thing that you can do on the internet is to blog or to write blog posts. If you love writing and you really love telling stories or giving good information, you should really start to blog. There are so many famous bloggers out there and if you follow some of these bloggers, you can get some ideas of what to write about. One really great thing about blogging is that you no only get to share your experiences or tell stories but you can actually also make a lot of money if you blog; yes, we said that right, you can make money just by writing whatever you want to write so what are you waiting for? Try blogging today.
When you have written blogs on your sites and you get ads for it, this can really help you make money so you should really try this out. There are many people out there that are making lots of money because of the ads that they have up on their blog posts so if you are not doing this yet, you should really start and try it out. You may have really attractive ads on your blog posts and if your visitors will click on these ads, you will really get more money this way so you really want your visitors to click on those ads. There are so many bloggers who are monetizing their blogs so that the more people they get to read their blogs, the more money they make through the ads they have. You should really monetize your blogs today if you are not already doing so.
Another way that you can make money with your blogs is to get sponsors. There may be someone out there that would really want a blog post written about them and therefore they will pay you a certain amount of money for you to blog about them. There are actually a lot of sponsors out there that can really help bloggers and bloggers can help them as well so it is a good thing for both parties. This can also be done by guest posting so if you know what this means, you can really try to use this as well. Getting sponsors may be harder to do but if you are persistent, you will get those sponsors and this can really get you big cash. Start blogging money today if you are a beginner, you will really be amazed at how to make money with blogging. You will ask yourself, 'can you make money blogging?' or 'how bloggers make money?' and, 'how to start a blog easy?'


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I spent the day with my best girlfriend yesterday. We have been friends since high school — almost 30 years. We don't get the chance to see each other as often as we would like. Besides living about an hour away from each other, we have busy lives. But when we do get together, it's as if we never missed a beat.
This chick knows the good, the bad and the ugly about me. I can say what I want and act how I wish when I am with her. I can be 100% me, no questions asked. There is no judging going on. There is no weird jealous crap. There is just pure friendship. Do you know how refreshing that is? Yes, you do. Because every one of us has a friend like this. You may even be lucky enough to have a few. But just a few. Because honestly, that's all we need.
We were talking about a lot of good shit yesterday, as we do. And the conversation soon turned to the differences between men and women. Particularly between a man's relationship with a good friend vs. a woman's relationship with a good friend. Here's what we came up with:
- Men will not sleep in the same bed together. I can't tell you how many times I've squished my ass between some friends on a bed. No problem. And no funny stuff. I just don't swing that way.
- How many men will share a blanket with 3 other men to watch a Meteor Shower? I'm guessing the number is pretty low.
- There are not too many "selfies" posted of guy friends laying in the grass. Unless they are women men, if you catch my drift. Nothing wrong with that, I'm just saying.
- I've never seen DH laugh so hard when he is with friends that he pees his pants. I pretty much do that almost every time I am with someone I feel comfortable with. Of course, I may suffer from a bladder condition. After all I've been peeing my pants since 1979. "Peeing My Pants Since 1979." That should be my tagline.
- Conversation between men is usually about anything with an engine, golf or weather. Ok, so we did ponder the reason for a Meteor Shower. But we were drunk, so that doesn't count. Other than that, our discussions range anywhere from sex to menstruation, the color of our poop to stupid crap our kids say.
- They don't share clothes. Or lipstick.
- Women are very affectionate. When we see each other, we kiss and hug. Men? Well, they don't do that. I'm guessing because it makes them feel gay or something. Again, nothing wrong with that.
I love men, they are awesome and I'm sure they have great relationships. But we women just know. They do have to be the right person though. Because men will argue that they don't stab each other in the back or are catty. And they are right. So just choose wisely. My BFF wouldn't do that. Would yours?


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"I'm so excited right now," said Mohns. "I want to thank all the volunteers who came out. I never thought I would have a home of my own that my sons and I can go home to."
Mohns's home is the 409th home built in Pinellas County and the first to be built in Gulfport, according to Habitat for Humanity CEO Mike Sutton. Workers broke ground on the home in late February.


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Death of Hutchins Street resident ruled accidental
The death earlier this month of a Hutchins Street resident who was found in his home bleeding -- initial reports said from his neck -- has been ruled accidental, Det. Pat Corona, Batavia PD, said this morning.
Peter Ackley, 55, of 12 Hutchins St., had been released from the hospital March 12, the day before the incident, and had ongoing health issues.
Witnesses said he had been outside his house earlier that day and appeared disoriented and was helped back into his apartment. He was later found by a friend unconscious and bleeding inside his residence.
An autopsy found that ongoing medical problems apparently caused him to collapse. He fell against a household fixture, which caused his wounds.
Ackley was transported by Mercy Flight to Strong Memorial Hospital where he later died.
There is no evidence, Corona said, of any foul play.


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Right or Wrong The Memoirs of Lord Bell, by Bell, Tim
- Cover: Hardcover
- Copyright: 6/30/2015
Right or Wrong is the much-anticipated memoir of Tim Bell, chairman of Bell Pottinger public relations and one of the best-known figures in UK media communications. Born into a resolutely middle-class suburban family during the war, he left school whilst still a teenager for a job as post-boy at ABC Television. Rising through the ranks of the burgeoning West End advertising industry, in 1970 he became a cofounder of the Saatchi & Saatchi agency, duly taking on the role of international chairman as the company achieved worldwide preeminence. In 1989, he formed the Chime Communications Company.
Bell's main claim to fame, however, was developing campaigns for the Conservative Party during the general elections of 1979, 1983, and 1987, each of which put Margaret Thatcher into Downing Street, and for which he was awarded a knighthood. In his time, he has worked with some of the greatest names of modern politics, business, and media--such as Ronald Reagan, F. W. de Klerk, the Sultan of Brunei, Rupert Murdoch, and David Frost--and on world events, historical and controversial alike. Today, his clients include the chairmen of many of the UK's leading companies and organizations as well as foreign heads of state, politicians, and businesses.
With critical appreciation of former clients the Saatchi brothers, as well as Ronald Reagan and Nelson Mandela, Right or Wrong is an enlightening account of an intriguing, unique, and influential career.