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There are three stages to make candles in moulds; first, second and final pour. But first of all you need to set up your moulds and wicks.
Cut a length of wick about 3-4cm longer than the length of your mould, be it candle mould, jam jar, tea-cup etc. Thread it through your metal wick holder and lower into the mould, so that the wick is roughly centred. Place a toothpick, straw, pencil or something similar across the top of the mould and drape the excess wick over the top and fasten to the sie of the mould using a little blutack or a small piece of tape.
Place the wax in a pan, one preferably with a pouring lip and one that you don't mind giving over to candle making as you're unlikely to ver get all the wax out and make it a suitable cooking pan ever again, and very gently heat the wax until liquid (do not overheat wax or it will catch light and similarly do not use naked flames around liquid wax. If you're worried, do buy a small starter kit and follow the instructions carefully. This is what I did and I've never had any problems), adding any colour or fragrance once the wax is just liquid. Carefully pour a small amount, enough to fill the mould be about 0.5cm and cover the metal wick holder. This is the first pour. Now you need to allow time for the wax in your mould to set so it can hold the wick in place for the further pours. You can either leave it to cool down and set eventually, or preferably, you can transfer the mould into the fridge, taking care not to move the wick position, and let it set for ten minutes. While you're doing this, do of course remember to take your pan of wax off the heat.
For the second pour, remove the mould from the fridge and reheat the wax if it has begun to set. This time, pour enough wax to almost completely fill the mould, leaving about a 1cm space between the level of the wax and the top of the mould, or your desired height of the candle. Remove the wax from the heat and set aside your mould in a cool place and now leave for 24 hours. When you return to your candles, you will find that the wax has set but has sunken in the centre around the wick. For the final pour, again reheat your pan of wax. You will not need much so no need to pour lots of pellets in, you are essentially just topping up your candles to make them level. Top up the candle with the liquid wax to the top of the mould or desired height. Leave to set and then trim the wick. And that's it, a lovely homemade and handmade candle for the fraction of the cost of a shop one with the added extra gratification that comes from utilising something you yourself have crafted. You can of course go all out and make fancy colour combinations and trying even carving them if you wish. But that's not what I'm personally about. I just enjoy the warm fuzzy glow.


text:
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Google Books searches the full text of many books. If you can't access the entirety of a book online, check the UNC library catalog to see if we have it.
If you already know the title of the journal, you can search it in the E-Journal Finder
You can browse Analytical Chemistry Journals from this subject list.
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UNC Writing Center - Abstracts
Excellent guide to composing abstratcts. Also available as a PDF
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Write Like a Chemist (book)
ACS ChemWorx
A free web-based citation management application.

subset: commoncrawl


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This has been a rough year for the flu. And although prevention is key (see my last blog article) sometimes we just get sick. Herbalists usually begin treating people with gentle remedies first but what's going around now is so strong that I recommend starting with some stronger remedies when you first start feeling a "big baddie" coming on. For more about this subject, I wrote an extensive article about general treatment for colds and flu back in March 2009, one of my first blogs (see "That Darn Cold!").
Let's start with the basics. Many of us love Echinacea (Echinacea purpurea) and Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis) as general anti-virals and immune stimulants, but for best results you can really up the dosage on both of these. When I'm sick, I will go through a one ounce bottle of Echinacea tincture almost daily in the early stages of a cold, taking 3-4 droppers every couple hours. Elderberry is a gentle remedy and also requires larger doses, but it is tastier!
When you have swollen glands or a sore throat, Red root (Ceanothus americanus) also known as New Jersey Tea, is super useful. It combines well with Echinacea for this purpose. I've even seen it help with pharyngitis and symptomatically with strep throat (which should be treated with antibiotics unless you really really know what you're doing).
Circulatory stimulants are traditional across the world for the first stage of a cold. Which makes sense, to treat a "cold" with warmth – simple energetics. These warming herbs help stimulate our immune response in the same sense that fever stimulates immunity. My favorite herbs here are fresh Ginger root, and Prickly Ash, a tree that grows on the coastal plain.
You can also use a "sweat bath" to help break a fever. Taking "diaphoretic" herbs (sweat-inducing) like Yarrow, Peppermint, Boneset and Elder flower helps bring heat to the surface of the body. Make a hot cup of tea of some of these, then sit in a hot bath for 20 minutes or until you're hot and drowzy, then sleep it off. Nine times out of ten, the fever will be gone when you wake up. Just don't try this with a high fever.
Certain herbs help eliminate mucus. Osha (Ligusticum porterii), a plant in the carrot family native to the Rocky Mountains, is the one I use most often as both an anti-viral as well as to eliminate mucus. It is used for both head colds and chest colds, but I find it doesn't go deep enough into the lungs to work for bronchitis, when I might go more for Elecampane (Inula helenium), Spikenard (Aralia racemosa), or Angelica (Angelica archangelica). [See also the blogs about Expectorants on 12-19-10 and 1-06-11.]
These herbs are the basis for my "Cold and Flu" blend that has been selling like crazy this winter. This is made from equal parts fresh Echinacea root, fresh Elderberries, and fresh Osha root, with some Red Root to address the lymph glands, and a touch of Prickly Ash to warm up the formula. You can find it online here.
To quote one of my clients: "The Cold and Flu blend has been a vital one to stop mucous flow and move my lymphs, which have seemed clogged due to detoxing, lack of movement, and mucous mucous mucous."
If things are going downhill and these herbs aren't cutting it, it might be time to use some of the heavy hitters. These herbs may be harder to find, and some taste bad or have minor side effects, so use with appropriate caution. But for a bad cold or flu, I might use Lomatium, Goldenseal, and Yerba Mansa.
Lomatium (Lomatium dissectum) is my anti-viral I use when everything else has failed. Initially used by the Ute Indians and brought back to the herbal practice by Michael Moore, it is an herb in the carrot family, same family as Osha. It is a stronger anti-viral than Osha but not as strong at clearing phlegm, so choose which one you need the most.
Some people get a minor skin rash the first time they take Lomatium, which goes away as soon as the herb is stopped. Nothing to be alarmed about, once you know what's going on. This herb helped dramatically reduce mortality from the deadly 1919 Influenza epidemic among the Ute Indians, so we know it's strong stuff.
Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis) has a reputation as an herbal anti-biotic, but it is so much more than that. The active consituent berberine that has the anti-microbial effect is also found in much more common (and way less expensive) plants like Barberry, Oregon Grape Root, and the Chinese herb Coptis.
The real gift of Goldenseal is its tonic effect on the mucous membranes. I start thinking of this herb when a head cold goes into a sinus infection, or any infection starts lingering and has thick colored phlegm. Not so great for the initial stage of infection, but after a cold has turned thick, it helps restart the response of the lining of the nose and throat to push out pathogens again, while at the same time strongly stimulating the liver to process those toxins.
Yerba Mansa (Anemopsis californica) is a fantastic herb from the American Southwest that might be hard to find in east coast herb stores or health food stores, but it is such a great herb I want to mention it anyway.
Many southwestern herbalists use Yerba Mansa as a substitute for Goldenseal for sinus infections, pharyngitis or urinary tract infections. It tastes a bit like Myrrh crossed with a pine tree due to its high resin content, and also has a drying quality that makes it very useful for mucusy conditions as well.
As my client above didn't get better within a week, she started taking some of these stronger herbs and said, "Lomatium and Yerba Manza seemed extremely helpful in the critical part of the cold, where I felt the worst. They seemed to really kick the illness' butt and help mine begin to feel better…these were really important."
So now you have some tools, but always remember that prevention is easier than treatment. Eat lots of soup and broth, minimize foods that create mucus (dairy, wheat, and sugar are the tops), and get lots of rest. This is, after all, the time of year for it.
And most of all, Be Well.


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Out in the Night
In 2006, under the neon lights of a gay-friendly neighborhood in New York City, a group of African American lesbians were violently threatened by a man on the street. The women fought back and were later charged with gang assault and attempted murder. The tabloids quickly dubbed them a gang of "Killer Lesbians" and a "Wolf Pack." Three pleaded guilty to avoid a trial, but the remaining four – Renata, Patreese, Venice and Terrain – maintained their innocence. This film examines the sensational case and the women's uphill battle, revealing the role that race, gender identity and sexuality play in our criminal justice system.


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I was able to strip a fender with it using play sand. Play sand at Lowes is only about $4-$5 for 100 lbs. Had to filter the sand before using it. I just poured it into a 5 gal bucket through a window screen.Yes it will flash rust pretty fast.
A friend didn't have room so gave me this one last week.


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There are those who believe the Kingdom of God is within us. And others still consider the church is that Kingdom. And there are those who think the Kingdom is already here.
Download Where is the Kingdom of God?
Related audio and articlesIs Heaven Our Reward?
World Government: Who has the Master Plan Today?
Our Mission in Detail


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Here are the best and worst plays of 2010. If you caught the good ones, congrats. You really saw something special. If you caught any of the bad ones, my condolences. Don't let it put you off the form. There's fabulous stuff out there.
This is my last year-end roundup. I am moving to New York City with my spouse and writing partner, the journalist Penn Bullock. I'm sad to go. From seats in the gloom of South Florida theaters, I have seen and heard extraordinary things. Look for the full year-end theater roundup in the next issue. For now, read on for a glimpse at what worked on Miami stages and what didn't.
The Best
Never again will Florida see a production quite like Sarah Kane's
Blasted. It is expensive to produce, and those few companies with
the pocketbook to pull it off don't have the inclination. For Blasted is
bloody -- very bloody. The play begins with a rape, ends with the
cannibalism of dead babies, and there is little light in between. The beauty of Kane's script lies in how a girl's smallness and defenselessness enables her to survive in the brutal world imagined by the play. The beauty of GableStage's production lies in the dramatization of the world's brutality.
Oh, James Samuel Randolph, we could listen to you talk all day. Even if
all you've got to talk about are the weird psycho-sexual issues of a kid
who likes horses a little too much. So it was with Equus, Peter
Shaffer's haunting play about Alan Strang, a disturbed teenager whose
confused ideas about religion and his own libido drive
him to an act of terrible violence. On New
Theatre's small stage, Equus played as a surrealist festival of light
and shadow, full of barely-glimpsed leaping beasts, who seemed to have
freshly escaped from the walls at Lescaux.
What the hell happened to the Alliance Theatre Lab? Two years ago, they
were barely on the radar, and then - bam! Suddenly they're Miami's
coolest theater. Their best show this year was Orphans, a
strange and touching tale about two brothers who have had to scrounge for
themselves since the long-ago departure of their parents. It's a simple
show with a simple premise, but at Alliance, it was full of life and
wisdom. The spaces between the actors' performances were
full of need and listening. One felt they were reaching out to one
another across some vast darkness, nearly touching, and then falling
The Worst
New Theatre gave it a good shot, but Hour of The Tiger was
un-salvageable. Allegedly a love letter from playwright Sandra Riley to
the Japan she visited in the 70's, The Hour of the Tiger told the story
of a Japanese geisha's lesbian love affair with an American writer. In
the telling, Riley managed to screw up basic facts about geisha life
(they don't have pimps; they haven't worked as prostitutes for over a
hundred years; etc), and what Riley didn't mangle, New Theatre's stable
of under-experienced actors did.
Though the raw material was fine, the director had done some
neat editing, and it was framed with historically accurate English folk
tunes, the SoBe Arts Council's re-imagining of The Twelfth Night was
mostly abysmal. It also lacked basic consideration for the
comfort and aesthetic pleasure of the audience. An errant spotlight
shone directly onto a front-row seat, and an un-oiled hinge of an
off-stage door squealed angrily each time an actor prepared to make an
entrance. The small band of musicians off to the side of the stage were
obscured by a sloppily-hung black curtain. It should have been used to mask the glare of headlights from the rear exit of
the stage, which opened directly onto a busy South Beach street. SoBe
Arts may not have much of a budget, but these were not failures of
financing; they were failures of imagination.
Pulitzer Prize-winning Miamian Nilo Cruz may have jumped the shark with
The Color of Desire. What a pity! If Cruz had only subjected his work to
another re-write or two, and if only director David Arisco had allowed
The Color of Desire to be what is so clearly wanted to be: A symbolic,
highly figurative meditation on love, lust, and control set at the
violent apex of the Cuban revolution. Instead, the play was produced as realism, which made the whole thing rather difficult
to believe. This is, after all, a play about a Cuban actress seduced by
an American entrepreneur, who demands that, in the bedroom, she play
the role of his long-lost love. The production presented these
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characters as ordinary people, bleached of their darkness and mystery. A
more serious disconnect between script and director I have seldom seen.


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In a previous question, it appeared that a plain return-by-value function always copies its
return argument into the variable being assigned from it.
Is this required by the standard, or can the function be optimized by constructing the 'assigned to' variable even within the function body?
struct C { int i; double d; };
C f( int i, int d ) {
return C(i,d); // construct _and_ copy-construct?
int main() {
C c = f( 1, 2 );


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Blog . . .
April 2013
Originally, I was going to call this my Spring blog, but March disintegrated so badly with the weather equating to Siberia, I decided to hold off. April has arrived and optimism is in the air…only if it is because we know, it can't get any worse! So we are 10 months on and the diversity is growing. Having an eclectic ensemble in the boutique was always the underlying theme aligning customer opinion and my inclination…I hope it's working.
The 'Rockabilly' 'Swing' range continues to thrive and new additions have been made. Spring will see this collection flourish as we throw off the overcoats so aficionados keep an eye on Facebook or the website for updates. We have also been expanding our handbag/clutch bag range…it would appear that we are hungering after a new look for the Spring, so we will continue to ameliorate our collection.
This elegant sea-grass Prom dress is one of our treasured finds...
Sass Bouffant and Kitty Le Crème will shortly be modelling many of our new ranges. They will be able to invigorate and bring the range to life and we are sure that the clothing will accentuate their vibrant personality. I am really excited about this and cannot wait to exhibit the first shoot…you will see it as soon as it is completed
Our dresses are vibrant and matching the new season of Spring
Following a successful first partnership with Sheinman Opticians last year at a Derngate Fashion show we decided to collaborate our efforts once again. At the opening of the new development of their shop at the top of Abington Street, models combined 'Bohemian Finds' retro clothing with a designer sunglasses collection. The evening was a success with both parties appreciative of the professional approach of the models.
Look out for Leonardo DiCaprio in this time piece classic
You will be able to find all of this on Facebook…..lastly a quick mention of The Great Gatsby! Hitting our screens in the summer, this F. Scott Fitzgerald classic immerses itself totally in the roaring '20s. For the men we have the white panama hats adorned throughout the era, adapted and worn by Leonardo DiCaprio who plays the eponymous character doomed in love. Watch it and wear it!!
Women's cothing ranges from Hell Bunny, H&R London and Collectif
Look stylish in this retro Perfecto Biker jacket
What's new for the men?
Our Italian inspired double cuff and collar shirts are proving a bit hit for those who appreciate quality and orginality
We hope you enjoy the shop window as much as we like dressing it...
We are continuing to support local artists - some great original art available in store
The Vintage inspired look is still the core of Bohemian Finds
Our new collection of steel boned corsets range from waist 24" - 46"
Please Scroll down to view previous Blogs
December 2012 blog
September 2012 blog
June 2012 blog
February 2012 blog
December 2011 blog
October 2011 blog
July 2011 blog
May 2011 blog
Sass Bouffant & Kitty le Creme to take centre stage
on our first modelling shoots...
A fun Summer's night in a Winter's Spring -
Shienman Optician's New Launch Party
Our growing range of Venetian Masks are vital to the Ball Season.
The shoe collection is expanding to match the different styles of dress
A kaleidoscope of colours and goodies for all to see...
This rebel without a cause continues in his iconic legendary status
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Sawyer's perfect all around luxurious whitewater river running kayak paddle. Available in an ovalized straight shaft or ergo crank shaft in small or large grip sizes. The stunning, buoyant, dihedral ash/cedar carved paddle blade cores are reinforced with fiberglass, carbon fiber and Sawyer's distinctive Dynel ToughEdge and Pro-Tip, a Dynel and Kevlar exterior reinforcement for the inevitable impacts and river abuse we all love.
The Copperhead is available in a two piece breakdown for travel or as a spare paddle via our heavy-duty TiteSet system. A solid, fail safe connection that won't rattle or jam.


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MinTech Enterprises LLC
MinTech is a global team of engineers, chemists, and application specialists dedicated to providing the best quality products, high-performance equipment, and 100% turn-key solutions for your material handling needs. We are raising the bar on what you should expect from your material handling partner. You manage competing priorities every day, so you need one partner you can trust to assist with meeting your goals, not just in one aspect or at one point in time, but from start to finish on a continuous basis. From safety and compliance issues to maintenance or budgetary concerns, MinTech will strive to develop reliable, lasting solutions and services to help you meet your goals.
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Website: www.mintech.com


text:
You are here
Guard held as homeless man killed
A homeless man was yesterday stabbed to death by a security guard outside the KFC restaurant at Independence Square, Port-of-Spain, after he was earlier ordered out of the restaurant for allegedly making strange demands of staff and photographing them with his cellphone.
Moments later, his attacker surrendered to police who were at the scene looking for clues and interviewing witnesses. The deceased was identified as Jameel Douglas, 33, of no fixed place of address. Up until late yesterday evening, a 22-year-old Duncan Street, Port-of-Spain man remained in police custody.
Police said just before 10 am yesterday, a fight between the guard and Douglas erupted outside the establishment. Douglas was stabbed and collapsed on the road along Broadway in front of a vending cart. Eyewitnesses immediately notified the police.
Officers of the Homicide Bureau and Port-of-Spain CID and Task Force responded. The body was viewed by the district medical officer who ordered its removal to the Forensic Science Centre for an autopsy today.
A statement from KFC franchise holder Prestige Holdings last evening confirmed the incident, but denied reports which suggested he was seeking to use the bathroom or purchasing an item at the outlet. Rather, it said the outlet manager asked a guard to escort Douglas outside after he began making strange demands of staff and taking pictures of them with his phone. The company said the incident was unfortunate, offered condolences to the man's family and said it was cooperating fully with the police.
Eyewitness told T&T Guardian Douglas and the guard had an argument outside and a fight started. He was stabbed during the scuffle.
By-standers gathered outside the restaurant after the area was cordoned off by the police. Soon afterwards, several of the employees were taken away in a police vehicle. Other workers seemed in good spirits and were seen smiling and chatting with each other.
When contacted yesterday, senior officers said a police officer or a security guard could not use a knife as a weapon while on duty.
"Even if he is a police officer or a security guard, a knife cannot be a tool of work, only if he is peeling orange, so he can't be using a knife. The matter is under investigation and it will be dealt with accordingly," the officer said.
Homicide officers are continuing investigations.
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Happy New Year! Not much new here. Went out, drank too much, and spent New Year's Day on the couch watching movies, thinking that it was about time I did my promised Fluff post. As some of you know, Little Sassy Schmoozer dragged me off to San Diego in November for a big conference. What a taskmaster! She had me glad-handing so many people, and she hardly let Fluff and me out of her sight to do the tourist thing. So, the pictures aren't so good—and they're all in the Gaslamp Quarter—but here they are.
Fluff went to Lee's Café for breakfast one day. Lee's Café is a rather amazing place. It's a Chinese diner, meaning that they'll do your eggs any way you like, or you can get Chinese food. You can also get cereal.
When Young Coworker and I followed Fluff into Lee's, there were about ten men of various ages and backgrounds hunched silently over coffee and food. We knew we were in for a treat. It was fantastic.
An "Authentic Irish Pub" in San Diego. Because California is so like Ireland.
Yeah, yeah, Wyatt Earp.
Yikes! Fluff thought that maybe Fluff was illegal. We gave them the slip.
That's it. I hate Little Sassy Schmoozer. She doesn't let me have any fun. My Memphis friend and I are discussing taking a little trip somewhere exciting sometime soon, however, and LSS is not invited.
If you're new to Travels with Fluff, check out the link under Favorite Posts. Fluff gets around.


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You're an indie author. No agent, no publisher, so how do you breathe life into written words?
I think it's an indisputable fact the more formats your work is available in, the more you will sell. The days of Henry Ford and "you can have any color you wish as long as it's black," have long gone.
Undoubtedly, my undercover cop memoir Undercover: Operation Julie – The Inside Story, has benefited from the audiobook version.
I can't take all the credit. The narrator, Greg Patmore, was a lucky but inspired choice as narrator. I recall discussions with him at the production stage when he told me, "I'm aiming for a style that makes listeners believe they are listening to you, the author."
It worked! This is a recent review of the audiobook version:
I'm sure that review has thrilled Greg as much as it did me. Thank you "Fuzzy Saver.' You may find the full review and other listeners' reviews here at Audible.com Reviews.
To hell with it! It's such a pleasant review for all kinds of reasons, here it is in full:
- Overall
4 out of 5 stars
- Performance
5 out of 5 stars
- Story
4 out of 5 stars
- Fuzzysaver
- Western Washington
- 04-27-18
Wow-Where do I start?
I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review and it will be the longest, most heartfelt review that I've written for any book.
SO many thoughts and emotions went through my mind with this book. The beginning was a little hard for me to be fully focused, I think mostly due to the fact that I am located in the Western USA and being unfamiliar with how the UK police force works and unfamiliar with any of the locations discussed as the author discusses the beginning of his career, I was purely a listener and not "invested" in the information.
As the book progressed, I was definitely invested and as the book came to the last 25% where the author gave additional info, not listed in the first addition [sic] and was more open about his personal opinions on the case involved, all people involved, drug enforcement as a whole and more, my mind began to spin.
A few things about me that will give you an idea as to where I am coming from as my mind went mad, bouncing around like a ping pong ball:
1. I am a non-drug user. I don't say that to avoid opinionated readers that are pro or con on this issue, but I have a job that is secure and I am fortunate to have. Said job also requires me to submit to random drug and alcohol screening, so even though our state has recently legalized cannibis use, I stay away from all chemicals that may stay in my body for more than 24 hours.
2. I come from a family that are strong backers of all "first responders" fire, police and medical aid. I have immediate family members who are firefighters, EMT's, nurses, retired police and corrections officer.
3. I also come from a family strong in addiction, with many family members in current recovery or addiction to both drugs and alcohol.
Given those facts, I feel my opinion about the author's experiences and drug views are completely open minded.
I realize that world wide so many things have progressed in law enforcement and how they are treated, but even given the time frame of Project Julie and still no recognition or recourse for what the author endured during and after the operation, is inexcusable to me. Law officers of most types put their lives on the line EVERY day, but in an operation like this, it is at least 10 times as likely that those officers would not have made it home.
Drug legalization- I don't know what the answer is to this. As stated by the author, those who think they have a step-by-step plan for this to be "managed" are delusional. That being said, in America the prisons are overcrowded and many life sentences imposed via the 3 strikes rule, putting even minor league dealers in a prison space that should be occupied by a once convicted child rapist who only serves months in prison. And guess what folks… those addicts and dealers and still taking and distributing drugs in our prisons every day!
There has to be some way to balance out the time, effort and money spent fighting this, with tracking down the serial rapists, drive-by shooters and armed robbers in these countries. Several states in the US have legalized cannabis, taking some of the $ back, by heavily taxing/regulating. However, I am not at all certain that tax $ is going into the forces that are doing the regulating and protecting of the now legal sellers and growers. As usual government has their hand in the piggy bank and officers are paying the price.
Some babbling on my side, to say that Stephen Bentley deserves accolades not only for his service, but also for being open about his feelings and SO many things, the system, the drug "war", the people who were in his life, his fall to alcoholism. You've heard the saying, "until you've walked a mile in my shoes…". Living close to so many first responders who I love dearly, us civilians can never even almost imagine what their day to day service is like, so never do we have the right to judge.
Lastly, narration… Half way through the story or even before, I forgot there was a narrator to this book and truly felt as if the author was reading his own story. That takes talent and belief in a story, not just reading from a script, so bravo to both narrator and author. Thanks for the opportunity to hear your work!
Other recent audiobook reviews are shown below:
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Self-driving Apple car rear-ended by human #robots #robotics @apple
September 6, 2018
It has been revealed an Apple self-driving car had accident last month.
No one was hurt in the incident, reported on here.
It is not the first self-driving car to have an accident.
What is really telling in the report is that self-driving cars get rear-ended by humans a lot, allegedly because the machines are over cautious.
This Apple car is said to have been moving at 1mph and the human driven vehicle at 15mph.
I have long pondered the biggest challenge for autonomous vehicles would be the years when they share the road with humans.
We are unpredictable and prone to distraction.
Open source build your own robot
February 24, 2015
Meccano, the French toy manufacturer, has announced an open source, build your own robot project. Details here. As far as I can tell from the website, it isn't yet available to buy.
I havent had a play with a real one, but I am excited. A robot you can build and adapt, using open source software (which i guess reflects the nature of Meccano, which is a bunch of pieces which can be assembled and re-assembled in any way you can imagine – similar to Lego for the unfamiliar), is a big deal in my world.
There are two versions of the robot, I link above to the larger one of the two. The massive social change around a robot in every home is coming and while the Honda Asimo is the early runner, there are so many players in this arena it is certainly unclear who will end up being the Microsoft, Google, Amazon or Apple of this brave new world.
Digital publishing – price is stalling the revolution
December 21, 2012
Digital publishing should be leading a revolution in publishing bringing great books to the masses – but this is stalling due to price.
Allen Lane, the founder of Penguin, introduced paperback novels in 1935 with the intention that books should cost no more than a packet of cigarettes.
I don't buy cigarettes, but my friend Google tells me in the UK they cost a bit less than £6.50 for a pack of 20.
Second on the Amazon best selling book as I write is by Bradley Wiggins, the paperback costs £7.19 from Amazon (RRP £7.99) while the Kindle edition costs £6.29 (and the reason I have selected 2nd on the best seller list is because first doesnt appear to have a Kindle edition thanks Jamie Oliver)
So the paperback costs more than the cigarettes, while the digital edition costs marginally less than they do.
Let's think about this for a minute – the difference between a paperback and the Kindle edition is 90p.
That 90p must account for the cost of printing, the cost of paper, the cost of shipping, the cost of storage and possibly other costs I am not factoring in. And bearing in mind publishers sell to retailers at least 50% discount for paper books, then we should be looking at 45p as being the cost of each of those things.
While the Kindle edition is some data uploaded to Amazon who then download it after the customer purchases. Quite often the data is a couple of megabits which if it costs anything at all to store and transmit, cannot be more than a few pence.
So why does a couple of MBs of data cost not much less than a paperback (with all the costs of printing, transporting and storing) ????
I don't know what is going on in the offices of big publishing houses across the planet, so I hesitate to say this is all about profiteering – they may have a legitimate reason – which I would really like to hear (feel free to comment to explain yourself if you work at a big publishing house).
However, what I do know is I have four books available on Amazon* – three are almost out of print as paperbacks (and the publisher doesn't plan to print anymore as they will be available forever on Kindle) – but all are available in Kindle.
The paperback prices are in the range you would expect as compared to books from other publishing houses. But, the Kindle editions all retail at £1.92 (which is based on the US price of $2.99 which I understand is the minimum price you can put on a Kindle book).
I mention the prices of my books primarily to make the point I am practicing what I am preaching (and if Amazon removes their minimum price I think they would go down again – publishing to a literate world should be about volume of sales not price per unit – the industry values best sellers (not highest priced sellers) after all.
Market forces will win out and the big publishing houses will flourish or not in the digital era. But keeping prices more or less the same for paper objects compared to couple of MBs downloads is probably not sustainable – look at what Apple has done to CDs with iTunes at 79p a track. Look at what Netflix and others are doing to movie and box set DVD sales.
The digital revolution is here and if the old publishers cannot change the price then new ones who will change the cost and the business model to compete will rise up and take their place – it is how the market works.
*My books available on Kindle:
Apple and publishing – what does it mean for the industry?
April 18, 2012
Been following this for a while, good mashable article discusses where Apple is regarding books.
iPad textbooks – what a great idea
January 27, 2012
Apple is launching an app for designing textbooks. These will be content rich experiences.
Apparently the cost will be capped at $14.99 and you will be able to buy individual chapters for a lower price.
This will save schools and colleges (and students!) an absolute fortune. The costs historically in publishing has always been in the paper, printing, distribution and storing. All of this is quickly vanishing as the traditional book (printed paper) starts to disappear being replaced by eBooks in their many forms.
Amazon Kindle now stocks The Joy of Ex
December 2, 2010
If you own a Kindle (which, along with the Apple iPad) is the future of publishing, you can now own a digital copy of my first novel for much less than the paperback RRP of £7.
Depending on the conversion rate of the dollar (the Kindle store is driven from the US at present) the UK price should be about £2.
In my opinion the future of books is digital, but to survive this format should cost much less than buying a physical book.
Bearing in mind there is no cost for printing, distribution from printer to store, no storage cost, no cost of owning the store, paying the staff to stock the shelves and man the tills – there is no justifiable business model (apart from excessive greed, which I guess isn't actually justifiable) which would allow publishers to charge the same for their eBooks as for the physical versions.
Standalone digital readers
September 22, 2010
Amazon seem to be leading the way in the standalone reader category.
Compared to its rivals the Kindle seems the most affordable starting at £109.
Altho you can get a Sony eReader for under £150 at the moment.
My big concern about the standalone reader is that you'll end up carrying this device as well as (at least) a mobile phone. (most people don't carry a camera around anymore as their mobile phone has this covered for the everyday user)
The by word in the electronics industry has been "convergence" for as long as I can remember.
The Apple iPad is going in the right direction, but probably needs to also be an actual phone to get closer to being the finished article. I understand there has also been an issue with Flash, but word is a patch is underway.


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@whatsupafrica: What is your take?
So not sure if you guys have been to this guy's YouTube page but i like his take on African Politics and issues: In particular these Kenyan related news. The best damn African satirical news show on the planet! Created and presented by http://ikennaazuike.com , produced by http://rnw.org . @WhatsUpAfrica youtube.com/IkennaAzuike and it wouldnt be my blog without […]Read More @whatsupafrica: What is your take?


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Corporate Support
There are various levels of corporate sponsorship available starting at £3,000, each with multiple press, profile, stakeholder engagement and hospitality benefits.
As a corporate supporter of GI your organisation will receive:
- Access to a local and international audience of nearly 25k people
- Mention in any press releases recognising sponsors and partners of GI
- Recognition of your support on GI website and social media
- Messages of thanks in GI's Annual Report, and Glasgow Life Annual Review
- Unique introductory presentation to GI from the Director, at your workplace
- Use of a hospitality area for one event during the festival (subject to availability, hospitality costs will be charged in addition to sponsorship fee)
- A chance to share your company's messages through an event that generates £14 million+ worth of press coverage and contributes nearly £2 million to the economy of the city
Learn more by downloading our Guide to Supporting GI (PDF).
To speak to the Festival Manager in more detail about Corporate Giving, please call 0141 276 8384.


text: Rollup Image Page Content Privacy Statement Your privacy is important to Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs. This privacy statement provides information about the personal information that Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs collects, and the ways in which Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs uses that personal information. What is Personal Information? Personal Information is any information that is identifiable with you. This information may include but is not limited to your name, CPR, personal phone numbers and personal email address. If you choose to provide us with personal information by sending an e-mail to anyone in Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs, or submitting your personal information through our website, we use that information to respond to your message and to help us provide you with information that you request. We do not collect personal information for any other purposes. The information you provide is not given to any private organizations or private persons.Browser Information Collected on the Site The website collects statistical information through a log file. This generates a monthly report that indicates which pages were visited and how frequently, referring pages and IP addresses. Individual identities cannot be determined from these reports. The information we collect is used for internal review in order to improve the content of our Web page. Use of Cookies We use cookies to store visitors' preferences. A cookie is a piece of data that identifies you as a unique user. Most browsers are initially set up to accept cookies. You can reset your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. Please note, however, that some parts of the services offered on this portal may not function properly if you refuse cookies. Ad Servers This website does not collaborate with or have special relationships with any ad server companies. Other websites This website contains links to other websites. Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs is not responsible for the privacy policies or practices of any third party Updating this statement Ministry of Youth & Sports Affairs may update this privacy policy by posting a new version on this website. You should check this page occasionally to ensure you are familiar with any changes.


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Sports Hall Flooring Refurbishment
Sports Hall Floor refurbishment is the other main service we offer as a sports flooring Company. This is absolutely essential for most universities, schools and leisure centres. Over the years of constant use, the flooring has to be refurbished for safety and performance purposes. Sometimes budgets are not available for total renewal to a Sports Flooring refurbishment option is available.
It is entirely likely that a new sports floor will become worn and damaged over time and will require refurbishment to meet sporting regulations. This includes stripping the top layers of the Sports floor using specialist sanding machinery. This removes all scratches and imperfections that is caused by heavy use. The team then apply sports accredited lacquer, to increase the durability of the floor. Games lines are then installed to meet any specification.
The entire Sports Hall Floor refurbishment can be completed in a shorter time period than a full installation and as long as the sports floor is maintained on a regular basis, it should stay looking new for many years.
Both ourselves and the manufacturers recommend that given average usage, a sporting or activity floor should require a deep cleaning service between every eighteen months to two years after refurbishment.
See how its done
Some of our work
Granwood RefurbishmentGranwood sports flooring
See how we refurbish Granwood Flooring
Junkers Sport Flooring RefurbishmentJunkers Sports flooring
See how we Refurbish Junkers Flooring
Refurbishment Processes
Sports Hall Floor refurbishment on Sports halls might seem like a major project to have completed. with advanced machinery and materials its now a incredibly quick and effective process. An entire 600sqm Timber sports hall floor can be refurbished by courtship flooring in one week. Start to end. As a Sports Hall Floor Refurbishment company we have completed thousands of SQM sports Flooring, But below are a few that possibly stand out.
The Sports Flooring refurbishment is done by using advanced sanding machines that will renew the top surface of any sports flooring material.
Once the Refurbishment process has been completed on the sports Floor to a point where the top surface of the material has been renewed then an application of sports accredited lacquer (seal) is applied to seal in the top sports surface.
Once the primer coat is on, we can install games lines onto the sports flooring. These can be designed and tailored to meet any sporting need.
Once games lines Have been installed onto the sports flooring then two final coats of sports accredited lacquer is applied to finish the Refurbishment.


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DALIAN, China — Rafael Benitez has confirmed he has joined Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang.
He tweeted on Tuesday, "After a long path... We start a new challenge! I'm happy to begin this new project with Dalian Yifang."
Another tweet was a brief video welcome from the club.
Neither tweets defined a job title, but the announcement has come a day after Dalian Yifang's South Korean manager, Choi Kang-hee, resigned.
Benitez saw out his manager contract at Newcastle on Sunday, and noted he wanted to stay at St James' Park "but I didn't just want to sign an extended contract, I wanted to be part of a project. Unfortunately it became increasingly clear to me that those at the top of the club did not share the same vision."
More AP soccer: https://apnews.com/apf-Soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports


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Into the wild....
I have been thinking a lot, recently, about life and the experiences we go through and the people we meet along the way. The main cause of these thoughts is a movie called Into the Wild that I watched the other day (the picture to the left is of the main character in one of my favorite shots of the movie). Now, I know that I jibber-jabber a lot about this movie and that movie, but this one is quite different. Very rarely, VERY RARELY, does a movie come along that changes the I think and act. I watch a lot of movies and, at least for me, I can say that it is rare. Into the Wild is one of those movies. I don't want to get into the whole gist of the movie. You can watch it if you are so inclined. Suffice it to say that is incredibly good and I consider it one of the best movies I have ever seen, if not the #1 best I have ever seen. The movie in a nutshell follows a guy, about my age, as he forgets society and goes on a trip to Alaska to live "in the wild". Half the movie is about his journey to Alaska and the other half takes place in Alaska when he is living in the wild. The whole movie he is looking for happiness and figures that when he is in Alaska he will find it being among the trees and animals in God's country away from society. On the way he meets a number of different people and has some great experiences with them where he both learns from people and vice versa. I don't want to ruin the movie or ending but the most moving part of the movie comes at the end. He has been in Alaska longer than 100 days and is growing weak. He comes to an understanding or has an epiphany of some sorts and writes, "Happiness is only real when shared." So he comes to understand that life isn't about the destination, its about the journey. All those experiences he had along the way to Alaska were the happiness he was seeking, not the actual experience of Alaska itself.
Like I said earlier, this movie really hit me. It got me thinking about what kind of life I am leading. When the movie first started I mentioned to my friend Donnie about how what this guy was doing was a lot of guys our age dream. I then commented, "Yeah, I couldn't do it alone though. I would need someone to share the experience with." That was at the beginning of the movie mind you. I was thinking about the blog I posted yesterday and basically whole attitude towards Utah in general. I am actually kind of ashamed of myself. I don't really think I am alone there though. I think a lot of us look at our current situations and just make the worst of it. We complain about whatever is going on that isn't good, when there are so many other good things going on. Instead of enjoying the journey and the experiences I am looking ahead to Alaska (or California in my case). Oh when I get to California it will be so much better. Instead of, Man, Utah has really treated me well. I've made tons of friends here that hopefully I will keep in contact with for the rest of my life. I have had a load of learning and growing experiences that have helped me become a better man. Regardless of the cold, regardless of the snow, regardless of lame serving jobs and school, I am really going to miss a lot about Utah.
What is it about friends that they are always leaving and changing? Tonight, I hung out with two good friends of mine, Steve and Amy. Steve was my very first roommate when I moved out here. I still would have to say to this day that Steve is probably still my favorite roommate ever. I have had a lot of good roommates but he, I think, is my favorite. Anyways, they are moving to Texas this weekend to be closer to her family and to be able to buy a home and what not. The whole night was spent reminiscing about past memories, inside jokes, and plans for the future. I really haven't had that much fun in a while. It makes me sad to think that I could never see them again. Possibly they might come out to California for a Disneyland trip, but maybe not. The point is that it saddened me to think of not seeing them ever again, but it makes me smile to think of the times we did share. When I was driving home I thought a lot about what it will be like when I move back to California. Will that feeling return 10 fold, or will I be relieved, or both? I hope I am able to look back on my experiences here with a smile and without too many regrets. I hope people feel somewhat of loss when I leave like I am feeling right now. Not that I want people to be sad or anything, but I think its always a good thing when people care about you enough that when you are leaving they are sad. I hope the experiences that I have had with my friends here will last with them as I'm sure they'll last with me. Happiness truly is only real when shared.


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50 Greatest Photographs of National Geographic
See the amazing places on our planet documented in unforgettable images published over 120 years of National Geographic.
From Steve McCurry's unforgettable Afghan Girl, to Nick Nichols's iconic photograph of Jane Goodall and a chimpanzee, and Thomas Abercrombie's never-before-seen view of Mecca, the exhibition takes you deep into 50 of the most remembered and celebrated photographs in the world.
In addition to seeing the photographs as they appeared in the magazine, visitors to the exhibition will learn the stories behind the photos and more about the photographers themselves. For some images, visitors will be able to see the "near frames" taken by the photographer: the sequence of images made in the field before and after the perfect shot.
Afghan Girl by Steve McCurry is known as the Mona Lisa of the developing world and is one of the hero images in the exhibition. This photograph of girl with haunting eyes and a tattered garment tells of her plight as she fled her native Afghanistan for a refugee camp in Pakistan. When National Geographic Photographer Steve Mc Curry wandered into the Afghan refugee camp in Pakistan in December 1984, he captured one of the most famous portraits the world had ever seen. Afghan Girl captivated viewers, reflecting the power of photography to open eyes – and hearts and minds – with a single image.
Nick Nichols' Jane Goodall shows 'the touch' – an exquisite moment when a chimpanzee she had never seen before reached out his hand to her. Jou Jou, a full-grown chimpanzee had been caged alone for years in the Brazzaville Zoo and was desperate for contact with other living beings. That has also become one of the most recognisable images in photography. Another moving image is Sub-Saharan Mali by Joanna B. Pinneo, depicting blowing sand from a dry lake bed clinging to a mother and her children asleep on a sun-baked afternoon in Mali.
The exhibition is based on the popular iPad app released by National Geographic in 2011. The app will be available on devices in the gallery for visitors to experience.
The National Geographic Society is one of the world's largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations and one of the world's leading organizers of large-scale, traveling exhibitions. National Geographic magazine started publication in 1888 as the official journal of the society, a non-for-profit set up to fund science and exploration across the planet. It reaches an audience of about 60 million readers worldwide each month.
|15 December 2017 – 25 February 2018


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WhyTen Thousand Coffees?
We help companies scale, curate and measure informal learning and development.
The majority of development happens informally through colleagues but most budgets are focused on formal programs. Progressive leaders drive the best cultural transformation,
learning and talent development results by bringing employees together to learn.
Activating Leadership Priorities: Diversity as a Strategic Priority
How an insurance company activated their leadership priorities and workforce strategies to scale on an ongoing basis.
Read the story
Using Consistent Conversations to Refine Product Knowledge and Drive Sales Results
How monthly employee knowledge sharing helped the adoption of best practices and created new opportunities to cross-sell.
Read the story


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Day in and day out, we solve some of the biggest unsolved tech challenges. Our clients come to us for extraordinary innovation that they can't get anywhere else, and in the process we help them to change the trajectory of industries.
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Partnering with Demanding Clients to Build the Most Sophisticated Solutions.
Whether it's rescuing projects in crisis or architecting massively complicated solutions for governments, airlines or startups, our solutions are shifting the course of tech history.
We offer a new way of getting to disruption and show major global players that their scale should not resign them to bloated projects and low-output innovation.
Learn how Volo has helped Questrade innovate its way from a startup to Canada's largest online brokerage.
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Learn how we've helped leading-edge thinkers go from a raw idea to an innovative product.
Because Luck is Never a Good Strategy.
At Volo our questions are seldom focused on technology. We believe that great, market-transforming innovation only comes when technologists live and breath the market context and business issues.
This is why we put so much effort upfront into digging deep into our clients' short-term needs and their long-term vision and challenges.
We don't create "genius" out of thin air. We've just become very good at spotting the genius that is often hiding in plain sight. To do so, we have a unique process for generating insights and focus – quickly and cost-effectively.
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Read on to find out more on how Volo's Cloud expertise is helping clients around the world innovate smarter and more efficiently.


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You can't ask for meat at The Black Lodge, but there's plenty of cherry pie.
That's just one of many items you'll find at this small Vancouver eatery on Kingsway near Fraser Street, where two young entrepreneurs have opened a "Twin Peaks"-themed vegetarian restaurant in a neighbourhood thriving with small businesses.
Co-owners Claire Wyrostok and Matt Krysko didn't mean to fashion a restaurant after David Lynch's cult TV show. They were tossing around names for a "cabin-themed" restaurant with Pacific Northwest aesthetic when Wyrostok blurted out "The Black Lodge," the otherworldly setting for the show's finale.
The Black Lodge is the first restaurant venture for Wyrostok, a former Downtown Eastside youth worker, and Krysko, a bassist with Vancouver band Capitol 6. The cozy, intimate space is the latest addition to a neighbourhood Wyrostok describes as a "dead zone."
"When Matt and I decided to open, we actually just wanted to make a nice place for our friends to come to," she told The Huffington Post B.C.
"It just so happens that our friends are just the weird kind of people who also like 'Twin Peaks.'"
Despite it being a top-rated show during in the early '90s, the short-run American drama series was cancelled in June 1991 due to low ratings. Since then, it has gained new life, picking up a surprise cult following.
The Black Lodge owners, Claire Wyrostok and Matt Krysko
Like the show, the space is eerie and intimate. The smiling face of murdered teen Laura Palmer stares out on a cabin-like dining area. A bar and tree slice tables provide seating for 24 people.
Over the bar, the owners have installed a cabin frame that was built using logs from Spanish Banks beach. Pennants hang from its stumps, and on the bar's shelves you'll find wood-carved owls and pamphlets from provincial parks.
The atmosphere turns creepy when you walk to the back, where a bathroom has been decorated to look like the Red Room, where character FBI agent Dale Cooper confronted backwards-talking spirits. The bathroom has red floor-to-ceiling drapery and a black-and-white zigzag pattern on the floor.
The creepiest part? When you step out of the Red Room, the first thing you see is a wanted poster for BOB, the malevolent spirit that tormented the show's characters.
Check out pictures of The Black Lodge. The story continues after the slideshow:
The menu offers a vegetarian twist on campfire classics. Appetizers include the Campfire Dog, a six-inch Torfurkey brat, and Suzie's Starry Night Chili, packed with chunky veggies and black beans.
For mains there's the Log Dog, a smokie stuffed with avocado, cream cheese, tortilla chips, jalapenos and salsa, and comes with a side of fries or house root salad. You can also get the B.A.L.T./Tree Hugger sandwich, a veggie coconut bacon, avocado, sprouts, cheese, tomato sandwich on sourdough.
Dessert choices include gluten free s'mores and, of course, the cherry pie, a fixture on the TV show.
Thirsty? There's the Dr. Jacoby, a Hawaiian-themed cocktail with coconut rum, banana liquor and pineapple juice named after the show's eccentric psychiatrist.
"People always come up to us and say, we've been waiting for something to open for so long and it's really great to have something here," Krysko said.
Wyrostok sees their business as a part of a changing Fraser Street community. She says people are moving there because they can't afford to live on Commercial Drive or Main Street, areas that she said are becoming gentrified quickly.
"There's starting to be wonderful, independent, community-owned small businesses up that way," she said of Fraser.
The Black Lodge isn't the first time that "Twin Peaks" has inspired a restaurant. Portland's Doug Fir Lounge describes itself as "an ideal somewhere between 'Twin Peaks' and a chic cosmopolitan truck stop," while Atlanta's Book House Pub offers drinks named after the show's characters.
Lynch himself designed Silencio, a Paris nightclub named after his film "Mulholland Drive," The Guardian reported.


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The Liberian Observer shared some great news, over the weekend. Liberia's national athletics team won four medals at the West Africa Region II Senior Championships and the ECOWAS Junior Tournament in Conakry, Guinea. The competitions were held May 12-14, 2017.
Continue reading LIBERIA NATIONAL ATHLETICS TEAM WIN BIG IN GUINEA


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Some say that hustlers are born and not made, while others argue that the situation you are inn forces your hand. True or not, hey man who really cares as long as you are getting that Rand.
Already in 2012, looking deep into your soul, what is it that you want to do? Any hustler with the fire within, join the Hustle Group and share your ambition and your everyday hustle.
The Hustle group is for likeminded peeps, hustlers with a story of success and triumph to share.
Let's make 2012 a year were hustlers shine, slackers hate and go-getters get that paper.
In closing, some food for thought from Wiz Khalifa.
Money on the mind/Hustlin' all the time/All about the paper/Cause da youngn' on his grind/Youngn' on his grind.


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Video shows polar bear swimming to and climbing up on ice shore then running out on to the ice away from the camera. A night view camera shows a polar bear rolling and rubbing his side on an ice block. The words "night camera" appear on screen.
Voice: Can you imagine hibernating for months at a time without eating or using the bathroom? That's what polar bears do! They live in the Arctic near the North Pole. They have thick white fur and lots of fat that help them stay warm in very cold temperatures. Polar bears are excellent swimmers! They doggie paddle faster than most humans can walk! Polar bears hang out on ice blocks keeping a lookout for their favorite food, seals, swimming in the water below. When scientists see polar bears, they keep a safe distance. Polar bears are not very friendly and they get scared. As the earth's climate gets warmer, the ice at the north pole is melting. If too much of the ice melts away, polar bears won't have a home any more and they might even go extinct.


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.........This is crappier than Fred.....
Our goal is for Newgrounds to be ad free for everyone! Become a Supporter today and help make this dream a reality!
.........This is crappier than Fred.....
I have to disagree
The only good point was how you were honest in the title. You see a lot of lower rated flashes out there that are all about hentai in the title but have nothing to do with it. I just thought this did not send off a good message at all. If someone wants to be popular, they should probably want on things in both categories. I can think of a lot of good animated things here that are also very funny. If you guys wanted to mock the other people that much, you should have worked for better jokes here.
There could be improvements to both the flash and the KK. The flash cuz (duh) and the KK cuz they make deliberately poor flash videos to upload and then make fun of everybody who comments. I would never use "life" in any other situation but this one, and you guys really, really need one. Or a job.
politely said, no quality content nor fun at all
I have probably been too rude in my last review so I'll try to explain myself better.
This animation, except the preloader/intro, is nothing but 2 seconds of some half-naked men badly drawn and animated, plus a chart where you try to explain how the amount of humor contained in an animation is inversely proportional to its quality.
You should admit that your movie is not very funny, to said it nicely, and the overall quality of graphics/animation/audio is very poor.
I don't think this can be taken as an exception to your rule, so, to prove your theory you should have provided at least some sort of funny story or at least an humorous sketch.
Last but not the least, humor is not fundamental to an enjoying movie.
a sad but touching story, a thrilling plot, good sountrack, nice voice acting, characterization, suspense, surprises are some of the qualities a nice movie can have. And yes, a good drawing/animation is a quality too.
"Exceptions are rare"
this flash is an exception. not only is it insanely short, the animation was poor, the voice is too quiet to hear, when the volume is turned up, i still can't make out the words, because the music is too loud in comparison, and the plot is missing.
i am unsure if i should even take this flash seriously.
troll flash anybody?


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I HADN'T seen my favorite college professor and mentor since 1977. On that occasion, I had handed in my senior literary theory paper and headed to the airport for a three-week stay on a kibbutz in Israel. I missed my graduation ceremony and the Romance languages award he was to have surprised me with. Now 16 years and four children later, I was at last to see him again.
The thought of our trip to that familiar college campus and into his scholarly presence made me feel excited, but nervous.
The last paper I had written was entitled ``Morada Del Cielo: El Viaje Sonoro Hasta Las Regiones Luciente'' (``Mansion of Heaven: The Sonorous Journey to the Glowing Regions''). How elevated it all seemed now as I remembered contemplating the life of the Spanish Renaissance monk and poet Fray Luis de Leon and his exalted vision of a transcendent life on earth. Little did I realize as I set off to experience the ``real world'' that I would be engrossed for years in some very down-to-earth concerns.
What would I talk about when this single-minded illustrious professor and I met outside the realm of classroom and literary critique? Would he find me boring and prosaic?
After the kibbutz, where air-raid drills punctuated the silky breezes of the banana fields, I went to Idaho to work alongside Mexican migrant workers on a potato farm. There, my literary Castilian was put to use translating bosses' orders into functional Spanish for the Mexicans who were part of my work crew.
The dark potato cellars where we sorted ripe spuds from green dud potatoes was a far cry from the ivy-covered brick walls of my old college, but Fray Luis might have found symbolism there, too. The sharing of warm tortillas and hot drinks at lunchtime transformed the earthy underground drabness into a festive Spanish tertulia.
The boss would laugh each time he found that I was unfamiliar with the most basic of farmhand chores, such as the correct way of putting on rubber work gloves. He asked repeatedly, ``What did they teach you in that college anyway?'' It was hard to explain to him how the echoes of my favorite passages would be companions to me in the routine motions of my days.
Eventually, I ended up on a Kentucky farm with my husband. We settled down and grew crops and livestock and baby girls. Those years were spent pacing the floors at wee hours, chasing toddlers to the barn, driving kindergarten car pools, and reading picture books.
My Spanish literature shelves grew dusty. One of my favorite old college books was the leather-bound copy of the complete works of Andalusian poet Federico Garcia Lorca. I would pull it out and open randomly to a poem such as ``Los alamos de plato'' (``The Silver Poplars''), ``Sevilla,'' or ``El Barrio de Cordoba'' (``The Quarter in Cordoba''), which would give me inspiration and a lyric mood amid the routine of farm chores and childcare. My avid pursuit of Spanish literature may have been interrupted, but it was never forgotten.
It always amazes me when people ask why I majored in Romance languages. What practical value could it have? they would ask. They found the study of Spain's literature during the Golden Age or French medieval dramas to be irrelevant. And I would explain how, during convocation, our college president had encouraged incoming freshmen to study what most excited us. He told us to take advantage of this rare and fleeting time to explore the world of study for learning's sake and that we would reap the lifetime benefits of this scholastic enjoyment. I know now just what he meant.
While I pursued biology, politics, and anthropology, I was drawn, unconsciously at first, to a Spanish culture class. As a Cuban-American, I had always felt the pull of my paternal roots without realizing where they began. In a freshman Spanish class led by the dignified, slightly austere head of the department, I discovered the origins of my Catalan forbears and the weighty promise of a complex culture and tradition.
I signed up to go to Spain on a college semester abroad to be led by this same professor. Prof. Robert Russell, born and raised in Illinois, spoke Castilian flawlessly and knew the country like a native. Our group of 17 students followed him like ducklings through narrow alleyways and gracious plazas to see the obscure dwelling of some favorite literary character. He introduced us to impressive Roman architecture, mosaic tiled mosques, and picturesque cathedrals.
In Salamanca, where we studied, we were guided through the thickets of old literature and layered history. Like the rarest of professors, this man could inspire and demand the very best of our developing scholarly minds.
While many of the other American students grew homesick and counted the days until their return, I could have stayed forever. This made him comment wisely, ``You have discovered your madre-patria (the mother country),'' which seemed a strange comment until I visited the village where my father's ancestors had lived before their voyage to Cuba. The fertile Catalan soil of Torroella seemed a fitting launching pad for an extended Cuban family.
I would go on to major in Romance languages, with a specialty in Spanish. I went back to Spain one semester as Professor Russell's student assistant, the first time in my college's history a woman had done this job. The two of us spent hours guiding American students through the intricacies and joys of the Spanish way of life. I had made a small step from prote to partner.
Spain, the very breadth of its many regions and dialects and its variety of diverse cultures, had become an indelible part of my sense of self and origin. More than just a major, my studies had given me a sense of personal cohesiveness, nurtured compassionately by the dedicated man who made his students feel both challenged and respected.
When I finished college those many years ago, the road seemed to be leading inevitably toward my continued pursuit of Spanish studies as a scholar and professor.
Instead, I dedicated myself to a family and to cultivating a new land that was more immediate. But I never forgot Spain, my friends there, and the man who led the way.
As I approached this reunion with my old professor, now retired, I worried. Had I let him down? Was my part-time teaching of Spanish conversation to beginners a lack of literary fervor? Would we find anything to talk about after my years of maternal cares and his continued studies?
As we rolled into his driveway, my heart was pounding. I stopped the car and slowly unloaded the main product of those years away - four daughters, ages 13 to 4. Meanwhile, his front door opened and I saw the familiar face, so little changed. My reserved and dignified professor came forward, arms extended, and greeted me with a poignant, ``Que alegria!'' (What happiness!). We embraced as all true Spaniards do. At that moment, I knew that the ties that bound us had remained intact.
Once inside, I found on his kitchen shelf the same ceramic rooster I had made in a Salamanca art class all those years ago. I remembered molding the red clay into a favorite Spanish symbol, the rooster, which was said to be always anunciando el aurora (announcing the dawn); a fitting example of the earthy and spiritual vigor of this ancient land. I had given the rooster to my professor after my first momentous trip to Spain. The old imprint of my initials, C.T. 1975, was a tangible affirmation of my ongoing connection to this land.
The next two hours passed too quickly. We reminisced, we caught up on the present, and my professor helped my timid four-year-old, Madeleine, write her whole name for the first time.
Toward the end of my visit, Professor Russell shared with me a treasured new book from Spain. It was an elegant reprint of a Spanish classic that he loved and I had studied with him. Our heads bent over a text that was at once familiar and somewhat forgotten. But like the inspired student I had been, I knew I had come back to a place that felt like home and that the literature was still relevant and enduring.
This was the man who had restored my paternal roots while still promising ongoing discoveries. What I had learned from him had never been truly abandoned, only transformed in the manner of all real knowledge, through my experience. Someday I may write literary analysis again, but what is more important is to have known the initial inspiration and to have kept it always alive.


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Damn. I thought this thread was going to be about a porno starring Little Orphan Annie.
You can use their website to check which boxes have which titles. If you have 2 equal distance - as I do, I'll check to make sure the one I want is there. If so, you can go ahead and reserve it.I'll probably never go to Blockbuster again.
We recently used Redbox for the first time to rent The Avengers. Reserved the movie online from home and then went to pick it up at our local Kroger, however once I got there the machine couldn't read my card. This presents a problem because they didn't build a way into the software to retrieve a reserved disc except through sliding the card attached to the account. Which is weird because if you initiate the transaction at the machine you can use any card you want and it just asks for your user ID. I evaluate application functionality for a living and I can tell you that would not have escaped me. (Redbox, if you're reading you need a customer usability analyst and I'm available!)Anyway, I called the number on the machine and while they couldn't release the disc for me to rent it on another card (Another shortfall in their systems... why couldn't they just cancel the transaction and release the hold on the disc?) they did credit me for that disc and give me a bonus freebie for my trouble. I went to the next machine about a mile away and rented what I wanted using another card. Sucks that I had to have a hassle on my first use but they handled it pretty well, we'll use the service again for sure.


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Turn roses into a fabulous centerpiece. These amazing rose bowls are illustrated by Preston Bailey, an internationally celebrated event designer and wedding planner with clients that include Donald Trump, Middle East Royalty and Oprah Winfrey.
Once you master the basic skills, definitely experiment with different settings to personalize it. For instance, I would make at least 3 of these rose bowls with containers of different sizes to create dimension. Mix and match roses in different colors, or throw in more bowls with floating candles.
Trick of the trade: It's easier to get the rose petals to line up if the flowers are in full bloom so the petals are flatter and easier to line up, but not so much so that they're about to turn brown. Make sure you use enough petals in the bowl so that it will be packed enough to withstand transportation without falling apart.


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The Arizona Diamondbacks and manager Torey Lovullo agreed to a two-year contract extension on Tuesday.
Lovullo's deal now runs through the 2021 campaign. USA Today reported last season that Lovullo had one of the lowest salaries for a manager at $900,000.
"Torey's leadership and ability to connect with people, specifically our players and coaches, provides the foundation for the culture we continue to cultivate and grow in Arizona," Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen said in a news release announcing the extension. "This is an exciting day for Torey, his family and the D-backs. We can't wait to get started at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in two weeks."
Lovullo, 53, is entering his third season with the club and has a 175-149 mark. He was named National League Manager of the Year in 2017 after guiding Arizona to a 93-69 record and a wild-card victory before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL Division Series.
--Hall of Famer Frank Robinson is battling a life-threatening illness, according to multiple reports.
The Baltimore Sun reported that the 83-year-old Robinson is in the late stages of a long illness, and cited a "source with direct knowledge of the situation." Robinson, who serves as a senior adviser to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, hasn't appeared at a baseball event since July's All-Star Game in Washington, according to the Sun.
Robinson ranks 10th in baseball history with 586 career homers and won MVP awards in both the National and American leagues. He also became the first African-American manager when he was hired by the Cleveland Indians in October 1974.
--Free agent infielder Neil Walker signed a one-year contract with the Miami Marlins, the team announced.
Walker, 33, entered the major leagues in 2009 with Pittsburgh and played with the Pirates until 2015, before moving on to the New York Mets (2016-17), Milwaukee Brewers (2017) and the New York Yankees (2018).
In 1,173 career games, Walker has a career average of .268 with 141 home runs, 568 RBIs and 216 doubles. A switch hitter, he has hit at least 10 home runs in nine of 10 seasons since 2010. He hit a career-high 23 home runs in 2014 and 2016.
--The Boston Red Sox signed right-hander Jenrry Mejia to a minor league deal, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman. Mejia, 29, last pitched in the major leagues in 2015 for the New York Mets and appeared in 113 games, all with the franchise.
In February 2016, Mejia was banned for life from the minors and majors after a positive test for Boldenone, an anabolic steroid. He was reinstated last July by Major League Baseball. The Mets released him in November.
The ban followed an 80-game suspension he received in April 2015 after testing positive for Stanozolol, a drug frequently used by bodybuilders. He pitched in just seven games upon his return, then was suspended in late July 2015 for 162 games after testing positive for both Boldenone and Stanozolol.
--Sandy Alderson is returning to the Oakland Athletics' front office, where the former New York Mets general manager will work as senior adviser to baseball operations.
Alderson, 71, previously worked for the A's over 17 seasons, starting with the title of general counsel in 1981. He was named executive vice president, baseball operations in 1983 and guided the team to three consecutive World Series (1988-90), with the team winning the title in 1989.
After his time with the A's ended following the 1998 season, Alderson worked as an executive for Major League Baseball, and was the CEO for the San Diego Padres from 2005-09 before joining the Mets.
--Former National League Most Valuable Player and Philadelphia Phillies all-time great Jimmy Rollins is returning to the club as a special adviser. Rollins' duties will run the gamut from coaching during spring training to meeting with sponsors and suite holders, the club said.
"It goes without saying that Jimmy was a huge part of the team's success during the five-year run of division titles and he is one of the greatest players to wear our uniform," executive vice president David Buck said in a statement. "His acumen for both business and baseball makes this a natural fit. We are excited to have him back."
Rollins, 40, played 15 of his 17 major league seasons with the Phillies and is the franchise's all-time leader in hits (2,306) and doubles (479). He earned the 2007 NL MVP, was selected to three NL All-Star teams and won four Gold Glove Awards.
--The Toronto Blue Jays signed veteran infielder Freddy Galvis to a one-year deal worth a reported $4 million for 2019.
The deal includes a club option for 2020 at $5.5 million, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported. With a $1 million buyout on the option, Galvis is guaranteed $5 million, according to Feinsand.
Galvis, 29, played in every game the past two seasons with the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies. Last year with the Padres, he hit .248 with 13 home runs and 67 RBIs. Galvis slugged a career-high 20 homers with the Phillies in 2016. He is a career .246 hitter over seven major league seasons.
--Field Level Media