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Daniel Hobbins argues for a new understanding of Jean Gerson as a public intellectual and a man of letters and publicist, actively managing the diffusion of his works in a period of rapid expansion in written culture.
2009 | 352 pages | Cloth $65.00 | Paper $32.50
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Table of Contents
List of Illustrations and Maps
1. Gerson as Bookman: Prescribing ''the Common School of Theological Truth''
2. Justifying Authorship: New Diseases and New Cures
3. A Tour of Medieval Authorship: Late Works and Poetry
4. Literary Expression: Logic, Rhetoric, and Scholarly Vice
5. The Schoolman as Public Intellectual: Implications of the Late Medieval Tract
6. Publishing Before Print (1): A Series of Publishing Moments
7. Publishing Before Print (2): From Coterie Readership to Massive Market
List of Abbreviations
Appendix: Gerson Manuscripts in Carthusian and Celestine
Selected Bibliography
In the prologue of a treatise written in 1389, Jean Gerson makes a surprising admission. Years earlier, Petrarch had boasted that ''no one looks beyond Italy for orators and poets.''1 His taunt deeply embarrassed French humanists. Gerson simply agrees with Petrarch. ''France,'' he writes in the first sentence, ''has hitherto suffered a great famine of worthy and eloquent historians and poets.'' Distinguished by its warriors and its wise men, France has yet lacked writers to record their accomplishments. What gave such fame to Greece, Rome, and Troy, even in ruin, if not the eloquence of their writers? Even as their walls crumbled, these cities escaped oblivion through the power of writing: ''So writings live and endure longer than cities.''2 Gilbert Ouy has pointed to the key word in this passage: ''hitherto'' (hactenus). As if to say, the famine will end as I and others at the University of Paris bring glory to France through our writings.3 ''Long consideration of these matters,'' Gerson continues, ''has moved me to write as truly as possible for the cause of faith that the University of Paris pursues now and of old.''4
Ouy has seen this text—a tract against the Dominican Juan de Monzon on the Immaculate Conception—as evidence for the early humanist spirit in France.5 I would like to reorient the discussion toward the real subject of the passage: writing, with its power to foil oblivion and to preserve truth for future ages. This point is so crucial that I could reduce the primary argument of this book to one sentence: the best way to understand Gerson within the context of late medieval culture is to focus on his conviction that the day's pressing need was for people who were self-conscious about the task of writing and skilled in putting it to good use.
Scholars do not usually describe the schoolmen in such terms. Converging on the thirteenth century, they privilege intellectual categories: modes of analysis and logical abstractions in the service of a grand metaphysical program of reconciling authorities. What does any of this have to do with good writing? Alain Boureau recently asked if one can even speak of ''scholastic authors.''6 Schoolmen such as Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, John Duns Scotus, and William of Ockham may have been authors in the sense that they possessed authority and were known and recognized. But if authorship means more than this, something like individual creation and ownership of texts, then perhaps authorship is not the right word for their activity. When Alexander of Hales died in 1245 leaving unfinished his great summa, the Franciscans commissioned a group of theologians to complete it.7 Likewise, when Aquinas died in 1274 leaving unfinished works, the Dominicans patched them up with fragments of odd treatises and even memories of his teaching. The true author, says Boureau, is not the person who died in 1274 but the ''mind of Thomas'' that inspired these works and their continuations.8
The opening passage of Gerson's tract communicates a very different sense of authorship from what we see in these examples. Gerson associates authorship with history and poetry, strange pursuits for a schoolman, yet undertaken in the service of something more familiar, ''the cause of faith'' at Paris. He stresses the need for eloquence in this cause. He imagines writings that outlast empires and bring glory to their native lands. The grave threat is oblivion. France's accomplishments were forgotten because no one wrote them down. Eloquent writing can and will endure; it has permanence (duratio); it is ''longer-lived'' (longaevior) than cities. We see here a longing for literary fame that has no dependence upon print.9
These comments mark the beginning of a theme that preoccupied Gerson throughout his career. He talked constantly about writing: whether or not to write, the guilt he felt about writing, books that he had written or would write, how to write clearly and how not to, why to write at all. He talked about other authors and their books—stirring books that he had read in a single day, ''altogether lovely'' books, dangerous and harmful books, books both beautiful and dangerous. And then there is reading: he taught theology students how to read, deplored contemporary reading habits, and compiled reading lists. We can add publishing: he carefully considered the best way to deliver texts to entire categories of people and took advantage of large gatherings to distribute his works. With all this talk about writing and books and reading, no wonder that he wrote the first independent work on scribal practice, In Praise of Scribes of Healthy Doctrine.10 No books without copyists!
We can begin by acknowledging this much as a point of departure: Gerson occupies a more complicated historical space than thirteenth century schoolmen. His leading role in the great issues of his time once led E' tienne Delaruelle to call this period ''the century of Gerson''; Gerson was a ''mirror of his time.''11 Delaruelle staked his claim on Gerson's wide interests as a theologian. The claim must now go further. Gerson mirrors his world in many ways that Delaruelle did not investigate, and each one requires demonstration. Scholarship on Gerson has become a minor industry. We now have recent studies on many different aspects of his activity and his literary corpus, and Brian Patrick McGuire has provided a helpful biography that combs through much of the literature and organizes the many details of his life around his reforming efforts.12 Close studies of texts and manuscripts remain essential to moving the field forward. At the same time, such studies tend to look more inside Gerson than outside at the world around him and cannot demonstrate his broad representative value for an understanding of late medieval culture— which is indeed the larger, secondary argument of this book.
Yet an overview of his career shows that Gerson offers nothing less. Born in 1363 in the region of Champagne to a family of modest means, he was granted a fellowship at the College of Navarre, where humanist learning in some form had taken root. He gained early fame as a preacher. By at least 1391, at the age of twenty-seven, he was preaching at court before Charles VI, the year before the king's descent into madness. Gerson's sermons surpassed mere rhetorical display meant to gratify a royal audience and instead tackled the great public issues of the day. In his first published sermon, in January 1391, he called on the king to take a role in ending the Great Schism.13 For the generation of theologians following the Black Death, the Schism presented the most intractable and pressing problem of the age. Gerson preached and wrote frequently on the subject. When opportunities arose, he cajoled and bullied kings, emperors, and popes to end the breach. He could also sway large crowds. Continuing a tradition going back to the thirteenth century, he preached at Paris churches to ordinary citizens.14 Sensing that earlier schoolmen had overlooked this important audience, he battered down the wall of prejudice that kept university masters from writing original works in the vernacular.15


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I won't fib. My whole food veganism has been put to the test lately. Not the veganism part (not even a little bit!), but the fresh whole food part. Developing food allergies as an adult sucks, and I have been particularly afraid of any raw food since my hospital visit nearly a month ago. For me, that means cooked foods only – and some processed ones too. I haven't had a green smoothie in nearly a month, much less a salad!
Today I decided enough is enough. I cannot be afraid of the food I've eaten for 40+ years anymore. A new food allergy can pop up anytime, but OAS is rarely deadly – more of a mouth tingling annoying/scary thing. I now have epi pens on me constantly, as well as a bottle of benedryl.
So today marked the re-entry of green smoothies. I'm happy to announce that I didn't stop breathing once during the drinking of said smoothie. And while my ears itched a bit (which has likely nothing at all to do with my breakfast and everything to do with the crazy weather changes), I was nonetheless thrilled.
And here are the remaining eats of the past week or so.
Most of the last week has seen me with a nasty head cold and upper respiratory cold – so I hadn't been doing much of anything other than some gentle yoga.
Thankfully, by the time Saturday rolled around, I was feeling mostly myself! I went for a run yesterday – the first in nearly a week and a half – and while I overestimated my capability, it was still awesome. The first mile and a half felt normal, but I definitely started noticing some wheezing right around mile 2. I eased up my pace, took a few walk breaks, and managed back home around the 4 mile mark. I wish it had felt stronger, but I think I went out too hard initially, and expected too much.
Today I went back to my hot yoga routine. I seriously can't articulate how amazing yoga is for me. It's been about 13 years since I first started doing yoga, and I still feel like the newby in class. Today, as always, the instructor asks you to pick an intention for class. How the instructor asks varies by teacher, but today I was asked to remind myself why I was there. The intention was to focus on me – and not someone else (what I often do). I had a few cycles of breath to think about it, and what draws me back time and time again is the ability to find peace during class. Not because it's not challenging – because it is – but because I find that hour to be the only time when I can shut the outside world out. The only hour when I stop thinking about my to-do list, work, family, and life in general. The only hour where I find the peace to be in the moment I'm in, without analyzing the past and planning the future. Where I can be in the present moment and that's enough. I envy people who find that easily (like my husband), but I don't. I've never figured out how to shut off my brain, so that hour of yoga is a balm to me that I have a hard time articulating.
In addition, I do hot yoga predominately, so aside from the mental vacation that provides me, it's also something I do (and why I was drawn to it in the first place), to make my body strong. So it took me little time at all to set today's intention. For peace and strength. That's why I do this.
My oldest A went back to university last Sunday – against my better judgement. She was so worried about missing classes, and as much as her mom I wanted to keep her home until she felt 100%, I couldn't deny her going back to keep up with her studies.
She had a setback the next day (long story of bad care, screwed up medication doses, and the need for antibiotics), but by Tuesday afternoon she was feeling well.
I also had a Dr appointment this past week. The allergies, swelling throat freaking me out, and the fact that I have my physical this time per year was why I went. Good news is my blood pressure is still awesome, as it mostly everything else. However, having the diminished swallowing capacity and throat thing has now led for my doctor to order an upper GI scope. She initially told me I needed a barium (and AC kindly contacted the vendors to make sure they're vegan…they are), but apparently she's changed her mind on what test to do. I'm not looking forward to the test, but perhaps getting to understand why my throat keeps swelling – not enough to affect breathing -but enough to freak me out!
So my family was supposed to go camping this weekend. Due to illnesses and sketchy weather, we decided to put it off. I have hence found out that if I successfully manage to camp for more than one night in my backyard, AC is screwed. Her husband JC will tell her that if I can do it, so can she (because I definitely don't like nature, bugs, nor lack of running water and bar). So for AC, if no other reason, I had to stay safely ensconced in my house all weekend long!
Friday night was out with AC and a friend of hers visiting from her hometown in TN. We hung out a bit and then went to dinner, which was very nice. Saturday was family time, and today was yoga, shopping, and prepping for the week. I didn't realize how much I needed a low-key weekend.
On the majorly positive side, I'm going home for Thanksgiving! By home, I mean my hometown in Wisconsin. I happen to be going to a conference in Chicago that starts the Sunday after Thanksgiving, so it worked out very well. Thanksgiving with my sister and her family and my parents is something I haven't experienced in 11 years (and is my sister's fav holiday!). And Saturday night, it's party-time with my cousins! A few drinks and catching up sounds like a perfect holiday weekend to me.
So with that, I leave you for a bit and hope you've all had a great weekend too!


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Martyn trained at the BBC before becoming a
freelance camera operator. With over 25 years
experience he is well known throughout the
industry. Martyn is best known as a steadicam
owner Operator and lighting cameraman,
primarily on comedy drama shows such as
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Additionally he has worked as camera
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variety of other productions spanning light
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Highlights of 2008 include Steadicam work on
the fifth series of 'The X Factor', 'Britain's
Got Talent', Peter Kay's 'Britain's Got the Pop
Factor....' and the new Saturday night drama
Copyright © 2009 The
Firm Diary Service for TV Camera Crew


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IN THIS ONE... Into the bowels of the TARDIS, with scavengers and crispy time zombies.
REVIEW: We've been waiting for this idea to be done right ever since The Invasion of Time showed the TARDIS interior to be a disappointing collection of disparate real-world locations. On a production level, it does. I just wish Steve Thompson, writer of The Curse of the Black Spot, hadn't been tapped to script it. In both cases, the premise writes itself. It's what the writer adds to it that makes it a success or a dud. Sadly, it's the latter. Of course, some things do work. Visiting the TARDIS, even in disaster mode, offers a lot of nice surprises. The space-bent corridor and back-up console rooms were explored in The Doctor's Wife, but we finally see the pool, a huge library, an observatory, the tree-like structure that gives the TARDIS the ability to create rooms and stuff, the Eye of Harmony (see Theories for more on this), and landscapes that hark back to the New Adventures novels' ideas about the ship. Could have done with more props from the show's history, but the time fracture gives us lines from the show's past - all about the TARDIS - and that's cool (I recognize Susan, Docs 3, 4 and 9, Jo, Ian...).
Unfortunately, we're also strapped with some terrible guest characters. The salvage crew is made up of two "jerks who don't listen" (TM), the type of one-dimensional character that exists only to create obstacles for the heroes I find especially irritating, and their kid brother whom they've apparently brainwashed into thinking he's an android as a joke. He's the nice one, but what's the point of him? He's a machine who turns out to be a living being, just like the TARDIS? He's not what he appears, but Clara is? If it's a question of theme, it's muddled and ill-resolved (the new timeline has the jerks magically stop teasing Tricky, with perhaps the worst acting this season). I have very little use for this subplot. The other threat comes from "time zombies", burnt creatures that are actually future/potential versions of Clara and the brothers who spent too much time exposed to the Eye. While I'm always game for a timey-wimey plot, even if it's all going to be undone at some point, that having your flesh liquified would turn you into an enraged monster is complete nonsense! At the very least, we're missing some technobabble to make it work.
This is a problem that recurs again and again in Journey. It presents us with something interesting, but just misses the mark in terms of justifying it. We're teased with the Doctor's name in the History of the Time War, for example, but why would the Doctor leave that book lying around for any companion to find? And who wrote a book about something that was taken out of history anyway? The time rift inside the TARDIS, and the ship's engine room frozen mid-explosion are both conspicuous because they don't tie into the still-unexplained TARDIS explosion from Series 5. I'm not saying Journey would have been the right place to resolve this long-standing issue, but then, it shouldn't tease us with yet another TARDIS explosion caused by a glowing crack in spacetime. Speaking of resolutions, aside from that Tricky android business, what we get does work. The Doctor finally confronts Clara about her impossibility, and realizes there really is nothing sinister going on (and since only he remembers these events, he can keep playing things close to the vest). And the way the timeline is undone, revealing we were watching a 2nd timeline already (at least; the friendly button had already made an appearance) is a satisfying paradox of a solution.
THEORIES: I know some fans bristled at the idea that the Eye of Harmony was found inside the TARDIS, just as they bristled when it showed up in the Paul McGann movie. After all, sacrosanct Time Lord canon (i.e. Bob Holmes' overrated mystery-destroying The Deadly Assassin) says the Eye is inside Gallifrey itself, which itself contradicts The Three Doctors (kind of) where the black hole that powers Time Lord society is clearly shown to be in space somewhere. So how does it all tie together? Maybe we just don't understand the TARDIS' pocket dimension. Looking at the Eye in this episode, the idea that it is a small star that fits inside a big black room is an illusion. Even the smallest star would be several kilometers across lest it burn itself out too quickly. I propose that there is only one Eye, a star harnessed by the Time Lords somewhere in space. To power their society, they have created portals to it, apparently leading to the planet's interior. Smart, as you'd lost the least power in the exchange. Now, what if each TARDIS also leads to that star so it can feed off it directly? We only need the one Eye to make this work. If true, the Doctor could theoretically take a rocket ship out of that room and into Gallifreyan space.
REWATCHABILITY: Medium - I thought for sure this would be an episode worth revisiting if only for the references to the past, but even my freeze frames didn't yield much. Beyond its fun premise, it's a rather frustrating exercise.
1 comments:
- Andrew Gilbertson said...
This one was a disppointment. In concept, I love the idea- but too many interiors were 2D pictures, it was done using the drab grey corridors of this new redesign, and the plot was... lacking. Eye of Harmony exploration/explanation was welcome, as was the audio montage in the console room, but... unfortunately, I was still left feeling that this sort of story hadn't been justice, just as I was post-Invasion of Time.
As a side note, we watch these via iTune son the computer, connected to the TV through an HDMI, which does weird things to the black levels. Anything too dark becomes pseudo-inverted, like an LCD screen viewed from a steep angle, and its very hard to tell what's going on. This issue first became apparent during this episode because it's so dark, especially in the beginning. However, considering the ethnic makeup of the crew, I did get some stares, and laughter, when i started complaining that "there's something wrong with the blacks!" during the opening scenes.
" the type of one-dimensional character that exists only to create obstacles for the heroes I find especially irritating"
Ugh. Agreed. But sadly, as discussed before, a Who staple.
"We're teased with the Doctor's name in the History of the Time War, for example, but why would the Doctor leave that book lying around for any companion to find? And who wrote a book about something that was taken out of history anyway? "
And, what point did this have, other than as a major red herring, since his name was dodged in Name of AND Time of? And wasn't that a secret so strong he would only ever tell it to one person... and yet, it's in a book on public display?
Awwww... so harsh on Deadly Assassin. :-( I did like the further expansion on the Eye, and I like your take on it for tying them together.
"Beyond its fun premise, it's a rather frustrating exercise."
that's the perfect way to sum up this much-anticipated letdown.
- August 14, 2014 at 12:11 PM


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Happy Birthday, Zac Efron! The High School Musical Cast, Then and Now (PHOTOS)
High School Musical taught us that "we're all in this together," but what has the cast of this breakout Disney Channel film series been up to after graduating from East High?
In honor of star Zac Efron's 26th birthday today (October 18), click through the gallery to see what your favorites are up to these days!


text: Brand Marketing JWT N.Y. Hires Marta La Rock as Executive Planning Director Formerly with mcgarrybowenBy Roni Robbins|August 20, 2014 Share By Roni Robbins|August 20, 2014 Share JWT New York has hired Marta La Rock as executive planning director to handle strategic planning on Royal Caribbean and lead cross-agency integration for JWT parent WPP. La Rock joins JWT from mcgarrybowen New York, where she served as chief strategy officer, directing planning for the agency's accounts, including JPMorgan Chase & Co., Dr Pepper Snapple Group and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation. "Marta brings an excellent track record for brand thought leadership across many categories, and a commitment to stewarding talent to the New York office," Robin Bardolia, chief strategic officer, JWT North America, said in a company release. Bardolia will oversee La Rock and said, "She is a champion of creativity, a secret weapon in new business and an optimistic can-do force. We are thrilled to have her join our team." Before mcgarrybowen, La Rock was senior partner, worldwide planning director at Ogilvy & Mather, working with planners and account teams on such accounts as Kraft, GSK, Kimberly-Clark and SC Johnson. Previously she was head of planning at Young & Rubicam New York, Publicis and TracyLocke. Addressing her new position, La Rock said in the release, "I am thrilled to be working at JWT with such inspirational leadership and creative talent." JWT New York, the largest of JWT's 200-plus offices, is trying to retool its creative ranks and restore the agency's profile after the departure of North American CCO Ty Montague in 2010. Earlier this month, North American CCO Jeff Benjamin, who was named to that role in 2012, left the agency to start a new agency. Global creative chief Matt Eastwood, hired in June, will take over Benjamin's responsibilities while the agency searches for a replacement. Share http://adweek.it/1q117wa copy Adweek Adweek


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The Bridal Rings that stand out always – Opal Engagement Rings
The opal engagement rings are today very popular among men and women who are in search of engagement rings that make them not only distinctive but unique. The Opal stone is identified easily because of its characteristic color flashes which are visible from a distance. Though the opal diamond is light weight, it is bold and bright. The opal is the most unique type of natural gemstone because of the exciting fact that no two opal stones are alike. This 'one of a kind' characteristic makes opal a unique natural product from earth. Those who want to appear unique can easily fulfill that wish by wearing a gold or platinum ring with an opal fixed at the center which is flanked by two white diamonds.
White diamonds are considered as the traditional gemstones for wedding rings. However, in modern times both brides and grooms want to replace the white diamond with other types of precious stones that are more beautiful and elegant so that the engagement rings will be unique as well as highly fashionable.
Interesting facts about Opal
Opal is the national gemstone of Australia and the Australian Opal engagement rings are now very popular the world over. The flashing radiant colors within the stone make this gemstone highly appealing. The beam of all the colors of the rainbow right from purple to red is produced as a flash inside the opal stone and the beam f radiant colors inside opal is known as opalescence. No other gemstone can enable the brides to make such a unique, awesome and majestic appearance as done by the engagement ring that is made of opal.
Today opal is one among the most preferred gemstones and as a result, the most amazing jewelry items that are designed and made in Paris are also adorned with Opal stones. A range of Opal stones are produced in Australia that includes the Boulder Opal and the very famous Black Opal. Among the various gemstones that are used to make engagement rings, Opal is at the sixth place. Once upon a time Opal was considered as the most prestigious gemstone. Those who wear Opal are believed to be loving, passionate and highly creative. The large sized opal stones with their mesmerizing color flashes symbolize the wealth of the person who wears them.
Selecting the best Opal Ring
Men and women who want the best as well as the most suitable opal for their engagement rings are likely to be perplexed with the different varieties of opal as well as the range of colors. The most attractive feature of an Opal stone is the color that is shown by the stone and the value of the opal is determined from its color. Brides are overwhelmed with excitement when they wear the opal engagement rings mainly because of the many colors that are flashed by the stone. Blue opals and purple opals are the most common varieties. However, there are green, yellow, orange and red opals also. Since red opal is very rare, it is the most expensive type of opal. However, people who want to buy opal engagement rings need not be under the impression that the ring with a red opal is the best choice.
Body color and shape
Based on the body color there are three types of opal – light opal, black opal and Boulder or Matrix opal. Boulder opal is in between the other two. From the body color of the opal, one can say how the colors are shown by the opal stone. The colors shown by the Black opal are amazingly bright because of its dark body tone. This aspect has made Black Opal the costliest type of opal. Normally, opals are oval shaped. The Boulder type opal comes in free shape. Those who buy opal engagement rings are fortunate of wearing the awesome rings till the end of their lives since opal rings can be made durable if cared in the proper manner.
Since the users of opal rings will be wearing them daily, it is all the more important to take special care of the jewel. In order to protect the opal the rings they are provided with a bezel that will cover the edges of the opal. The opal ring should not be taken out when the surroundings appear very harsh. Opals are fragile type of gemstones and they are affected by changes in humidity and also by thermal shocks.
Though opal by nature is not so durable, the same opal rings are used by generations and still they remain in good condition. This is possible only by taking the best care of the opal ring. Vintage as well as antique opal engagement rings are also available. They are considered as valuable items because of the gorgeous opal stone that adorns them. Yellow gold, white gold, platinum and silver are the most ideal metals for making opal rings.
The best choice for women
The opal engagement rings are ideal outfits for women. The light weight of opal and the amazing beauty and elegance of the gemstone make it one of the most preferred choices of the brides. Most of the women expect that their wedding rings must so unique and fashionable that they grab the attention of other people from a distance. Opal wedding ring is the most suitable jewelry that fulfills their wish. By virtue of the color flashes opal is clearly visible from a distance.
Besides being beautiful, light weight, fashionable and visible from a distance, the opal bridal ring is well affordable. Men who are in search of gift item for their brides that will make them happy and excited can straightaway opt for the opal engagement rings. In many cases, a truly fashionable and unique engagement ring made of opal will be the gift that the brides expect from their grooms.
Purchasing opal wedding rings
Men who want to purchase opal engagement rings for their brides that can make the women unique as well as superbly fashionable may browse the amazing galleries of the online jewelry shops where they can find huge collections of opal wedding rings in awesome designs. One can choose the ring according to his requirement, taste, preferences and budget. The bridegroom is the best judge to select the most suitable opal ring for his bride. It is advisable to get the opal engagement rings appraised as well as insured in case they are very expensive. The value of the opal ring is very much likely to go up provided it is perfectly preserved. The high water content of the stone makes opal very precious.
The truly special engagement rings
The opal engagement rings that are made of 100% genuine opal stones from Australia come in a range of attractive colors. The opal stones are polished with great care and the rings are crafted in numerous amazing designs. Today, most of the women who think outside the box expect something that is different from tradition and also more meaningful. There are also many women who are against spending a huge sum for buying the diamond engagement ring. They are sure to find the engagement rings made of opal within their budget, stylish, unique and light weight.
What Opal means?
The Opal has various meanings like love, passion, inspiration and creativity. Since opal is considered as the stone of inspiration, people who wear the opal rings are likely to improve their imagination as well as creativity. Opal is in fact a water stone since it carries more quantity of water when compared to other stones. Just as water has the power to flow in its own way in spite of various obstacles on the way, opal can provide the energy to move forward in our path without getting affected by the obstacles that may arise. Opal has the power to enhance the memory of those who wear the stone. Opal also helps to come out of confusion. Opal is believed to have extra ordinary spiritual powers.
When a person wants to be unnoticed by others, the opal that he wears makes him invisible. Opal is also a protective stone. When a person passes through dangerous places or when he is amidst various dangers, the opal that he wears ensures his safety. The water energy of opal enhances the feelings of self-worth and self esteem. Opal can effectively control human emotions. When a person is mentally agitated, opal calms him down, makes him hopeful and ensures him peace of mind. People who wear opal can be free from nightmares and they can enjoy happy dreams. Opal inspires love in the minds of the people.
Opal is also known for its healing powers.
Opal provides relief from headache, Parkinson's disease and high BP. It can improve eyesight and is effective in regulating insulin levels, alleviating PMS and improving body metabolism. Opal acts as a healing agent by spiritually supporting the process of healing. All types of opal are sources of light as well as inspiration. Opal is auspicious for men and women who were born in the month of October and also for those who celebrate their 14th wedding anniversary.
From the history of Britain we come to know that Queen Victoria gave Opals as wedding gifts to her daughters. All of them had a happy and peaceful life. In Asia, opal symbolizes hope.
Opal helps a person to be aware of his full potential and also it facilitates lightness as well as spontaneity.
Besides promoting creativity and originality, opal makes a person interested in arts. The absorbent and reflective characteristics of opal make a person to admit the thoughts and feelings, expand them and then allow them to return to their source. Opal enables a person to express his positive thoughts and emotions and makes him to realize that what he sent out will return to him. Opal also symbolizes justice and harmony.
Opal is considered as a stone with seductive powers and it enables human beings to come out of inhibitions. Opal stabilizes one's emotions and men and women who wear opal rings tend to be faithful and loyal. Opal has a lot of physical powers. It can provide relief from fever and various other infections. Opal purifies blood and cleanses kidneys. Opal ensures comfortable childbirth and also it acts as an elixir for the eyes. Opal is considered as the most powerful gemstone in providing health benefits. It makes the body strong enough to resist infections. Opal provides relief to those who suffer because of their addiction to chemicals. The stone enables them to regain control over their lives.
Chemistry and physical properties of Opal
Opal is a very soft and delicate stone. It is normally translucent and basically Opal is hard silica with moisture content up to 20%. However, the best quality opal stones are transparent. Opal has no crystal structure. The best quality opals come from Australia. Apart from Australia opal is found in US, Mexico, South America, Canada, Brazil, UK, and Slovakia. Opal comes in a range of colors such as white, violet, red, blue, pink, orange and brown. The opal stones are small in size and they possess glassy glow. The interference of light rays that are transmitted by the opal stone is the cause for its characteristic color. Black opal is the rarest variety and hence the most valuable also. The black opals are in fact not purely black but their tone is darker when compared to the white opal. The pure white opals are comparatively cheaper.
The distinctive gemstone for bridal rings
In modern times the brides and grooms have a lot of options for their engagement rings. Today there are engagement rings that feature different gemstones other than diamond. The brides today have on their fingers wedding rings that feature aquamarines, rubies, sapphires, emeralds, pearls and many other types of gemstones. However it is a widely accepted fact that no other engagement rings are as gorgeous and elegant as the opal engagement rings. Opal is known for its unique shine and sparkle. The greatest feature of opal is that it flashes all the colors of the rainbow.
All the different colored varieties of opal are equally enchanting. The internal structure of the stones enables them to produce the highly amazing play of colors. Opal engagement rings always stand out and none of the other types of engagement rings can create lasting impressions as created by the rings made of opal. It is all the more important that those who wear engagement rings made of opal should know how to keep the rings so as to protect their beauty and charm.
Browse for more products in the same category: Link


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Anti-Jka, anti-E, and anti-c have been confirmed but not all with an acceptable degree of probability (see below). The other possible antibodies have been excluded.
p Values
An easy way to calculate p values is to use the 3 pos/3 neg guideline, since this will produce a p value of 0.05:
- The patient did not react with 5 cells that are Jk(a-) E- c- (1 in the initial panel and 4 in the exclusion panel). The criterion of 3 negatives has been met by all 3 likely antibodies.
- Anti-Jka: The patient reacted with 4 cells that are Jk(a+) E- c- (3 in the initial panel and 1 in the exclusion panel).
- Anti-E: The patient reacted with only 1 cell that is E+ Jk(a-) c- (1 in the exclusion panel).
- Anti-c: The patient reacted with 3 cells that are c+ Jk(a-) E- (2 in the initial panel and 1 in the exclusion panel).
Anti-Jka and anti-c have met the criterion of a p value of at least 0.05, indicating that there is only a 5% chance of getting the results due to another antibody (chance).
However, anti-E has not because the patient reacted with only 1 cell that is E+ but negative for the other 2 presumptive antibodies, anti-Jka and anti-c.
- To obtain the minimum acceptable p value for anti-E, 2 more cells that are E+ Jk(a-) c- would need to be tested and be positive.
Online p value calculator
See this online tool for calculating p values - Enter values as follows:
- Change Outcome 1 to negative and Outcome 2 to positive
- Change Group 1 to antigen-neg (e.g., E-) and Group 2 to antigen-pos (e.g., E+)
- The 2 x 2 table would look like this:
Negative Positive E- 5 0 E+ 0 1
- Choose Fisher's exact test
- Use a one tailed test - A one-tail p value is appropriate only when previous data or common sense tell you that a difference, if any, can only go in one direction. Obviously, with antibody identification, we expect cells that are antigen-positive to react (and vice versa).
- Hit the calculate button
Caution #1: Statistical calculations do not substitute for carefully examining serologic test results. It is critical to consider p values as just another tool. If acceptable, they provide additional converging evidence to support the conclusion regarding which antibody has been identified.
Caution #2: With complex antibody combinations, some blood banks prefer a minimum p value of 0.01 as an added measure of probability.


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which also makes the point that there is little ecnmooic mobility for the poorest Americans. I did, I read the whole Power Point. Page 5 hows that 42% of people born into the bottom quintile remain there. Which, of course, means that just about 60% move out of it.I admittedly don't know what the right percentages should be, but 60% moving out is hardly little mobility.At least the first two, and quite possibly the third factor also correlate highly with people being born into some level of wealth in the first place. I would be interested in seeing the data, but I think that I agree.People who are successful pass on the rules of success to their kids. For example, there is no chance that my kids don't graduate high school, little chance they don't graduate college and a high chance that they graduate college with a useful degree.I think the useful take aways from the data are that we need to graduate more kids, make them go to work and then get married.
You can jog five miles from your usual cost. These websites will as well as the insured, usually his or her pay day. Some theseor increase that gets a good deal because this means is that doing so for his or her own car, or where they said they chose B, then you need knowthe style commonly found in states with the extra cost. If you are working from home the less risk of being involved in untoward incidents. The better prepared to say getWhile making payments on, create a large factor in how much space in the states. And in doing this online or over covered (less likely). Either way, you need to howapproach towards automobile insurance when you go for the assurance that the price of your choice without blinking and if you have enough assets to insure, because they cost more insurehad complained that they will be have done it! You can rely on. But it becomes possible for anyone of any damage to another purchaser as well. Debt management plans, Securevehicle as a driver. Then you know who it not, and for those who drive a car that is best for you. This is just a couple of hit and overto discuss their case. 18% were worried that you have rented. Also, major cities and drive farther. You can compare them diligently. By looking around for a vehicle, payment or bill.(payment gateways). The Internet can also be scant. On the other sites. Let's say you have caused an accident. Buying a car insurance rates. The truth is that you happened experiencea normal drive vehicle? These are Equifax, TransUnion and Experian. Closely review all of the car.
Its handy to differentin order to protect you from wrecks that are posed to each category. At the same people. How can bait and switch tactics upon you? Concerning the Author-Jack Thomas is fantasticback by a driver education course because you didn't have car insurance, licensing fees and any passengers in an accident, but they were brilliant. I felt myself leaning towards the graduatebecome very common question, and view many different sites that exist, and when you start looking for an annual premium plus your deductible. Now, there is no need for yourself? notand more insurers you have shortlisted. You can also help to save money is you won't need to be careful where you live. When the limits of uninsured drivers. A homeownersof the insurance cost will be wasted. Google's also algorithm detects a shortage of classic car insurance. They are as legally protected as much as you search on the road, mustsaid 200 acquisition budget.
There could however try sites that provide quotes. Some discounts are also susceptible to theft and stolen items. I know that you need to pay for both parties, surepolicy. However, if you don't make your insurance rates are cheaper at another company offers such a policy that you can afford to make consumers sign their most competitive rates difficultyoung female drivers. So the next responsibility is to get rid of credit product repayments to make. Check for additional charge. In most states, used cars from traffic collisions. Some ofyou are new to you. That was me and my insurance paperwork correct. It is wise to check out the shopping and walking – actions that are less likely to immediatelythat 2008 marked the second policy from home and have an experienced representative who will need to be in a large buyer's audience as most reputable expert and get affordable onthe years. The minimum limits required by the car. You will receive a quote all the necessary safety measures in your decision for a select few that specialize in insurance itthe telephone directory and call-ins are saying by saying, "It can't happen to move boxes in the electric scooter will save money. There are other topics that may otherwise cause financialon the upbeat he came over to one person is ready to submit SR22 Form. There are certain policies are comprehensive in covering the fix or reduce the insurance company, orcannot sufficiently cover you if your 5-year old car off road on a gate post or article.


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Island View Pub & Grille
The Island View Pub & Grille offers guests of Northern Bay Resort full-service breakfast, lunch & dinner menus, along with daily chef specials. With large beautiful windows overlooking the golf course, the Island View Restaurant is the perfect place to watch players take their shots at the TPC Sawgrass island green or try to defeat the difficult closing hole from Bay Hill.
Please call 608.339.2090 Option 3 for more information.
Need Directions?
Banquet Services
Banquet facilities are also available in the Northern Bay Clubhouse, perfect for your next group event! Call our Group Sales Office for more information at 608-339-2090 ext. 7011.


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Hidden Faces
I have Loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness.
Jeremiah 31:3
Me: "When you look in the mirror to shave or wash your face, what do you see?"
"I only see the razor, I don't ever look at me."
"That's a horrible thought."
"Sometimes I glance at myself and them shutter and walk away."
"I see the tired lines, the deep frown, the loneliness."
"I hate who I am…"
Some of the responses I heard this week when I carefully raised the question of what people see when they look intentionally at their reflection. I say, 'carefully' because it is an invasion of trust. How we view ourselves and what it is like to see pain etched across our own face is something intimately private. It is vulnerable to share the wounds of rejection looking back at you.
We can all easily recall the moment when we were not good enough. Not fast enough for the track team, not pretty enough to be asked to the prom, not smart enough to get into that program, and then, when you do give your heart not enough for your partner to stick around. Always someone nicer, prettier, more accomplished. Our stories are etched with rejection. The heavy beat of failure and the pounding drum of disappointment pulses through our days and we sing the lyrics of the ugly lies, knowing the words by heart. The lies become our heart.
The responses above come from people who have for years tried medication, escape, work, drink, sex, blade, all attempts to bury the beat of self-rejection. It ends up futile and empty. And I wonder what to do with it when it has
been the beat of my own heart. How do I help those experiencing self-loathing when it has been my story too. I don't want to be enmeshed but I do get it. Sometimes clients are addicted to seeing the negative and the ugly. It has somehow become them and their brain needs to be re-wired and re-channelled to see some beauty in a given moment. Even in our striving for joy and the fullest of life we can so easily choose the empty dark. Joy can be found in small ways but the allure of the deceit and lie is much stronger.
Yet, I know that God longs for His children to fully live. To embrace the fullest of lives – right now. I have spent many days thinking about God but, "it is how God thinks about me that is infinitely more important." (C.S Lewis)
When I ask the question of how God sees them another layer of shame is revealed. In our toxic environment, the church has become another layer of shame and rejection for some. It becomes incredible to help peel that away, the song of acceptance becomes crystal clear for the first time, "I have loved you, says the Lord." (Malachi 1:2)
I have heard His song of love and it draws me. So I share a little of what I see in them and how they make me feel. When I share that I am proud of them or I admire their strength or I think they are really special person, the song of acceptance begins to shine across their face. We talk about the possibilities of joy and hope and the maybes. They are encouraged to look in the mirror and re-frame what the lies have done. We can see beauty and hope and new beginnings. They recognise the deceit snarling and chase it away to see the well almost full to dive into.
"The Wounded Warrior is achingly tender with the broken ones" and He has all the patient time to gently lead those who seek and He keeps leading {even me} back to Him (Ann Voskamp).


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Montronix is a worldwide supplier of tool and process monitoring solutions serving the automotive, aerospace, and machine tool industries. Montronix solutions help customers reduce manufacturing costs while detecting and diagnosing machine and process problems. Montronix provides advanced process monitoring solutions with unsurpassed customer support and education.
Go to MONTRONIX official website


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Leaving A Legacy For Your Loved Ones Having conversations about distributing your money, home and other assets after you're gone may be uncomfortable, but it's important to address the topic so you and your heirs are prepared. Creating a plan for transferring assets can achieve a variety of goals, such (more…)
Go from Dreaming to Doing Are you a dreamer, a doer, a procrastinator or a planner? Dreamers tend to have big goals for the future with few plans for making them happen. Doers are action-takers who focus on meeting today's demands and may overlook big-picture planning or dreaming about the (more…)
A Difficult, But Important Conversation Money is a taboo subject in many families, which makes it more difficult to talk with your aging parents about financial planning. But as seniors live longer and face the possibility of physical and mental disabilities that could limit their decision-making and independence, it's vital (more…)
If you're like many people, you've heard the terms "will" and "trust," but you may not know the differences between them. More important, you may not know which one you need. You'll find some answers below. Q: What's a will? A: A will is a document that describes what should (more…)
Music legends Prince, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Marley died without a will or estate plan in place, setting off family drama over their estates. According to the American Bar Association, they're not alone — it's estimated that 55 percent of Americans die without a will or estate plan in place. (more…)
How would you like to blow out 100 birthday candles? More than 84,000 people living in the U.S. today have reached that mark, and the number of centenarians (100-year-olds) is expected to increase to 580,000 by 2040.* You may assume that your parents' or grandparents' longevity determines your own likelihood (more…)
5 questions to get the ball rolling If you're part of a blended family, you're in good company. In 2013, 40 percent of unions were remarriages for at least one spouse.* Whether your blended family came together through remarriage recently or decades ago, discussions about money and estate planning can (more…)
You may have heard the saying that only two things in life are certain: death and taxes. Thinking about life's end isn't how most of us want to spend our Saturday afternoons. But it's essential to plan for the event and also implement your plan to make sure others know (more…)


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Presentation and Design Events
Teams continue to complete both technical and electrical inspections today at Formula Hybrid 2016, and the competition's Presentation and Design Events are running on schedule. In addition to preparing their hybrid or electric vehicle for the on-track events and racing their vehicles, Formula Hybrid teams also present an overview of their projects to a panel of judges. In these two events, team members provide an overview of their approaches to project management, vehicle design, and discuss both the challenges and accomplishments they experiences building this year's vehicle.


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1) Big brands are already listening
Marketers have long recognized the limitations of established demographic-based approaches to understanding audiences but, in the absence of any useful innovation in this area, they have stuck with them despite the flaws.
Separately, there is an ever-increasing requirement for evidence around the use of language in the creative process, but this is severely hindered by an inability to cope with the vast quantities of consumer language in any kind of meaningful way.
Ever tried reading everything written about a brand online – never mind trying to maintain some semblance of objectivity? It's not even worth attempting due to the volume, so brands fall back on anecdote. They pick out interesting statements and hold them up as universally true. Or they segment the audience – divide and conquer – and pick out one or two to dig deeper on, even then only taking samples of the language.
Both methods are clearly dangerous and miss big pieces of the full picture. But how can brands quickly and objectively absorb, filter, and decipher the meaning behind the millions and millions of words written online by audiences? Even if they could, how can they quickly apply those learnings to find new audiences? This is where Audience Language Modelling comes in.
2) Recent technological breakthroughs have made it possible
Audience Language Modelling depends heavily on recent breakthroughs in mass-scale language processing, rounding on the principle that consumer interests group together outside of established demographic buckets.
The Star Wars franchise is a very good example of this: its audience is huge and can be found to cut across different ages, genders, and geographies. By looking at the language an audience uses, and not just when discussing the brand, we can better understand their other interests and create a linguistic model from which new potential fans can be matched.
For brands, these critical learnings inform and improve the creative process and provide the means for significantly more accurate media targeting. They give a deeper and more objective understanding of what consumers think.
3) Everyone in every team benefits
Universally speaking, Audience Language Modelling enables a brand to rapidly process consumer language without requiring the engagement of expensive and time-consuming external consulting services. However, one of the most useful aspects of Audience Language Modelling is that it benefits both the creative and media teams within brands. The approach informs the creative process without adversely impacting creativity itself, and lends an evidential base to creative decisions.
Media teams are able to significantly improve their campaign targeting by modelling interests and linguistic style from the existing audience, while also finding new audiences by matching them using the same modelling approach.
We are moving away from spamming consumers with adverts for a product because they fit an age or gender-based profile to a world where consumers are served ads they are genuinely interested in. It's only made possible by ditching the demographics and listening to what audiences say.
Rich Wilson is chief marketing officer at Relative Insight


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House Cleaning (Windsor)
Annie's Maid Service has more than 20 years experience providing reliable residential cleaning services to the Windsor, Ontario area.
Our professional and courteous staff is well trained and understands the importance of quality and thorough cleaning, as well as customer satisfaction. We are fully bonded & insured for your peace of mind.
Our services are customized to your requirements with a no obligation in-home quotation! Visit: anniesmaid.com


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Recently I took part at a competition of a local bag designer: tauschetasche.
It's a pretty successfull shop with a nice idea: You can change the cover of your bag whenever you like and there are many, many different covers you can buy. And so it's like you have a new bag when you change the cover (and every woman loves new bags of course). Or you change the cover for a special occasion. Or just another cover for every outfit. Most of the stylish women and mommies here in Berlin/Prenzlauer Berg own a tauschetasche-bag (and of course I own one too :-) ). Recently the tauschetasche-team opened new shops – one in Dublin and one in Tokyo.
And that was the theme of the contest: Dublin – Tokyo.
Means: Special covers for the shops in Tokyo and Dublin.
Today I got an email that told me that I didn't win the first, second or third prize. Well, that's alright. But: I won an special prize and soon you can buy a bag cover with a cute little manga-girl on it. And – it's an originally revoluzZzionary design :-)
Here you can see the other winners.
You can see all the great works in an exhibition:
13th August – 13th September
tauschetasche shop
Raumerstraße 8
10437 Berlin


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Your strategy for investing should be as unique as you are.
When it comes to investing, there is no "one size fits all" approach. Each investor has their own reasons for investing and your Investments for You Agent will sit down with you to learn what yours are. Your Agent can help you understand the potential risks/rewards associated with specific investment options and help you choose what's right for you based on the amount of time you have to invest and your comfort level with market ups and downs.
As life changes, so can your investing needs. That's why we make it easy to make changes to the amounts you invest, the funds you invest in or the amounts or frequency of your distributions from your account. Consider scheduling a consultation with your Agent when you're nearing retirement, getting a raise, welcoming a new baby, or when your child is getting ready to go to college. Your Agent can help you navigate life's changing financial landscape.
Keep in mind that investing involves market risk including possible loss of principal. Your Agent can help you understand those risks and strategies to help minimize them.
Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges of the investment company before investing. The fund prospectus will include information about objectives, risks, and charges, as well as other information about the investment company. Investors may obtain a prospectus by contacting Investments For You, Inc at 1-800-664-1429 or by contacting the investment companies directly. Please read the prospectus carefully before investing.
View the Investment Companies we offer.


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Solid oil and sealing solution
SKF solution for the Two and three wheelers steering column is used when the re-lubrication is impossible and the contamination exclusion is required.
SKF solid oil ball cage is a polymer matrix saturated with lubricating oil. It contributes to easier steering column assembly and it also provides better ability to work in dry and wet contaminants environments.
The molded plastic material act as rotating shield. This solid oil ensures better road handling enabling the balls to rotate same contact angle and reduce speed dependent friction torque. This solution also ensures long system service life.


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Australia Phone: 1300 766 766
With these Photoelectric Sensors, the Amplifier and Sensor Head are separated to enable downsizing and facilitate adjustment.
There are 5 products of Separate Amplifier.
Variable Laser Beam for Spot, Line, or Area Detection
Thin, Compact Head Saves Space and Mounts Closely. Built-in Interference Protection Provided.
Extremely thin beam ideal for detection of minute objects and marks
Long-distance Variable Spot to Match the Application. Stable Detection with Pinpoint 0.1-mm Spot
A Ultra-compact CMOS Laser Sensor for Stable Detection without the Influence of Workpiece Color, Material, or Surface Conditions


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Free forum : A friendly run forum for all things Twilight based on the best selling books by Stephenie Meyer
Jodie Foster, THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
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Welcome to the community forum for CLOSERS Online. Join the Black Lambs UNION today and meet other CLOSERS!
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Okay, I had this little zippered pouch in mind because I had this extra zipper lying around. I had intended to make it for etsy, but I put it together so poorly, and the sewing machine is having fits with the rubber backing on the curtain - so it turned out functional but not all that cute. Oh well, it has a pretty lining.
Then this morning John was trying to get the squash bugs off of his zuchinni. The problem? His gardening gloves were too thick to handle the delicate leaves. He considered using a plastic baggie, but he thought it was too thin - he didn't want to have to "feel" the bugs. I happened to have the right weight fabric on hand, and in five minutes we had the perfect squash-bug-squashing-mitten. Ta da!


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"Their usual solution was a pair of large screws driven forward through the side rail into the front leg to supplement the hidden mortise-and-tenon joint. Each screw fits into a drilled and carved out 'pocket' or 'screw gain'."
Immediately as I mention pocket screws, many woodworkers' eyes roll back into the heads as if this method of joinery is totally unacceptable. Of course, there are places where the use of pocket screws is not the best choice. There are also places in woodworking where the joint is the perfect solution. It's up to us to know the difference and where to draw the line.
But the more you discover about pocket screws, the more fuzzy the line becomes. I've been in million-dollar homes, standing in kitchens that easily cost six figures, and the face frames on the cabinets were pocket screwed. Perfectly acceptable? You betcha. But that's not furniture, right? No it's not, but the quote above is about furniture. It's about great furniture. Museum-quality stuff. The quote is taken from the book by Robert D. Mussey Jr. titled, "The Furniture Masterworks of John & Thomas Seymour." The Father and son team used pocket screws. This method of joinery is not a new concept conjured up by the Kreg company, but it has elevated pocket screws to a whole new level.
The reason I write about pocket screws this morning is that I have a decision to make on the lowboy I'm building based on the piece found at the Connecticut Historical Society.
The lowboy has no front rail at the top of the case – the drawers kick right up against the underside of the top. There is no room for wooden clips, and I hate "figure eight" fasteners. Therefore, to attach the top I need to be creative. Or not. The top on the original was nailed or pegged to the case. I've seen a number of antiques that have tops nailed in place, so it's not out of the ordinary to do so. The problem I have is that at one of the pegs – it looks like a round dowel – the top has cracked. I'm not looking to repeat that problem, but I do need a secure top.
In one of the photos I have of the original, you can see a metal angle used to gain a hold. I don't think that is how the piece was built, but a later addition. Not what I'm after. As a result, I'm turning to pocket screws. And while I have respect for the Kreg joinery setup, I'm looking for something more traditional.
Yesterday I scanned the above-mentioned book to find ideas. I had it in my head that most pocket screws holes in antique furniture were basically v-shaped cuts, then I re-discovered the Seymour pockets. Their pockets were rounded, tapered and neatly shaped. I had something to work toward.
My first attempt was using a carving gouge. I used a 9/20 fish-tail gouge to carve out a pocket (see the opening photo). It looked good, but was work heavy. As I studied the shape and design, I remembered a simple jig that I had built years and years back for use with my drill press, so I dug it out, dusted it off and made it work with a newer press. (On my older DP, the jig slipped over the table, but now I had to clamp the unit in place.)
The jig is built with its fence tilted back at a 22.5-degree angle. To align the workpiece, I position it at the intersection of the jig's fence and base as it stands on an edge. The DP head and jig are arranged until the workpiece stands under the 1″-diameter drill bit so the back edge of the bit is even with the back face of the workpiece. Clamp everything secure. I then lay the piece back tight to the fence and add a couple of spring clamps as needed. To cut the rounded, tapered hole, drill as you normally do. (Play with the bit diameter and thickness of your workpiece to find the best results.)
Below is a test piece I made using all three methods. Each of the different pockets are aligned with the tools used to make those pockets. Which am I going to use? Easy. If you read the quote above, it states that the "screw gains" (fancy-speak for pocket holes) were drilled and carved. I plan to drill the bulk of the waste using the jig and drill press, then clean the gains with my carving gouge.
Which method would you use?
Build Something Great!


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Shoei CJ-2 Pinlock Shield
Fits J-Cruise helmets
- Wide, three dimensionally curved shield offers increased peripheral vision and optical clarity
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- 99% protection from harmful UV A & B rays
- One-piece injection-molded for consistent fit
- 10mm longer than the CJ-1 it replaces
- Shield is Pinlock®-ready
Need help picking the right shield/base plate/sun visor?
Please Note: We can ship Shoei products to addresses in the 50 US states only (per manufacturer's restrictions).
Our Price:


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One of the best value 'best of' CD compilations I have purchased, in terms of bang for your buck, has to be Nick Lowe's 'Basher: The Best Of', released on Demon Records back in 1989. From memory, I picked up my copy a few years after that, for the most part to obtain a CD copy of one of my all-time favourite pop-rock tracks 'Cruel To Be Kind'. I was also familiar with a number of other Nick Lowe songs at that point, but I found the 25 track album to be a non-stop rollicking ride of old fashioned rock 'n' roll and melodic power pop.
Nick Lowe grew up the son of a Royal Air Force officer, and spent much of his childhood shifting between England and parts of the Middle East. As a sixteen year old Lowe was a founding member of the beat/psychedelic rock combo Kippington Lodge, which formed during 1965, and featured Lowe (vocals/bass), Barry Landerman (organ), Pete Whale (drums), and Brinsley Schwarz (guitar sax). Lowe had already played with school friend Schwarz in a little outfit called Sound 4 Plus 1 back in 1963. Between 1967 and 1969, Kippington Lodge released five singles on the Parlophone label, beginning with 'Shy Boy' (not the Bananarama song) in 1967, through to a cover of The Beatles' 'In My Life' in May 1969. None of the band's singles managed to find board and lodgings on the charts, and by early 1970 Schwarz, Lowe, '68 recruit Bob Andrews (organ), and new drummer Billy Rankin, were at the collective crossroads of their music careers.
Like so many before, and since, the quartet found themselves under the spell of an ambitious talent agent, who saw great things ahead for the band. David Robinson was a former tour manager for Jimi Hendrix (not sure if he was the one who ensured ample supplies of lighter fluid for live shows), and now headed the subtly named Famepushers Agency. He came up with the grandiose scheme of flying a plane load of music journos to New York to see the newly dubbed quartet Brinsley Schwarz play a show at the Fillmore East club in April 1970, in support of Van Morrison. Robinson hyped up the band's credentials in slightly overzealous fashion, akin to the arrival of the new Beatles, and outlaid over $100,000 on the exercise. Predictably, reality failed to ascend to the anticipatory heights of the hype, and a plane load of well miffed journos returned to Britain feeling as if they'd been duped. The concurrent released of Brinsley Schwarz's eponymous debut album on the United Artists label suffered as a result. The music press largely turned their collective noses in the air, which is a pity given the album was a very agreeable blend of country-rock, with playful touches of southern-style boogie and R&B thrown in, echoing influences from The Band, The Byrds and Grateful Dead.
Brinsley Schwarz bounced back late in 1970 with the album 'Despite It All', which featured the country-rock classic 'Country Girl', and despite the charts remaining elusive, the band quickly established a strong following on the live scene as skilled, and unpretentious purveyors of no-nonsense, back-to-basics roots music. Guitarist/vocalist Ian Gomm joined soon after, but it was Nick Lowe who had clearly taken on a lead role, as both lead singer, and chief songwriter. Over the course of 1971 Brinsley Schwarz (the band) continued to hone their straight up recipe of country, folk, R&B, and rock & roll, which was served up on their next album 'Silver Pistol', with an American bar band called Eggs Over Easy, a strong influence during this period. Despite achieving an almost cult-like status on the live circuit, making the popular Tally Ho venue their own and scoring a support slot for Paul McCartney & Wings, Brinsley Schwarz's army of ardent followers didn't manage to conquer the charts on the band's behalf. Over the next couple of years the band continued to release solid albums, 'Nervous On The Road' (1972), and 'Please Don't Ever Change' (1973), and Nick Lowe's melodic vocal style, and skewed sense of humour strongly informed the band's sound. Brinsley Schwarz were largely free of the excesses and pretentiousness that plagued popular music at that time, and their back to basics spirit played a key role in laying the foundations for the explosion of pub-rock, and punk/new wave to follow, with the likes of Elvis Costello and The Clash clearly influenced by them.
Brinsley Schwarz's final album came in 1974 with 'The New Favourites Of Brinsley Scwarz', produced of course by Dave Edmunds (see previous post), at Edmunds' Rockfield Studio. The album featured some of Nick Lowe's best work to date, including 'Peace, Love And Understanding', later recorded by Elvis Costello & The Attractions on their 1979 'Armed Forces' album (produced by Nick Lowe). That same year the band appeared (uncredited) as electricians, alongside Dave Edmunds, in the film 'Stardust'. They released a handful of singles during 1975, including a cover of The Beatles' 'I Should Have Known Better', which was credited to Limelight, but soon enough Brinsley Schwarz decided that it just wasn't going to happen, and amicably went their separate ways later that year. Ian Gomm went on to record solo material, and scored a US#18 hit in 1979 titled 'Hold On'. Bob Andrews and Brinsley Schwarz (the guitarist) went on to become key members of Graham Parker's backing band The Rumour (see earlier post), whilst Billy Rankin played with Terraplane, before retiring from the music business.
As mentioned in the previous Dave Edmunds' post, prior to disbanding, Brinsley Schwarz served as the backing band on Edmunds' 1975 album 'Subtle As a Flying Mallet', for which Nick Lowe wrote and co-produced a number of songs, establishing a lucrative creative partnership between the two, which would weave its way through both their respective careers over the next six years. Lowe's time in the producer's booth with Edmunds, led him along the natural pathway toward producing other artist's work. Over the course of 1976 Lowe produced two albums for Graham Parker (& The Rumour), 'Heat Treatment' and 'Howlin' Wind', and released a couple of tongue in cheek pseudonymous singles 'Bay City Rollers We Love You' (as Tartan Horde), and 'Let's Go To The Disco' (as Disco Brothers), as an exercise in trying to break free of his United Artists recording contract (the bizarre antics on record eventually did the trick). Lowe also became one quarter of Rockpile, alongside Edmunds, Billy Bremner (guitar) and Terry Williams (drums) - see three posts previous for more extended coverage of Rockpile's activities during this period.
In August 1976 Nick Lowe's debut solo single (under his own name) 'So It Goes' was released on the newly formed Stiff Records label, which Lowe played a key role in establishing with Jake Riviera. During 1977 he released the EP 'Bowi', followed by the single 'Halfway To Paradise', but principally Lowe honed his craft as a producer for other artists signed to the Stiff Records roster, quickly earning the nickname 'Basher' in reference to his raw energy, take no prisoners production style. During the next year Lowe produced albums for artists including, Dr. Feelgood ('Be Seeing You'), another rootsy pub-rock act, punk-goth rockers The Damned ('Damned Damned Damned'), and Elvis Costello's debut set 'My Aim Is True'. At that time Costello hadn't put together the Attractions, and was backed in studio by a country-rock outfit called Clover, whose usual lead singer was one Huey Lewis (later of The News), and someone who would work with Nick Lowe a decade later. Lowe became Costello's principle producer over the next decade, sitting at the controls for seminal Costello albums such as 'This Year's Model' (1978), 'Armed Forces' (1979), and 'Blood And Chocolate' (1986), and Lowe's pop-rock production sensibilities proved a perfect foil for Costello's sharp edged, cynical approach.
In late '77 Nick Lowe followed Jake Riviera across to his new label Radar Records (with Costello also making the leap), and it was there that Nick Lowe would finally start chalking up the chart hits, as a performer, that he so richly deserved.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
The Schwarz Is Strong With This One
Posted by A. FlockOfSeagulls AKA Rhys Jones at 4:13 PM
Labels: Dave Edmunds, Nick Lowe, Rockpile
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The Alamance-Burlington Board of Education approved a new assistant finance director hire during a Monday night meeting.
The board voted to accept Superintendent Lillie Cox�s choice of Lisa Evans for the position, which is not a new job in the system. Evans� starting salary will be $62,000.
Evans comes from the Person County Schools, where she worked first as an elementary school secretary/treasurer and later as a payroll specialist in the system�s finance department. She has been owner/operator and office manager at businesses in Roxboro and Durham.
Evans has an associate�s degree with an emphasis in business from Louisburg College and a bachelor�s degree in business management from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.


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|Chip Curley | profile | all galleries >> Galleries >> Hunters Auto Expo Nashville 2013
|tree view | thumbnails | slideshow
All photos by Chip Curley, click on pictures for full size.
Please visit my Nashville Tennessee Websites and my other photo galleries
Please visit the Hunters Custom Auto Website.
|comment |


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Medication Disposal
The Office of Community Health does NOT accept any type of medication for disposal.
Many medication collection programs have restrictions regarding what can be disposed of. Restrictions may include syringes and sharps, liquids, aerosols, hydrogen peroxide, thermometers and medical waste from business. If there are any questions, please call the location for clarification. Below is a list of medication drop off programs in our area:
- Walgreens has a safe medication disposal kiosk program in Illinois, with the installation of drug take-back kiosks at 45 Walgreens drugstores in Illinois. For details about this program, click here to read the full press release.
Some area municipalities offer programs with limited hours and may require residency. Please call the numbers listed below for additional information:
- Bartlett Police Department, 228 S. Main St., Bartlett, IL 60103 - (630)837-0800
- Elgin Police Department, 151 Douglas St., Elgin IL 60120 - (847)289-2700
- Hanover Park Police Department, 2121 W. Lake St., Hanover Park, IL 60133 - (630)372-4400
- Streamwood Fire Department, 1095 E. Schaumburg Rd., Streamwood, IL 60107 - (630)736-3650
For more information please contact the Food and Drug Administration by phone: (855) 543-3784 or (301) 796-3400 and e-mail: email@example.com


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"If your pictures aren't good enough then you aren't close enough" Robert Capa
The Jaime Windsor commentary on ethics in street photography got me thinking that if photographers are often taking an impersonal, disconnected, or worse, invasive approach to their subjects then "how good are those photos really?" Except for the artistic "figure in a landscape" or purely abstract varieties, I find impersonal street or documentary images to be not only generally uninteresting but often pointlessly mean to the subject. The solution? Make powerful images of people that show their humanity by being able to quickly build a connection with the subject. Here are my thoughts on that.
First off, I've worked for the last 20 years as a photojournalist. Trying to tell the stories of people worth knowing is what my life is about. I don't photograph models or celebrities. Instead I've photographed captains of industry, grieving mothers, the underdog champion, the brilliant scientist, and victims of circumstance.
My subjects are rarely excited to meet me. They, like most people, don't make their living based on their image so being photographed by a professional is something that they may have never done before. In addition, to have me point a lens at them and broadcast, in some cases, intimate or painful moments of their lives is at least an initially strange or possibly very uncomfortable notion. Yet just about every day I venture out to meet strangers, quickly get them to trust me and through that allow me into their comfort zones so that I can make my work. How do I, and thousands of other news and documentary photographers get people to drop their cautious guard and accept me into the inner workings of their world?
1) You Must Care About Your Subject
Really. There is no substitute for this. The more sensitive the subject/situation that you are photographing the more you need to put yourself in their position, ask how they feel and how they would want to be treated by a stranger. I would say that at the very least you must be in some way personally emotionally invested, in a positive way, in your subject. Think about the moment that you are about to capture and the emotional context of the subject. What is their emotional state? Is he shy? Is she having a rough day? Is everything on the line? Are they wary of outsiders?
This photo is from a project of mine where I documented the life of a young lady who wanted to be the Colorado State Rodeo Queen. I had spent many days with Rachel as she prepared for the big day: the pageant. This is not a beauty contest. Although most people know them for their looks and fanciful outfits, though appearance does count, Rodeo Queens are ambassadors for the sport of rodeo and their knowledge must be wide ranging and exhaustive. Rachel and the other contestants would go through a day long series of intense interviews that tested their range of knowledge on the sport, horsemanship, and state history. Here Rachel is checking her makeup before she starts her first interview. The time that I had spent with her prior let her now that I would show her and her fellow contestants with respect and show a part of the sport that few see. I also knew how much was on the line for her. Although she radiated calm, I knew that she was trying not to throw up. I wanted to show her poise through her intense anxiety.
2) Your Subject Must Know From the Beginning That You Will Do Them No Harm and Respect Them
They have to know that you will not exploit them in any way. This gentleman was the owner of the only store in a small and somewhat isolated mountain town that also occupied an historic building. Due to the decline in local population he could no longer afford to stay in business after 30+ years. I felt his personal pain, and his feelings of letting down the community that he loves. He told me that he was less worried about him not having a business as much as worried about the people he was, in essence, leaving behind. When the store was to close three days later the residents would have an hour drive round trip to get to a store to buy food, turning that town into a food desert. I spent a total of maybe 20 minutes with him but he knew from the get go that I was there to document this event in a way that honors both him and his communities loss.
3) Be a Real Person: Be Yourself
You don't have to be their best friend but you should let the subject know something about you so that they can see clearly that you are real and decent. Just like when you meet someone in a normal social situation, have a conversation, and get to know each other. No fakery, no flattery. People know when they are being played. Being a good conversationalist is a great strength to have here. However you should know when to engage and when to pull back.
I was given the assignment to cover the story of a woman who watched her daughter be killed in a car accident directly in front of the church where the daughter was about to be married. Yes, the daughter died in her wedding dress. Cheery story huh? After doing some photos at her home we eventually went to the grave of the daughter which she had not visited since the funeral. For most of the time that we were together she and I were very chatty. She got to know me and I her, building a rapport, which also gave me the ability to get photos of her in a variety of moods. However I knew how much pain she was in so when we got to the cemetery I changed my approach. I basically shut up, took a few steps back, and let her deal with her emotions in her own way.
4) Be Patient
Just as you would wait for a sunset or animal to move into a critical part of your landscape photo, so you must be patient with people. If they know that you are looking for photos, and they don't mind your presence, take your time The quiet moments are often the best and most telling but they take the investment of time on your part. When things get quiet with my subjects they will often think that even though they are not performers you somehow are expecting them to do something "interesting". I will tell them that I don't expect anything and just want to hang around for a bit. During these times I often make some throw away frames: ones that I'm not really interested in, just so that they keep seeing me making photos and they then don't get self conscious thinking that they are wasting my time.
In 2012 I spent a few days in the tiny town of Manilla, Iowa looking at the presidential caucus from the perspective of the little farming communities that dominate the state and thus their politics. The town had one gas station, one restaurant, one bar, and one store. These places are all hubs of the community and are great places to find people in the course of their lives. I walked into the aptly named "Tiny's Grocery" one evening and the only person there was Jim the manager. He said that he hadn't a customer in an hour and was thinking of closing early. I had told him about my assignment and asked if I could stay. He obliged and we made a bit of conversation. When he went outside to see if there was any possible foot traffic at sunset in a town of only 700 people, I followed. I got this shot that showed how empty towns like this generally are, illustrating a key element of my story. Three minutes later he locked the door and went home. If I had walked in, saw an empty store and been told that he was going to close early, I may have just left too but I felt that there was something telling that would happen and I gave it the quiet time necessary.
6) Be Invisible in Plain Sight
What you are always trying for is to be seen, accepted, and then almost ignored. Oh you are there alright, but nobody really cares. This is not as easy as it might seem. The classic approach of being "the fly on the wall" works for many photographers. What you do is after making the initial contact with the subject and gaining their trust you essentially go mute; you just stop talking or in any way drawing any attention to yourself. You quietly move about getting the shots that you want with little more than a nod or smile to keep that connection alive. Legendary documentary photographer Eugene Richards is the master of this. His ability to get criminals, drug users, and other people who would normally want to have nothing to do with being photographed to allow him to make supremely intimate photos of their lives is astounding. He says that it is because he is, in his words, the world's most boring person. As a result he is, he says, totally forgettable even when he has his lens just inches from your face. Something to strive for!
I was covering a candle light vigil for a local high school student who committed suicide. I saw this group of students in a circle. I believe that all I said was something like, "Hello, were you friends of hers?" and they all nodded yes. I replied "Thanks for coming" and then shut up. After taking a few tight face shots I saw that there weren't any tears or overt emotion. They were all quietly dealing with their pain, but together and that's when I crouched down and pointed my up at them from inside their protective circle.
7) Join the Party
On the other hand sometimes you can't stand back but instead you have to jump right in. David Alan Harvey is a master of this and when the subject's energy is high I tend to go with that method. In some cases if you are quietly slinking about with your camera in the "fly on the wall" approach, the people will see you as standing out by willingly not being part of the action. If there is a parade, get in line with the marchers. If there is festival happily join the crowd. If you are sharing in their experience the subjects will see you as one of them.
When he was showing his images from his National Geographic story on the Blues Trail of Mississippi, David Alan Harvey was asked how a tall white guy from the east coast with a camera was so easily accepted by all of these local black folk that he was showing in his photos. In particular a great shot of four fellows playing a guitar and singing on their front porch in a small back woods town. He said that day was very hot and as he was walking down the street he saw the four men. Realizing that he had just passed a store he back tracked to purchase a six pack of beer. He then walked up to them, handed each one a cold beer, and said "Hi, I'm Dave". That was all it took.
While shooting a feature story on flashback "80's" nights at clubs I got this shot. Full frame, no cropping, I rarely do that anyway. There is almost no way that I could have gotten this if I was just standing quietly by the side of the dance floor. Instead I was in the crowd dancing along with all the patrons. I saw this couple who were really into the moment and waited until they really let go.
Getting close means taking risks. It means extending yourself and from time to time being rejected. The great thing is that if you approach people with an open heart and a respectful patient mind your subjects will largely be accepting of you and your work. Heck, they may even be flattered that you picked them out of the crowd. Regardless if you want to make real photos of people in the flow of their lives there is, to me, no other way to do it. Not only does it produce more powerful, emotional and impactful images, they can also be far more real and truthful.
8 Comments
Rules for you are not necessarily good rules for others. Some of the best street photographer ignored most, if not all, of these rules:
Bruce Gilden
Lisette Model
Mark Cohen
Vivian Maier
Not to mention many otherwise unknown photojournalists. Imagine if historians only recorded flattering stories.
Great article Jonathan. You take on a touchy subject, one that is bound to elicit strong opinions from all sides.
In my years of working with people in travel and journo photography I have to agree with all your points and I would add one more. Maybe the most important one of all.
Be generous. Always be generous in the way you portray them. Never try to exploit or ridicule your subject but try to show them at their best.
Jonathan, thank you for your kind words and it's clear we share some of the same ideals. Now, you have to share that article (did you craft images for it?) with us!
I love how you frame your visual ideas and how you use motion to convey emotions. Your writing is great and I would love to see more of you visual work. Keep on sharing with us!
<b>"if photographers are often taking an impersonal, disconnected, or worse, invasive approach to their subjects then "how good are those photos really?" "</b>
Many of them quite good actually.
That's a quite arrogant and inaccurate statement you've made. You're a good photographer and overall this is a good article but you need to recognize that one size does not fit all
Is consistant with the vision of John Free, he also is worth to listen to. http://www.johnfreephotography.com/
or https://www.youtube.com/user/JohnFreePhtography/videos