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When you make a decision about your personal health care, it often involves a lot of serious contemplation. And because you put so much time and thought into your preferences, you want to make certain that your choices are respected, both by your family and health care professionals.
To do that, you need to show that you have documented your health care preferences somewhere, so that they can be followed in the event of an emergency. But is tattooing "DNR" on your chest really enough to keep emergency responders from bringing you back to life if you don't want to be?
Not really. Find out why in this post.
Why Aren't DNR Tattoos Legally Binding?
There are a number of reasons why medical tattoos like DNRs are not legally binding. To start with, all we need to do is compare an actual document like a Living Will with the tattooed version.
A Living Will:
- Lists both your health care preferences and names a representative.
- Specifies in what instances you would or would not want to be resuscitated.
- Often requires witness signatures.
- Sometimes, depending on the jurisdiction, requires notarization or a doctor's signature.
- Must be revocable.
- Must be dated.
A DNR tattoo isn't able to cover all of these bases. For example, with a tattoo:
- You aren't able to clearly show if you have changed your mind at any point, and there's a possibility that you did change your mind, but hadn't got around to updating your ink.
- The meaning can be misconstrued. How will an emergency responder know if your tattoo actually means "do not resuscitate", or if it's your loved one's initials?
- There are no actual signatures. Sure, you can tattoo a copy of a signature, but is it still a signature if the person putting it on your skin isn't actually a witness?
It's also important to note that emergency responders are not trained to look for or obligated to respect a DNR tattoo, and physicians are only protected from liability if the DNR they are following is legally recognized.EMTs and doctors are not trained or required to look for medical tattoos like DNRs. Click To Tweet
Are Any Medical Tattoos Legally Binding?
Although DNR tattoos are the most popular, there are a variety of other medical tattoos that people get to either assist first responders or to communicate their wishes. Ultimately, none of them are legally binding, and will make little to no difference in your treatment. They include:
- Blood type tattoos. Doctors can't be sure that you have your blood type tattooed on yourself, or someone else's. They also don't know where to look, and probably don't have time to check if you have your blood type tattooed behind your ear.
- Organ donor tattoos. Again, doctors don't have time to look for a tattoo indicating your desire to be an organ donor, and it's too serious of a matter to go off of a tattoo. As with DNR tattoos, there's also no certainty as to whether you have changed your mind since getting the tattoo.
- Allergies. You can list your allergies in an artistic script if you really want to, but don't expect medical staff to use that to guide your treatment plan.
Making a Living Will
The best way to dictate your health care preferences in the event of an emergency is to create a Living Will. Take steps to make sure that your wishes are communicated properly and clearly, like:
- Talking to whoever you choose to represent you about your wishes and giving them a copy of your Living Will.
- Leaving a copy of your Living Will with your doctor.
- Carrying a copy of your Living Will in your wallet or purse.
Skip the Ink
While you may have the best of intentions in researching a medical tattoo, they're often more trouble than just going the traditional route of creating a Living Will. So if you have been wondering about whether a medical tattoo like a DNR is a good option for you, you may just want to opt for a butterfly or a Chinese character instead, and leave the health care instructions in the hands of your doctor.
Have you ever considered a medical tattoo?


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Hey friends!
Thanks to everyone who entered the Oikos Greek yogurt & reusable grocery bag giveaway!
There were some great ideas from you all for ways to use Greek yogurt — especially the nonfat plain variety. Here are some of my favorites:
- Use it to replace mayo. Examples: my Tuna Salad with a Healthy Twist, Autumn Chicken Salad, and Healthy Deviled Eggs!
- Use it to replace sour cream in Mexican dishes, or as a topping for soup, chili, etc.
- Use it instead of oil/butter when baking. I did this with my Sweet Potato Cranberry Coconut Muffins and Pumpkin Muffins of Deliciousness! Yogurt also works great in brownies.
- Use it to make a healthier fettuccine alfredo sauce for pasta dishes.
- Eat it on top of pancakes instead of using butter.
- Use it to make a Greek style tzatziki sauce, like my delicious Cucumber Yogurt Garlic Sauce.
- Make a buffalo dip for veggies or chicken using yogurt and hot sauce, or yogurt, lemon, parsley, and Worcestershire sauce!
- Use yogurt and red curry paste as a marinade for chicken!
Yum. Thanks for the great ideas everyone! I'll have to try out a few of the new (to me) ones, like the dips and marinade!
And now, the moment you've been waiting for!
The winner of the Oikos yogurt coupons and reusable grocery bag prize pack is…
Commenter #196, Trisha!
Here's what she had to say:
Congrats, Trisha!! Please email your full name and mailing address to me at [email protected] and I will have Stonyfield send your prize out right away 🙂
I just got home from work, took a quick walk, packed dinner, and now I'm off to class! Stay tuned — I'll be posting tomorrow about an exciting new fANNEtastic food partnership!

subset: commoncrawl


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Peak Lists
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Ascent of Mount Sherman on 2013-10-30
Paul Barish
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Ascent Type:
Successful Summit Attained
Mount Sherman
14036 ft / 4278 m
Ascent Trip Report
Another spur of the moment decision lead me to hike Mt. Sherman via the standard trail. My friend and I left the TH at about 9 pm. It was snowing at the TH and snowing a little bit in town. There was a good amount of snow covering the trail and the higher we got the worse the storm was. By the time we were at 13k it was a complete white out blizzard with strong winds. We continued up to the col and then, struggling to keep our hands and faces warm from the intense wind we continued along the southeast ridge up to the summit. According to the weather forecast it was about minus 20 with wind chill on top. We didn't even stay on the summit for a minute before we headed down. The descent was cold but once we got to the bottom of the gully the wind dissipated and we enjoyed the night sky as we hiked back to the car. It took us about four hours round trip. It was a great spur of the moment adventure.
Summary Total Data
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Maintained Trail, Unmaintained Trail, Open Country, Bushwhack, Stream Ford, Snow on Ground, Scramble
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Liberals Want Chidlren to Walk To School - To Save the Planet
The MPO Director of Northeast Arkansas sent out an email advocating for school "Walk and Wheel" events - pushing the plan to have children to walk to school in order to reduce the use of cars - not just for this one event but every day. See this link for this picture and others. http://www.saferoutestoschools.org/
These quotes are just more proof that the liberals don't intend to lower gasoline prices but to change our method of transportation to biking and walking in order to save the planet. What the School Walk and Wheel Events are all about in the words of those promoting them.
The following paragraph is from email from Director of MPO in Northeast Arkansas
Walk and wheel to school events are ways for schools and communities to build enthusiasm for health, fitness, traffic relief, environmental awareness and safety. Join the fun and hold a one-day walk and wheel to school event during the month of October. All Arkansas elementary and middle schools are invited to participate. Schools must register their event online at http://www.walktoschool.org/ and receive access to event materials available for download, the chance to win prizes for their school, a weekly newsletter leading up to the event. The first 10 schools to register online will receive goodies from the Arkansas Safe Routes to School (SRTS). To register your event or download event ideas visit www.walktoschool.org/
Following are three other paragraphs from other sites that are participating in Walk to School Events:
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a network of more than 500 nonprofit organizations, government agencies, schools, and professionals working together to advance the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) movement in the United States. SRTS can provide a variety of important benefits to children and their communities, including increasing physical activity, reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, and enhancing neighborhood safety. http://www.saferoutespartnership.org/
"Safe Commutes, Green Communities
Safe Routes to Schools programs are designed to decrease traffic and pollution and increase the health of children and the community, Safe Routes to Schools promotes walking and biking to school, using education and incentives to show how much fun it can be! The program addresses parents' safety concerns by educating children and the public, partnering with traffic law enforcement, and developing plans to create safer streets. Marin County pioneered the national Safe Routes to Schools program that has spread across the U.S. http://www.saferoutestoschools.org/ "
"Greenways to School Campaign – The Greenways to School campaign, funded by a $175,000 grant from the Marin Community Foundation's Climate Change initiative, features the new SchoolPool on-line trip sharing program and school and classroom challenges with cash incentives. Classes can earn from $50 – $100 and schools can earn from $500 to $1,500 by increasing their number of green trips to school. "http://www.saferoutestoschools.org/programs.html
Do these climate change advocates not know that it is not safe for our children to walk to school these days? Remember the recent event where an 11 year old boy was kidnapped on his way home and cut to pieces and put in a freezer. Panels on CNN and Fox all agreed it is not safe for children to walk to and from events in our world today. Then why are they spending so much money and time on safe sidewalks and bikeways on so called Safe Routes to School?


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It's fall-ish. I love fall. Well, most falls. This fall is kinda' sucky. My body is ready for cool fall days, crisp, clear fall nights. The other month when it was 39 degrees in the morning, I loved it. I already have my dress sweater vests (yes, plural) ready for wearing. Alas, it is near 80 and humid. Rats.
I don't know, maybe it is genetic.
There has to be something in my Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes me such an expert. My blue-collar dad was always fussy about how his clothes fit. The buttons on his shirt had to line up with his belt buckle and zipper on his trousers. I think he called it his "gig line."
His father, John Joseph Jeremiah Rush, over 6 feet tall, with a 28-inch waste and barrel chest, was a clothes model in Detroit in the 1920s.
Is it any wonder why I am considered by almost everybody in the universe that swirls around me as a fashion GOD?
I know, it's a hard burden to carry, but I have broad, deity-like shoulders. I can handle the responsibility and I'm about to share with you, my minions, that my fashion-maven spidy senses really start to tingle when the temperatures fall (like they are not doing now, mid-October, 2017.)
(Time out! I just Googled maven to see how it was spelled — with an I or an E . . . maven is from the Yiddish word "meyvn." Who woulda thunk it? Learn something new all the time! Now back to this "gem" of a column.)
Forty-degree mornings and 50-something-degree days will open the clothes closet to my soul and get me itchy to head to the Salvation Army to purchase some new-used sweaters and stuff.
Normally at this time of the year the Detroit Lions are losing football games as only they can and my dazzlingly skilled, and well-honed fashion senses start tingling so powerfully that were I a spider, my entire 1,800-square-foot money-pit-of-a-home would be covered with a fine, silk-like web. (Not that silk is my go-to fabric. Think cotton, flannel.)
Alas, I ain't a spider, just a man with a plan. And that plan (in a word, though it's really two) is SWEATER VEST.
Bam! There it is, in writing: The Secret To My Fashion success. I know, I know, some guys like to keep their secrets close to their chest (under their sweater vests), however, I am all being a benevolent leader. I am about sharing.
When fall weather finally does come, I hope my spectacularly wonderful, and ever-growing sweater vest collection will have the color purple. I don't have a purple vest yet and purple is so . . . so, royal. Yeah — that's it, King of the Sweater Vests, that's me.
You don't dig the sweater vest look?
How about khaki slacks? Your thoughts on white, puffy tennis shoes?
How about tan colored, lace-up shoes?
Okay, how about this look . . . blue jeans (with a crease in the legs), Hawaiian shirt, blue sports jacket? How about the creased blue jeans, Hawaiian shirt, blue sports jacket, accompanied with the white, puffy tennis shoes?
Are you doubting my legendary status in the Metro Detroit fashion scene?
It's the time of year when those of us with dangly bits and with true fashion sense really shine.
I think this is the time of the year when those of you without dangly bits (women) secretly long for, too.
This is the time of year your hearts beat a little faster, your palms sweat a little more, your legs wobble and your heads swoon.
How can you not have feelings of deep longing when you see those of us with fashion moie walking down the aisle at the local grocery wearing (from top to bottom): unbuttoned flannel shirt, contrasting colored tee, tucked into khaki shorts atop white crew socks that stick out of dark work boots?
I ask you, what's not to love about that fall fashion look?
My fall fashion senses are, as the trendy social media types like to so, "on Fleek." Spot on. Truly on point.
Ladies, if you need your man to follow my lead into the fine, fall fashion world, drop me a line. I will gladly offer my services for a small consulting fee.
What can I say? I have a talent, a gift when it comes to men's fashion. And, when you're so gifted, why be stingy with it?
Am I right?
I believe in sharing my love of fashion with the world. Maybe we should start a new fashion movement, Fashion by Don, and start it here in the Metro Detroit area. I am sure that will help the local economy and help all my man peeps looks simply smashing!
Comments, concerns, suggestions — your thoughts can be e-mailed to email@example.com


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A particularly windy 24 hours over northern Europe kicked Denmark's wind turbines into high gear, enabling the country to not only generate all the electricity it needed, but also to share with Germany, Norway and Sweden. A report in the Guardian details that by the evening of July 9, wind turbines were producing 116 percent of the nation's energy needs, and that by 3am on July 10, when demands were lower, that figure jumped to 140 percent.
Denmark has been making significant investments in wind power—in 2014 the nation's turbines produced 39.1 percent of electricity demand, and with new projects on the horizon, it is expected Denmark will reach their target of producing 50 percent of power from renewable sources well ahead of their 2020 goal. Indeed, further 1.5GW in offshore wind farms will be added by the end of the decade.
Moreover, this week's record production didn't even see Denmark's turbines working at maximum capacity. Live data published on the website of Danish transmission systems operator, energinet.dk showed that while producing 140 percent of electricity needs, there was still room for even more wind power generation in their turbines collective 4.8GW capacity.
Of the surplus power generated during the peak, 80 percent was sent Germany and Norway to be stored in hydropower systems, while the remaining 20 percent went to Sweden. Speaking to the Guardian, Oliver Joy, a spokesman for the European Wind Energy Association said: "It shows that a world powered 100% by renewable energy is no fantasy. Wind energy and renewables can be a solution to decarbonisation – and also security of supply at times of high demand."
Via The Guardian
Source: http://inhabitat.com/


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Call TOMTAR Roofing & Sheet Metal for all your commercial and industrial roofing needs in the Okanagan.
Specialty sheet metal fabrication offered.
Phone: (250) 765-8122
Fax: (250) 765-7063
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Emergency Services
24-hour emergency services is available for existing clients. Email firstname.lastname@example.com with "high importance" in the subject line and call 250-718-8970 during business hours. After hours, text 250-215-2175. Please include name, phone number, building name and location, location of the leak, contact name and phone number for site. New clients, please call during business hours to set up an account.
TOMTAR Roofing & Sheet Metal Ltd.
153 Pinto Rd
Kelowna, BC
Serving the Okanagan Valley and Western Canada


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She's MINE
Angel Fire Rock Romance Series
Becoming His Series
Changing Roles
The Starling
Down the Rabbit Hole
Twist of Fate
Follow Blog via Email
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Tag Archives: cover reveal
Jettie Woodruf Cover Reveal!
Posted on January 23, 2016 by Ellie Masters
I Pick You A Twin Duo Spin Off By Jettie Woodruff Blurb When I left Nashville, Tennessee, I knew deep in my heart I wouldn't be back. I knew I would never be heard on every country music station around … Continue reading →
Posted in book trailer, love, romance, Social media, writing | Tagged cover reveal, romance, writing | Leave a comment


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At our creamery we want you to know that your milk comes from a good place. We offer a full line of the freshest dairy products. While we only have a few dairy products today, our plans for product expansion continues to grow.
You will find a lot more in addition to local dairy products at our creamery store. We've partnered with over 50 local vendors to put Iowa-made products on our shelves. We are committed to supporting other farmers, producers, and manufacturers in our wonderful state.
Stay up to date on all the latest happenings by subscribing to our newsletter!


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Bring a little bit of Paris to someone's day with this cute French themed hamper. A perfect thank you gift.
Have a look at what's inside?
From Monday 6th April our delivery days will be limited by the reduction in delivery collections by our courier. Next day delivery may not be possible. We ask for your consideration at this difficult time for us all.
Hampers, if ordered by 11am will be despatched by courier the next working day for deliveries within Ireland. Hampers for England, Scotland or Wales will be despatched on a 48hr service.
A tracking order will be supplied to allow customers to track their delivery online.
Delivery is available Monday to Friday. Weekend delivery is not available. Therefore, should a fresh food hamper be ordered on a Friday, earliest delivery opportunity is Tuesday of the following week.
All fresh food is suitably packed incorporating icepacks. Fresh food hampers may only be despatched Mon-Thurs to ensure foodstuffs arrive in peak condition.
We deliver throughout the UK and Ireland.
Should you have any allergy concerns, please contact the shop 028 90 381779
NI Delivery £4.99
ROI Delivery £6.99
England, Scotland and Wales £15.00
Social Media
Accepted Payments
Contact Us
2020 Arcadia Delicatessen | Company Reg. No. (NI) 123456 | VAT No. (GB) 123456789.
Magento eCommerce by Paul Donnelly


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EU projects within the 7th Framework Research Programme
The 7th Framework Research Programme (FP7) offers numerous opportunities for LMU Munich to participate in projects, particularly in the four specific programs Cooperation, Ideas, People and Capacities. Academics at LMU Munich are involved in a host of EU projects on various subjects as partners or coordinators.
The following overview gives the possibility of searching for current EU projects at LMU Munich within the scope of the specific programs of FP7.


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Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush FIrst Impressions & Swatches!
7 comments :
I have 2 of them (diffused heat and ethereal glow) and they are my favorite blushes. Totally worth the price...i love themReplyDelete
it is beautiful blush!ReplyDelete
I have been wanting to try Hourglass products! I would imagine you will still love it after you wear it for a while, but I would love to hear. Sorry about the customer service at the store :( such a bummer and that's surprising they didn't try to help you more.ReplyDelete
Twitter: @crzygorgeous365
- AnonymousJune 9, 2014 at 9:02 PM
I also bought an Hourglass product with my Glossybox BG coupon! I am in love with the Ambient Lighting Powders. I have been interested in the blushes, but wasn't sure if I would like them the same. I bought the Ethereal Light (I already have Diffused Light and the palette with 3 other colors) and I love them. They add just the right finishing touch of smooth highlight that blends perfect, not like most other highlighters that I've used.ReplyDelete
I think I will add the blushes to my list!
- AnonymousJune 10, 2014 at 10:30 AM
When you swatch products that do not have testers, people have no sympathy for you. Stop acting like you are owed anything. Your husband is super lazy. Just because he paints a bedroom doesn't make him a provider.. Also, this is a beauty blog. Pull your act together and at least act like you care what you look like.ReplyDelete
That's lovely Sam, what a pretty blush! I was really hesitant about buying it as I thought it wouldn't have any colour pay off, but seeing it on you its beautiful! We have very similar skin tone so I know anything you recommend will be perfect for me :) xoxox ShazReplyDelete


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KLM are reportedly developing a 'Meet and Seat' service where passengers can choose who they sit next to by accessing the LinkedIn and Facebook pages of fellow travellers during check-in. (Cheers Alex.)
In order to choose your ideal seatmate, both parties have to agree to participate in the service. KLM believes it will provide an opportunity for networking, though other reports suggest it's more likely to be used as a matchmaking tool. Either way, giving people the power to choose who they sit next to presents an opportunity to make the journey more profitable and interesting.
Via. https://www.springwise.com/transportation/airline-lets-passengers-choose-seat-partners-based-social-media-profiles/


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Monday I received a load of goodies from Newman's Own Organic which I just can't wait to try (and do I smell a giveaway?) My husband and I broke into the Cinnamon Hermits right away and these were delicious! My husband brought the Original Newman-O's with him on his trip to New Brunswick so I have yet to hear back his opinion of them.
Tuesday night we made pizza which was delicious it had broccoli, garlic, almond cheeze, pizza sauce and marinated buffalo "mozzarella" (AKA marinated silken tofu tester recipe).
For dessert we ate the entire box of Nicobella Vegan Dark Chocolate Truffles which were delicious. The truffle flavors were Blueberry Almond, Ginger Green Tea, Pumpkin Chai, Pure Cocoa Bliss, Walnut Flaxseed Crunch, & Sunflower Banana Butter. Our favorites were Pure Cocoa Bliss and Blueberry Almond.
I received a bunch of samples of Non-Dairy Cheese Spread & Dip from Wayfare Foods. Currently you can only purchase We Can't Say It's Cheese in Montana and Florida for specific locations look here. Wayfare Foods is looking to expand their market up to NY/MA/CT shortly after January 1st! I received Cheddar Style Spread, Cheddar Style Dip, Mexi Cheddar-Style Spread and Hickory-Smoked Cheddar-Style Spread. I immediately dived into the Hickory-Smoked Cheddar with some reduced-fat Wheat Thins. I then used some for my Thanksgiving Dinner- I mixed the Hickory-Smoked Cheddar with some brown rice, sauteed Brussels sprouts, white beans, garlic and shredded carrot. It was delicious. I used the Cheddar Style Spread on my veggie burger Friday night and made Mac and Cheese with it Saturday. It was delicious!
For dinner last night I did some testing for Happy Herbivore's upcoming cookbook – I made her Herbed Homefires and served it up with Vegan Brunch Tofu Scramble.


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I'm Norma and I'm thrilled that you've come to visit my little corner of the bloggy universe. I've always been the "creative type," I just didn't know it! Growing up I didn't have much opportunity to take art, music, or home ec. classes, but I can remember having a love for crafting. It wasn't until my freshman year in college when I stumbled upon a beginning graphic design class that I realized, "hey I can do this!" That class led me down a completely different road and opened up new doors I never even knew existed. I quickly changed my major to Industrial Design and excelled in most of my art classes.
After I left college, as a newlywed, the time was right to start a family. A very nice stranger invited me to come to her house to make a quilt for my new baby boy. This lovely stranger became my very best friend as we sat at the quilting frame stitching and chatting while our babies played nearby. This was my first real experience with quilting and I was hooked, even though I only put in about 1% of the stitches! I realized that hand quilting was not for me so I researched other methods of quilting. Shortly after that I got my first sewing machine, a $60 eBay special, and I've been quilting ever since!
I have now found the best of both worlds. I use all that I learned in my college art classes to design my profile silhouettes and quilt patterns. I get to stay home and raise my two wonderful children and yet I get to spend time every day being creative! My goal is to share my talents with you to, hopefully, inspire the creative impulse within you so that you too can create wonderful heirlooms to pass on to your children and grandchildren.


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Thank you for joining me as I delve into the paper arts and experiment with techniques and conjure up handmade cards, altered art pieces, and other crafty items. Here you can find samples of my work and tutorials for projects and cards. Feel free to leave comments and links back to your stamping sites.
Sunday, 4 November 2018
Red Love
Posted by Kathy the Teawife at 23:13 No comments:
Do you believe?
Do you believe in Father Christmas?
Here is altered word art, in which I use a variety of stencils on each letter and then painted the piece with glimmer sprays (Lindy's and Colour Arte) and mica paints. Embellishments, such as glittered snowflakes and beads, were added.
Posted by Kathy the Teawife at 23:08 No comments:
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Inside Qualcomm's Integrated IT InfrastructureBy Peter High
Inside Qualcomm's Integrated IT Infrastructure
WHO: Norm Fjeldheim, SVP and CIO, Qualcomm
WHAT: Sharing his views on Qualcomm's approach to "everything as a service" (XaaS) for its 21,000 employees worldwide
WHERE: San Diego
WHY: To provide CIOs and other IT leaders with actionable advice and insights about how to optimize the complex infrastructure of today's IT organizations
Norm Fjeldheim, SVP and CIO of Qualcomm, the $15 billion maker of communication equipment, has had an unusually long tenure as CIO, having taken on that role in early 1999.
A 24-year veteran of the company, Fjeldheim has overseen significant changes to Qualcomm's IT infrastructure. Roughly 1,400 of Qualcomm's 21,000 worldwide employees report to Fjeldheim.
San Diego-based Qualcomm, which operates 200 offices worldwide, is engaged in the development, design, manufacture and marketing of digital wireless telecommunications products and services. Its divisions include Qualcomm CDMA Technologies, Qualcomm Enterprise Services and Qualcomm Government Technologies.
In January 2012, the company was named one of Fortune's 100 Best Companies to Work For.
In this one-on-one Q&A, Fjeldheim tells CIO Insight's Peter High about Qualcomm's approach to "everything as a service" (XaaS), the rationale for choosing this approach, the challenges he met along the wayand the value he has garnered for his company.
CIO Insight: Norm, you first dipped your toe in the water on cloud computing and the SPI model [software as a service (SaaS), platform as a service (PaaS) and infrastructure as a service (IaaS)] before those terms were well known or widely used eight or nine years ago. What was the impetus for delving into virtualization?
Norm Fjeldheim: We began a little less than a decade ago when members of my team approached me and indicated that they thought virtualizing would add tremendous value to our operations. They indicated that it would render our operation more efficient, and that it would lead to significant cost savings. I asked the team what they needed to begin this journey. They said they needed a modest financial commitment to get started: a couple of hundred thousand dollars. I challenged them, saying that if virtualization was to be such a cost saver, we should expect that these activities would be self-funding after this initial seed investment.
The team began with Windows-and rather conservatively. (In retrospect, I wish I had pursued Windows and Unix together, so that it would not have looked like a Windows-specific effort in the beginning.) However, the efforts quickly built momentum. In the end, the team required significantly less than the initial commitment before these efforts became self-funding.
Our biggest foray into SaaS came by happenstance. We were a big user of Siebel for our CRM solutions. In 2005, a new business unit of ours was ramping up, and as the unit members planned the deployment of their first product, the software requirements did not include any mention of a need to ramp up Siebel in the process. As we found out about this six weeks prior to the launch of this new business unit's first product, this led to a short time frame to get the functionality up and running and therefore [ramping up Siebel became] a pressing need. We realized we were not going to meet their needs, and it led us to think about alternatives
We pursued Salesforce.com potentially as a one-off instance for us, but discovered that it had as much functionality, more flexibility, and could be implemented and ramped up in a fraction of the time of our solution. We ended up migrating to Salesforce.com completely, and saved 50 to 60 percent in costs as a result, with improved functionality.
You run IT for a very engineering-centric organization. Engineering-led organizations tend to be challenging environments for CIOs, since many people outside of IT think they can do the CIO's job better than the CIO can. Were there cultural hurdles to get over when you announced you would enact this change?
Fjeldheim: The biggest hurdle was cultural, actually. There was a general bias among engineers-in our company and beyond-to have physical equipment optimally under one's desk. We asked them to change the model rather significantly. The challenge we had in selling this was to ensure that our engineers would either get the same value at a lower cost by putting more of what they used in the cloud, or better value at the same cost. That was another challenge we as an IT department put on ourselves, and I'm happy to say that we've been able to consistently deliver against that.
What other issues did you face in those early days?
Fjeldheim: The other major issue, frankly, was that demand for cloud computing and the SPI model grew so fast that we had trouble keeping up with it. As I said, we were able to deliver against the value-to-cost challenge that we gave ourselves. Once we did, cloud computing and the SPI model took off and built a momentum of its own. That was the right problem to have in the early stages of this transformational journey, but it was a problem nevertheless. We had to play catch-up on the automation as a result.
The key at that stage was pausing and thinking about the new fundamentals we needed to have in place to ensure that we could build out the cloud, but do so responsibly. We ended up investing in management tools, monitoring tools and ITIL. We invested in processes and the automation of those processes. We used ITIL as the process framework and then bought and built tools to manage and monitor our infrastructure. As much as possible, we deployed the same processes and automation across our entire environment, virtual and physical. We went from managing 400 virtual servers to managing 4,000 of them. A tenfold increase required that we think about things significantly differently. This laid the appropriate groundwork that has sustained us through the subsequent years.
When we transitioned more of our software to the cloud, leveraging the SaaS model, we had to find solutions that would also work with our customers. In some cases, we partnered with our customers to transition together. This meant proving the benefits to our customers so that they would see this as a valuable change in their organization. We benefited by transitioning to SaaS earlier than many of our customers and had our own business cases to present as a result.
For our virtualization efforts, a lot of the tools didn't exist, so we had to build them ourselves. This slowed us down a bit and made the virtual environment much more complex. We had to keep our top engineers on the system to support it and troubleshoot problems. Later, as better tools came out, we were able to reduce that requirement, and we now have much of the system supported by more junior engineers.
For SaaS, the biggest problem was integration. The integration tools were not very good initially, so that was a big barrier to using SaaS applications, specifically SalesForce.com. SalesForce.com improved the integration tools several releases ago, and that made a huge difference. We were able to pull and push data in and out of Salesforce.com much more easily, which enabled us to use that product much more broadly [than previously possible].
IT Infrastructure: The People Side of the Equation
What was the people side of this transformation? How did you staff these efforts?
Fjeldheim: For the earliest efforts in virtualizing our infrastructure, we created a "tiger team" to lead these efforts. This team helped us develop the initial processes we would use throughout this evolution. Soon thereafter, though, we determined it was best not to separate our virtual teams and our physical teams. That has proven to be a fortunate move.
For instance, instead of having a virtual team that thought only about pushing virtual servers and was competing with a physical team that was pushing physical servers, we had one team that was evolving, based on the natural demand for and evolution of these two areas. From an early stage, this approach also helped us develop one set of management and monitoring tools for the entire infrastructure. That has helped with complexity and with security.
We went from 75 servers per one administrator to 800 [servers] per administrator now. Therefore, what we manage has grown dramatically, but our staff has not grown at the same rate. This frees up our IT employees for innovative activities and means that a larger portion of the IT team is focused on ideas that truly add value to the organization. That tends to energize people and increase job satisfaction on average across the team. Frankly, the growth in the use of various systems also absorbed a lot of [employees] who were no longer needed to work on the physical infrastructure.
After starting with Windows servers, how did you determine what to put into the cloud?
Fjeldheim: The number-one determinant was the usage profile of the infrastructure. Some engineering software can be a real CPU hog. As a result, these instances are not as clearly candidates for virtualization. Those areas that were not CPU hogs were put in the plan for virtualization.
In the first five years, 80 percent of what could be in our private cloud was put in our private cloud. This includes all of our applications running on Linux and Windows servers, but does not include engineering tools [such as] Synopsis and Cadence running on our engineering compute grid, or applications running on big Unix servers [such as] Oracle applications. It took another two to three years to virtualize the last chunk of infrastructure.
Now that it's been nearly a decade since you embarked on this journey, what are the primary advantages to cloud and the SPI model based on your experience?
Fjeldheim: Our first concern is meeting the needs of our business. Demand for IT services always seems to be increasing, and the patience of the business is decreasing. This presses IT to operate with agility. My colleagues outside of IT are some of the savviest technologists around. If I can't meet their needs, they'll find other ways to be sure their needs are met. I need to be sure that we are always the first choice when it comes to technology development. We have been in growth mode as a business for a while, and I'm proud of how IT has supported that growth. The more often we can provide value-enhancing technology, whether it is new software or the infrastructure backbone, the better we will serve the needs of our customers ultimately. Cloud computing and the SPI model are a big part of allowing us to get there.
We have found that the biggest benefit for us was speed. We can deploy a virtual server in less than 15 minutes, where it used to take up to six weeks to put a new physical server in place. It used to take days to get a server up and running, and it would come out of the other departments' budgets. Now it takes five minutes, and the cost is in my budget. Needless to say, costs are dramatically lower.
The cost savings of this approach can't be overstated. We believe we have generated $25 million to $30 million in savings in hardware and power. We have also significantly improved our service levels, as unplanned downtime dropped by almost 90 percent when going from physical to virtual servers. Moreover, this allows us to render variable a lot of what were once fixed costs.
We can ramp up our infrastructure, for instance, at the same rate that demand for the different facets that make up our infrastructure is growing, rather than having to purchase significantly higher capacity than what we need. For other companies that are unfortunately in cost-cutting mode, [the lesson is that] this also allows them to make cuts in infrastructure before having to cut the firm's most valuable resource: its people.
What advice would you offer to CIOs who are at the beginning of the journey on which you are now so far along? If a CIO is considering the cloud and the SPI model, how would you counsel him or her to plan and enact this transformation?
Fjeldheim: My first piece of advice would be to "go big" on these changes because we have found the deeper we got into cloud computing and the SPI model, the more value was created. I know a lot of CIOs want to pilot this and bite off the various aspects in very small chunks. I know that many of my peers have had an experience similar to mine when they pushed aggressively for these changes.
Second, plan for success. Think about the people and processes to guide the process, and ensure that you can ramp up quickly.
Another people point is to help IT and the rest of the organization understand the value they can get from this sort of transformation. These days, companies have many examples of successful transitions such as the one I have described here. This is an advantage I would have liked to have had when we embarked on this journey.
It is also important to think of the human element in this equation. Retrain your staff so they can adequately support the growth in cloud computing and the SPI model.


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Eagle checkpoint spent the day showing some great hospitality to several teams of the 2019 race, while the Dawson City checkpoint closed for another year.
This afternoon at 4:00pm PST rookie musher Lisbet Norris (bib #14) from Fairbanks, Alaska scratched from the race in Dawson City, Yukon. Norris cited the decision was made for the best interest of her dog team.
Twenty-seven teams are still in the 2019 race.
Overflow & Jumble Ice
Yesterday evening rookie musher Olivia Webster (bib #15) turned back into the Dawson City checkpoint after departing and made the decision to scratch.
There are 28 teams still racing in the 2019 Yukon Quest.
The Dawson dog yard emptied out over the course of the day, with 21 mushers departing for the Eagle checkpoint and the second half of the 2019 Yukon Quest.
Hans Gatt and defending champion Allen Moore began the proceedings just after midnight, both with teams of 13. Paige Drobny and her...
This evening at 6:30pm PST rookie musher Jimmy Lebling (bib #6) scratched from the race in Dawson City, Yukon. He made the decision for the well-being of his team.
There were few vacancies in the Dawson dog yard today as most of the 2019 Yukon Quest mushers arrived at the halfway point of their 1,000 miles and began their 36-hour layover. Dog care, sleep, hot meals, and maybe a shower were the aim of all the competitors when asked about their plans for the...


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As if there already wasn't a strong enough case for making Bodkin, Eviana Hartman's line of simply chic, earth-friendly wares the only label in your wardrobe, here's one more reason: come spring, Hartman will be offering swimsuits to the lineup.
"I was heading to Mal País, Costa Rica, for my first surf trip. I couldn't quite find a bathing suit that was me," she told The Moment.
Right now the collection includes just two styles: an athletic-top two-piece (cheekily dubbed the "Bodkini), and a knotted-waist maillot, both in a heathered grey-green fabric that renders them as perfect for laying out on city rooftops as they are for the beach—and really, that's all you need.
For a video of Eviana Hartman discussing sustainabie design in the fashion industry, click here.


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Member's Mark Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (750 ml)
Product Details
About this item
This item is not eligible for prepay, however you can still choose Club Pickup and pay for this item when you check in at your club.
- Appellation: South Island of New Zealand
- Aromas of citrus, apples, lemongrass and melon
- Fruited on the palate with a zesty finish
Marlborough, New Zealand is world famous for producing fresh, vibrant Sauvignon Blanc. Situated at the top of the South Island of New Zealand, it is hailed as one of New Zealand's most sunny and dry regions, ideal growing conditions to maximize the unique aroma and flavors of this varietal. The warm sunny days coupled with cool nights and long ripening period are Marlborough's advantage in the glass. The Member's Mark team have sourced this classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc through a vigorous selection process so you can enjoy the refreshing zesty taste of the region at home. The grape selection is sourced from vineyards across the region to reflect the balanced Marlborough style.
Taste profile:
This classic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has refreshing aromas of citrus, apples, lemongrass and melon with elegant underlining herbal notes. It's exuberantly fruited on the palate with a zesty finish.
Food Match:
This wine can be enjoyed as a refreshing aperitif or with a wide range of salads and white meats — think chicken, turkey, and fresh seafood, including grilled fish, oysters, prawns and mussels. It is also particularly good with goat cheeses and can handle a bit of spice/herbs including basil, coriander, mint and chilli. That makes it a perfect pair with Asian fusion dishes, allowing the fresh, vibrant flavors to work well together.
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Final sales tax for this item will be calculated upon pickup and added to the amount due at Club checkout.
GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems.
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No discounts, coupons or tax-exempt sales may be applied to alcohol.
Sam's Club reserves the right to refuse orders for alcoholic beverages for any reason without explanation.


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January 6, 2005
For past issues, select from the drop-down menu.
State of School FinanceEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Financing Better Schools
A look at how state policymakers are looking for new and better ways to finance public education.
• Financial Evolution Historically, states have focused on how to distribute money equitably across districts, but now, states are asking what it would take to raise all students to state standards.
- Chart: Per-Pupil Expenditures
- Chart: Spending Split
- Chart: School Finance Litigation
• Making Every Dollar Count Educators face increased pressure not only to make do with the money they have, but also to do more with that money than ever before.
- Chart: School-Level Data Collection
- Sidebar: Weighty Decisions
- Chart: Weighted Funding
- Sidebar: Salary Adjustments
- Chart: Performance-Pay Pioneers
- Sidebar: Financial Freedom
• The Bottom Line School finance experts may have refined their models for determining how much it should cost to educate students, but that doesn't mean they always agree on the results.
- Sidebar: New York Adequacy Studies
- Sidebar: Kentucky Adequacy Studies
- Sidebar: Maryland Adequacy Studies
- Sidebar: Uncertain Costs
- Chart: Price Check
- Table: Adequacy Studies
• A Level Playing Field One lawsuit set the Garden State on a bold new path for financing schools in the neediest districts. Several years after the key decisions in the landmark case, the results are still being debated.
- Chart: Plaintiff Victory
- Sidebar: Targeted Spending
- Chart: State Strategies
• Elusive Answers The rising demands on public schools, a fluctuating economy, and successful lawsuits are forcing states to search for new ways to make their tax systems fairer and more reliable.
- Chart: Education Lotteries
- Table: Sources of State Revenue
- Sidebar: Revenue Limits
• Overview: No two states finance their public schools exactly alike. The major features of each state's school funding system are highlighted in state-by-state summaries.
- Text Index: Finance Snapshots
State of the StatesSTATE DATA
Education Week examines how states fare on student achievement, standards and accountability, efforts to improve teacher quality, school climate, and resources.
• Overview: State of the States States are putting in place policies to help meet the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and to improve the conditions in their schools.Summary of Grades by State
• Table: Student Achievement
• Table: Standards and Accountability
• Table (Web only): Grade-by-Grade State Testing Policies
• Table: Efforts to Improve Teacher Quality
• Table: School Climate
• Table: Resources: Equity
- Sidebar: Equity: Interpretation
- Sidebar: Spending: Interpretation
• How Education Week Graded the States
Education Week grades the states and the District of Columbia in key categories.
• Map: State Report Cards (Requires Macromedia Flash Player.)
Reports showing grading-indicator data across key categories for individual states.
• Text Index: State Data Reports
Quality Counts is produced with support from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
- Elementary School Master Teacher
- One City Schools, Madison, Wisconsin
- Preschool Director
- One City Schools, Madison, Wisconsin
- School Bus Driver
- Madison Highland Prep, Phoenix, Arizona
- Middle School Spanish Teacher (1 Sem only)
- East Baton Rouge Parish Schools, Baton Rouge, LA, US
- ESE Teacher
- Duval County Public Schools, Jacksonville, Florida


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- Comedy
2 Broke Girls
Max and Caroline are back with all new outrageous episodes of 2 Broke Girls!
In a brand new sixth season, Max and Caroline have become part-owners of the diner, which Han isn't enjoying, but Earl's getting a big kick out of. The girls have also turned their cupcake window into a dessert bar, and will be working around the clock at the diner to get it up and running.
Surrounded by their offbeat, colourful "family" at the diner, plus their lively upstairs neighbour, Sophie (Jennifer Coolidge), "smarts" plus "hearts" might just be the recipe for success for these two broke girls, proving life can be fun - even if you're broke!
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Sunday Summary – July 5th, 2015
So what did you miss this week?
This week was in large part was a tribute to the late British actor Patrick Macnee, we made more masks, we celebrated Gay Pride and marriage equality, we examined the trustworthiness of Artificial Intelligence in the film EX MACHINA, and a whole bunch of other fascinating topics!
Monday, June 29th, 2015
On June 29th, 1914 there was a failed assassination attempt on the infamous Rasputin, we began our tribute to the late Patrick Macnee by remembering his role as John Steed of The Avengers, and we invited you join our writing team.
Tuesday, June 30th, 2015
The Oxford Evolution debate occurred between Thomas Henry Huxley and Bishop Samuel Wilberforce on June 30th, 1860, we looked at the influence of the Hellfire Club in history, The Avengers, and The X-Men, and we reported back on the League of Cincinnati Steampunks' participation with the Cincinnati Gay Pride Parade.
Wednesday July 1st, 2015
The first ever Tour de France was raced on July 1st, 1903, the lives of Chimney Sweeps was explored by Dr. Pembroke, we looked at Patrick Macnee's role in the 1978 TV show Battlestar Galactica, and the Uncommon Geek brought us Episode 52 of their podcast.
Thursday, July 2nd, 2015
On July 2nd, 1900 Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin flew his first airship, M. Leigh Hood brought us her fifth installment of Midsummer Mask-Making, and we looked at Patrick Macnee's roles as Dr. Watson and Sherlock Holmes.
Friday, July 3rd, 2015
Bertha Benz made the first ever "road trip" when she "borrowed" the first ever car that her husband Karl Benz released to the public on July 3rd, 1886, we welcomed The Realmdweller to the Pandora Society writing team who asked EX MACHINA, & Can We Trust AI?, and we announce the oncoming elections for the Midsummer Masquerade Royal Court.
Saturday, July 4th, 2015
On June 27th, 1898, Joshua Slocum completed his solo sailing trip around the globe, and we revisited the Klingon music of il Troubadore.
Sunday, July 5th, 2015
July 5th, 1937 first saw Spam arriving on the selves of grocery stores, we had the Cincinnati Steampunk Salon July Report, and then it was time for the Sunday Summary 🙂
Coming Next Week . . .
More and more cyberpunk, perhaps another new writer, the elections for the Midsummer Masquerade king and queen, and so much more!


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30 Rock
Last night's mentoring episode was really just the appetizer. After a fairly straightforward first show, 30 Rock unleashed all of its zaniest, most self-referential impulses in the second half-hour of the night. Jenna sang a song about pizza, Weird Al sang a song about our troops, and Alec Baldwin's brother dressed up as Jack Donaghy and seduced Avery Jessup's mom.
Our heroes are working on the TV-movie version of Avery's capture by North Korea, and the pressure is on. "If you get this right," Jack tells Liz, who's writing the script, "gay men will be dressing up like Avery for Halloween for the next twenty years."
Jenna, who plays Avery, wrote a song called "Kidnapped" for the movie. Almost as soon as she released it, Weird Al put out his own parody, "Knapsack." Liz tries to explain to Jenna that she should be proud: "It's a huge honor, like when people want to see your boobs at Mardi Gras." But Jenna's having none of it. She was planning to sing her song on Jimmy Fallon, and now she feels like it's been ruined.
At the read-through, it becomes apparent that Liz hasn't made any effort to hide the sordid beginnings of Jack and Avery's relationship. Cynthia Nixon is there playing Jack's high-school sweetheart, Nancy Donovan, whom he was dating when he got involved with Avery. In a nod to Julianne Moore's performance as Nancy, she sounds like an extra in The Departed. ("Am I going too big on the accent?" she asks. "No, that's how people from Boston sound to me," says Liz.)
As for Jack, he's being played by William Baldwin, only because Alec Baldwin doesn't exist in the 30 Rock universe, William Baldwin is playing an actor named Lance Drake Mandrell. What we know about Lance: He has a big Irish head and he believes in method acting.
The latter comes in handy once Diana Jessup appears. She's Avery's mom, as you'll recall; she's played by Mary Steenburgen, and she and Jack are wildly, disturbingly attracted to each other. Diana fully disapproves of the TV movie. She thinks it's crass, like personalized wedding vows or standing up in a pool. But she'll allow it, as long as she can stick around and make sure NBC doesn't mishandle the Jessup name. Sensing that this could get creepy fast, Liz decides to stick around. After all, she's spent her entire life developing her skills as a third wheel. In college, they called her the Blocker.
Lance isn't a commanding Master of the Universe type like Jack, but he can fake it well enough. So Liz tries to point Diana in his direction. Everyone at work wants to "slip it to Jack," she tells her, but they all know it would be inappropriate. That's where Lance comes in: "Wouldn't mind giving him the old skin flute."
Despite the lack of anatomical logic, Diana seems fairly convinced. She approaches Lance in his dressing room and goads him into saying Jack-like things, such as "Prius is the Latin word for impotence." Soon, they're going out on a date, and not much later, Lance is bragging to Jack, "She's a real hotshot at boinking. She boinks like a dog. I'm not a writer." This is a little gross, but it also seems to have solved the sexual-tension problem, so score one for team Blocker.
Jack is impressed, but also mad at Liz for trying to puncture his dream world. He wants to believe that his relationship with Avery was perfect and that he doesn't have a strange crush on her mother. So he fires Liz, thinking he'll write the movie himself.
Meanwhile, Jenna's trying to figure out how to get back at Weird Al. Tracy tells her not to try legal action, because it never works: Eminem backed down, Lady Gaga backed down. Also, if Jenna writes a new song, Weird Al will just parody her again. So Jenna says she'll write a song that can't be parodied. "What do you think Phil Collins was trying to do with 'Sussudio'?" asks Tracy.
"Which Weird Al famously parodied as 'Soupsoupio!'" says Jenna.
The problem is that all of Jenna's lyrics lead to food puns. "Those lonely eyes," for example — Tracy immediately turns that line into "baloney thighs." Frustrated, Jenna says they might as well write a song about pizza, because there's nothing Al could change it to.
Sure enough, when the Jimmy Fallon show rolls around, there's Jenna singing a song with lyrics about food and farting. But Weird Al is one step ahead of her. The next day, he releases a video of himself dressed like Bruce Springsteen and singing a patriotic version of her song, with lyrics about the military. He reversed the parody and Normal Al'd her!
Having quit his job the previous episode, Kenneth comes back to 30 Rock this episode as a janitor. At first, we see him plunging a toilet and singing, "I love this" to the NBC jingle. But then he finds his sandwich from last week in the trash, and it reminds him how well his career was going just a few days earlier. A janitor colleague finds him mooning over the sandwich and holds out a bucket of scraps: "Hang on, kid, we pool our tips."
When Jack asks why he's dressed as a janitor, Kenneth says he's still pursuing his dreams. "My career dreams, not that dream where those two tennis sisters chase me." Jack asks how he stays so relentlessly upbeat, and Kenneth explains happily that he lies to himself. Then his voice changes, and he admits that he doesn't know how much longer he can do it.
This causes Jack to realize that he's been lying to himself. He calls Liz in and tells her the movie is off. But Liz has another idea: "We just have to keep doing what we've been doing. Lying. To everybody." Cue the dramatic end to the movie, where an evil North Korean uses his freeze-ray to stop Jack as he and his henchmen grab Avery from the roof of the Empire State Building.


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It is not necessary for me to have an opinion on thatPosted: 25 June 2014 Filed under: Ethics, Philosophy, Religion | Tags: Faith, Hope, Love, Saint Paul 1 Comment
(Rejoice, for there is no hope!)
As I was coming home from work, I wondered whether my son had been selected to be on a jury. He had been called in to the district court that day for jury duty, but only a minority of those called in end up on a jury ('Many are called but few are chosen').
My thought process was something like this:
'If he gets selected then the trial will clash with some commitments he has in the next few weeks that matter quite a lot to him. So from that point of view it would be better for him not to be selected.
On the other hand, sitting through a long trial and hearing first-hand stories from people who lead far less privileged lives than we do would be a tremendous opportunity for learning and growth for him, albeit maybe somewhat harrowing.
Dear me, what shall I hope for? Shall I hope that he is selected or that he is not?'
Then that precious thought came to me that has often entered my mind recently:
'It is not necessary for me to have an opinion on that'.
Whether he gets selected or not is outside my control. Whichever happens, we shall try to make the best of the situations that arise. There is no need, and no point, in hoping for one outcome or the other.
So I didn't. I just shut the thought process down and moved on to something else.
I aim these days to completely banish hope from my life.
That may sound bleak. But it isn't. The apparent bleakness is just an artefact of our peculiar Western culture. We are taught to hope from an early age. The sentence 'There is no hope' is regarded within Western culture as synonymous with despair and misery. Yet there is no reason at all that it should be so. If we can learn to be content with the present moment, what need have we of hope?
This message has a strong presence in many cultures in India and farther East. It is not unknown in Western culture, but its presence is less strong than in the East. In Western thought it is principally manifest in the Ancient Greek philosophies of Stoicism and Epicureanism.
I blame Saint Paul for the Western preoccupation with Hope. It's that famous passage in Corinthians where he says that the three greatest virtues are Faith, Hope and Love. I'm not Paul's biggest fan but, in between the misogyny and the homophobia, he did have his good moments. And I reckon the poor old fellow got unfairly misinterpreted on that epistle. His point wasn't that faith and hope are particularly great. It was that love is far more important than the other two. Surely that's something we can agree on. Paul may think faith and hope are pretty good. I think they're rubbish! But at least we agree that love is much more important. If Paul says that love is what makes the world go around, then I applaud him, even if he wants to spend some of it on his god rather than on his fellow humans and other suffering animals, who need it so much more. Perhaps he finds it hard to love other humans, and loving his god helps him to love others as well. If so then loving God first sounds like a good strategy, for him. For me it actually works the other way around. I find humans more lovable than the idea of God because of their (our!) frailness, limited understanding, cantankerousness and emotional vulnerability. Virtue of the beloved is only very rarely a reason for love. Parents do not love their toddlers because of their great virtue (what virtue?) but because of their vulnerability, because they need us so much.
I grew up to feel that I ought to hope that certain things would happen and that others wouldn't. It was almost as though by hoping I increased the likelihood of the desired event happening. Hoping was like a duty, and to fail to hope was somehow remiss.
I don't know whether I am unusual in that regard or whether it is a common feeling of people in our culture. But in any case, What a lot of nonsense!
My hoping or not hoping has no effect at all on what will happen! What matters is what I do, not what I hope. If I am concerned at the lack of compassion shown to refugees and the lack of action about climate change, I can lobby politically for those causes, express strong views in the public arena, try to personally help refugees and the environment, and donate lavishly to organisations that work towards those ends. Hoping at the same time for success doesn't seem likely to increase the effectiveness of my actions.
In some ways, hoping may make my actions less effective. If I am constantly longing for success, I may become discouraged and give up acting if the prospect of success does not become progressively stronger. Then the cause will suffer. But if I act not out of hope but out of a belief that the actions are right then the activity is its own reward. If success follows, so much the better, but if not it does not mean that I have failed or that my time was wasted.
Imagine having a family member or close friend with a very serious illness. It seems natural to hope for their recovery, and to hope that they will not deteriorate, suffer and die. But what good does that hope do? What is needed is to do whatever we can to alleviate their suffering, maximise their chances of recovery and let them know that they are loved. If we waste mental energy and thinking time on wishing for a recovery, we will miss the opportunity to fully experience and value the time we have with them now. So let us do what we can to help, focus on valuing our time with them, and leave the things we cannot control to work themselves out, in whatever way they must.
Imagine a damaged passenger aeroplane that is plummeting towards the ground. Should the occupants hope to be saved? Well, the pilots should be focusing on the technical problem of how to regain control of the plane, not on hope. The cabin crew should be focusing on ensuring the passengers are all seated, strapped in, braced and know the emergency procedures, not on hope. The passengers themselves have less to do. But they can comfort one another – speak words of encouragement and love, help calm fears, hold hands, supply and dispose of airsickness bags. Or if seated alone, they can meditate on the inevitability of death – if not now then later – and try to achieve a state of acceptance. Or even sing! The orchestra on the Titanic that played as the ship went down is legendary, not because they brought hope, because there was none, but because they brought relative calm, courage and acceptance.
Let me restate: there is nothing new in this. The message has been preached for thousands of years in Stoicism, Epicureanism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Taoism. It is only because our Western culture so often demands that we have hope, that there is any need to remind ourselves of the message.
My reason for discouraging hope is not only that it can distract from practical, helpful action. It is also that it is doomed to fail.
When we hope, we wish our life away. We diminish the importance of the present moment in order to elevate the importance of a potential future state. But if we prioritise the future over the past, what happens? As John Maynard Keynes said 'In the long run we are all dead'. Now I have nothing against death. It is a natural part of life, and is only sad when it comes too soon, too painfully, or leaves dependants in desperate circumstances. But while it is not bad, neither is it especially good. It is not something to be aspired to. It is simply blank, neutral (in fact it is, literally, nothing!). So the final consequence of hoping for the future, at the expense of diminishing the present, is to aspire towards the blankness of death, which seems a particularly empty and uninspiring goal.
It may be that in certain extraordinary circumstances hope may be beneficial. Perhaps parents whose child has disappeared, suspected kidnapped, may find that hope is helpful to them. My guess is that, even in those horrible circumstances, time spent thinking about hope may be more upsetting than time spent focusing on the practicalities of doing whatever one can to save the child. But I have no experience of such a situation, so my ideas are mere idle speculation. All I can say is that, although I have often hoped in the past, sometimes being quite obsessed by it, I have never experienced circumstances in which hope was helpful, and I cannot imagine any circumstances where I would expect it to be helpful.
I have one last reason for objecting to hope, and that is when it is used to focus beyond death, on a potential after-life. It is entirely reasonable and understandable that some people want to believe in an after-life. It is only when it starts affecting their actions in this world that it can become a problem. The after-life has been used as an excuse for terrorism (jihadists blowing themselves up in crowded market-places so they can go straight to Paradise where seventy-two virgins await them), for inaction on social justice (the poor will 'receive their consolation in heaven'), and for inflicting self-misery (Roman Catholics with irretrievably broken marriages denying themselves the possibility of being in love again, because such 'adultery' would damn their immortal soul).
Maybe there's an after-life and maybe there isn't. But what we can be sure of is that no human knows anything about it. So whatever other humans tell us about it, whether in speech or via books such as the Bible or Quran, is pure speculation. Hence I suggest we treat after-life stories as just one more interesting, unfalsifiable hypothesis, like string theory, and get on with loving and helping one another here and now.
Notwithstanding all that, I still frequently find myself wondering which of two alternative potential events to wish for, when the outcome is entirely outside my control. Which should I hope for? Quick, this is important! Don't hope for the wrong one! My running partner is five minutes late for our lunchtime jog and I'm tired. I wouldn't mind giving the jog a miss today. Shall I hope that they don't turn up so I can give my tired body a rest, or shall I hope they do turn up because I really need to lose that extra smidgeon of weight? What a responsibility! How can I decide? Then the blessed thought returns to save me:
'It is not necessary for me to have an opinion on that'.
Andrew Kirk
Bondi Junction, June 2014


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Musical Prophet: George Michael
Music is my religion, and the musicians are the prophets who are always there, seeing me through the wilderness and bringing light and love back into my life. Whether I am happy, sad, depressed, angry, or in love, these prophets always have something to say to me through their powerful lyrics and music. In the past year, I've lost four major musical prophets from my life – David Bowie, Prince, Leonard Cohen and George Michael. 2016 is truly the year the music died. Long before there was this awful invention called auto-tune,…Read More


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Celebrations are in order! Thank you, Rashida Khanbhai, for awarding my blog the Liebster Blog Award. I very much appreciate all the encouragement I receive from my fellow bloggers.
The Liebster Blog Award (German for favorite) is for bloggers with 200 followers or less. As a recipient of the award, I now have the chance to thank and link back to the blogger who gave it to me as well as pass it along to five other deserving blogs.
The rules of engagement for this award are to:
· Thank the person who gave you this award and link back to them.
· Give the award to five other bloggers.
· Let them know via a comment on their blog.
· Post the award on your blog.
I started quilting in 1991 and have made a number of traditional quilts in the last 20+ years. Recently, my sister got me involved in the India Modern Quilt Guild which dragged me out of a rut and sent me on my way to the discovery of modern quilting. I have not looked back since then. I am a retired IT professional but it had not occurred to me that blogging was the way to go to share my work and techniques with other quilters. This has opened up a whole new avenue to put to work all the skills I had been building during my working life. Three useful interests have been ignited by joining the IMQG - my interest in quilting was revived, spurred by the monthly challenges and charity block of the month; my blogging skills are improving as I try to keep my blog updated; and I've learned to use my digital camera to document the progress of my quilts. To learn more about the India Modern Quilt Guild, visit its blog.
I award the Liebster Blog Award to:
· Shilpa Mirasdar at My Stitches
· Pearlin Jacob at Knottyville
· Sandhya Karandikar at Pans & Needles
· Brinda Crishna at Moments of Quiet: Embroidering My Tale
· Carol Shatananda at Happy Turtle


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The most extraordinary professional relationships are built by ordinary actions like these
By JEFF HADEN
Professional success is important to everyone, but still, success in business and in life means different things to different people – as well it should.
But one fact is universal: Real success, the kind that exists on multiple levels, is impossible without building great relationships. Real success is impossible unless you treat other people with kindness, regard, and respect. After all, you can be a rich jerk. . .but you will also be a lonely jerk.
That's why people who build extraordinary business relationships. . .
1. Take the hit
A customer gets mad. A vendor complains about poor service. A mutual friend feels slighted. Sometimes, whatever the issue and regardless of who is at fault, some people step in and take the hit.
They're willing to accept the criticism or abuse because they know they can handle it – and they know that maybe, just maybe, the other person can't. Few acts are more selfless than taking the undeserved hit. And few acts better cement a relationship.
2. Step in without being asked
It's easy to help when you're asked. Most people will. Very few people offer help before they have been asked, even though most of the time, that is when a little help will make the greatest impact.
People who build extraordinary relationships pay close attention so they can tell when others are struggling. Then, they offer to help, but not in a general "Is there something I can do to help you?" way.
Instead they come up with specific ways they can help. That way, they can push past the reflexive, "No, I'm okay. . ." objections.
And they can roll up their sleeves and make a difference in another person's life. Not because they want to build a better relationship, although that is certainly the result, but simply because they care.
3. Answer the question that is not asked
Where relationships are concerned, face value is usually without value. Often people will ask a different question than the one they really want answered.
A colleague might ask you whether he should teach a class at a local college; what he really wants to talk about is how to take his life in a different direction.
A partner might ask how you felt about the idea he presented during the last board meeting; what he really wants to talk about is his diminished role in the running of the company.
An employee might ask how you built a successful business; instead of kissing up, he might be looking for some advice – and encouragement – to help him follow his own dreams.
Behind many simple questions is often a larger question that goes unasked. People who build great relationships think about what lies underneath so they can answer that question, too.
4. Know when to dial it back
Outgoing and charismatic people are usually a lot of fun . . . until they aren't. When a major challenge pops up or a situation gets stressful, still, some people can't stop "expressing their individuality."
(Admit it: You know at least one person so in love with his personality he can never dial it back.)
People who build great relationships know when to have fun and when to be serious, when to be over the top and when to be invisible, and when to take charge and when to follow.
Great relationships are multifaceted and therefore require multifaceted people willing to adapt to the situation – and to the people in that situation.
5. Prove they think of others
People who build great relationships don't just think about other people. They act on those thoughts.
One easy way is to give unexpected praise. Everyone loves unexpected praise – it's like getting flowers not because it's Valentine's Day, but "just because". Praise helps others feel better about themselves and lets them know you're thinking about them (which, if you think about it, is flattering in itself).
Take a little time every day to do something nice for someone you know, not because you're expected to but simply because you can. When you do, your relationships improve dramatically.
6. Realise when they have acted poorly
Most people apologise when their actions or words are called into question. Very few people apologise before they are asked to – or even before anyone notices they should.
Responsibility is a key building block of a great relationship. People who take the blame, who say they are sorry and explain why they are sorry, who don't try to push any of the blame back on the other person – those are people everyone wants in their lives, because they instantly turn a mistake into a bump in the road rather than a permanent roadblock.
7. Give consistently, receive occasionally
A great relationship is mutually beneficial. In business terms that means connecting with people who can be mentors, who can share information, who can help create other connections; in short, that means going into a relationship wanting something.
The person who builds great relationships doesn't think about what she wants; she starts by thinking about what she can give.
She sees giving as the best way to establish a real relationship and a lasting connection.
She approaches building relationships as if it's all about the other person and not about her and, in the process builds relationships with people who follow the same approach.
In time, they make real connections. And in time, they make real friends.
8. Value the message by always valuing the messenger
When someone speaks from a position of power, authority or fame it's tempting to place greater emphasis on their input, advice, and ideas.
We listen to internet entrepreneur Tony Hsieh. We listen to authors and entrepreneurs like Norm Brodsky and Seth Godin. The guy who mows our lawn? Maybe we don't listen to him so much.
That's unfortunate. Smart people strip away the framing that comes with the source – whether positive or negative – and consider the information, advice, or idea based solely on its merits.
People who build great relationships never automatically discount the message simply because they discount the messenger. They know good advice is good advice, regardless of where it comes from. And they know good people are good people, regardless of their perceived "status".
9. Start small. . .and are happy to stay small
I sometimes wear a Reading Football Club sweatshirt. The checkout clerk at the grocery store noticed it one day and said, "Oh, you're a Reading supporter? My team is Manchester United."
Normally, since I'm pretty shy, I would have just nodded and said something innocuous, but for some reason I said, "You think Man U can beat Real Madrid next week?"
He gave me a huge smile and said, "Oh yeah. We'll crush them!" (Too bad he was wrong.)
Now, whenever I see him, he waves, often from across the store. I almost always walk over, say hi, and talk briefly about soccer.
That's as far as our relationship is likely to go and that's okay. For a couple of minutes, we transcend the customer or employee relationship and become two people brightening each other's day.
And that's enough, because every relationship, however minor and possibly fleeting, has value.
People who build great relationships treat every one of their relationships that way. (That's a lesson I need to take to heart more often.)
Jeff Haden is an author of more than 50 non-fiction books and a ghostwriter for innovators and business leaders. To engage with him, e-mail us at email@example.com
Reposted with permission on Leaderonomics.com
Jeff Haden is a speaker, ghostwriter, and author of The Motivation Myth: How Highly Successful People Really Set Themselves Up to Win.


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Astronauts can't take everything they need with them on a long space mission. Now they can use 3D printers to make personalized medical supplies on demand in space!
On Jan. 11, the first medical supplies were 3D printed off Earth. Hand injuries are common medical problems for astronauts. But it wasn't possible to make custom-fitted splints for astronauts during a space mission until now.
Dr. Julielynn Wong, a medical doctor, scientist, and founder of 3D4MD, a social enterprise that makes 3D printable medical supplies, showed that you can 3D print a custom mallet finger splint for an astronaut by using (1) a laser hand scan saved from the fitting process for spacesuit gloves, (2) free software, and (3) a solar-powered 3D printer.
The 3D4MD team designed one splint with a star pattern to highlight that it was made amongst the stars. Both splint models were designed to be worn without a velcro strap in case this item is not readily available during a space mission or on Earth.
Mallet finger injuries are common hand injuries on Earth. Improperly treated mallet finger injuries can lead to permanent crippling hand deformities. Research indicates that the best way to treat mallet finger injuries is to use custom-fitted, handmade splints. Sadly, there is a global shortage of skilled healthcare workers who can make these custom-fitted splints, especially in rural communities.


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Figured this could use it's own thread. Based on this thread on the beta forum http://forum.worldof...555#entry665555WoWs is going to the now very common open beta as soft launch model.
If you buy a pre-order bundle you'll get tokens (the CBT premium currency) equal to the amount in the bundle to use during the CBT. Then when the game goes into open beta the cbt stuff will be wiped and you'll get your full amount of doubloons added to your account.
One change from previous open betas that I have mixed feelings about is that there won't be a wipe between Open Beta and Launch. So the gold you spend in Open Beta will be spent and you'll keep your progress. While not having to regrind trees at launch will be nice, I've always liked that WG didn't start charging for real until the game launched. Also it doesn't seem like there will be any account linkage during CBT or Open Beta so the gold you buy will only be spendable on WoWs and your xp and premium time will only be on WoWs.


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March was supposed to be a month spent exploring coding, but with many of our lease iPads due for return, much time was spent cloning, deleting and amending student and teacher tablets. Internet issues beyond the schools control compounded the problem but eventually lower school was complete.
With the IB Art show came an opportunity to recap with students the use of the camera and how they can view and edit them in the Photo roll. This photo shows two first grade students, wearing crazy hats for the day, practicing taking landscape and portrait pictures. They hadn't explored applying filters or cropping pictures before - and this lead into a discussion about the different apps that used the camera - Morfo Booth, Puppet Pals, Explain Everything, Book Creator etc. One student observed that it different apps needed pictures taken either in portrait or landscape - whilst Puppet Pals needed both, portrait for the actors and landscape for the backgrounds. Walking around the room and looking at all the pictures the students had taken, I think we may have to discuss 'trashing' pictures that aren't being used!


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|Just another Perl shrine
Re: Ignoring nodesby extremely (Priest)
|on Jan 15, 2001 at 21:13 UTC ( #51961=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Well, you are going to have to deal with headless nodes from people you don't have ignored who replied to ignored nodes. That is always a pain to deal with. I don't see vroom putting that in unless there is an easy way to deal with such issues in Everything already. Look at /. and its screwed up threading when a middle tier post is low-mod'ed but there are higher level posts in its tree. Messy messy.
In Section Perl Monks Discussion


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Tuesday, 18 November 2014
Long black coat for 17" Tonner guys.
I've been working away at the long coat fro my Tonner boys. There's a hell of a lot of sewing in this! Also it required good prep, and making sure all the bits are added at the right time during construction, belt, pocket flaps, etc; but it's nearly finished now and tomorrow I'll start work on the shoulder cape to give it that Highwayman look.
It's in the cashmere and viscose fabric I ordered, which is lovely to sew. It needs fray check though for two reasons. One, yes it does fray rather a lot and two, it's a very heavy, slinky and drapey fabric. The fray check around the edges helps to stabilise it for easier handling and sewing.
The lining is in Kaffe Fassett shot cotton. It's gorgeous.
Please excuse my awful pictures. I have bad handshake today, and can't seem to get a decent shot. These show hoe good the coat looks on though.
I couldn't find the balance with the lighting either. One is too dark, the other too bright. Pah.
It looks proper Matrix-y to me as well, more than Highwayman-ish. But I hope the cape will solve that. Not that there's anything wrong with a guy in a sexy Matrix coat. :)
Ugh, sorry that last one is so blurry.
I'm loving the coat from all angles, back, front, sides. With the next version, I plan to try adding a vent. I was going to do it with this one, but my sewing expertise doesn't quite extend to lined coat vents. I need to find a cheat with the lining, to make it easier for both myself, and anyone who comes to sew the pattern when I finally manage to publish it.
It's slow going today because I managed to slice up my thumb (in two places) with the cheese-slicer last night. It's sore as hell. I will never use that vicious thing again.
4 comments :
It's fab-u-lous!! That's so impressive and beautifully made!! Loving the lining! I think he needs a Dr Who style scarf to finish it off lol!!! Bad cheese-slicer you stay well away from it!!ReplyDelete
OMG, I am in awe! Shame to button it up with that gorgeous lining. Oh I can`t wait to see the vented version :) :) :)ReplyDelete
Sorry, I have had so many spammy comments that I need to moderate all of them. I will get to approving your comment just as soon as I can.
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Magno Gold, the latest release of the Mango brand, for people looking for elegance and exclusivity. This new gold-colored gel keeps the characteristic essence of Magno with a different and sophisticated fragrance. It provides creaminess and softness to your skin with an irresistible and exclusive perfume. A luxury for daily care.


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Stepping into the Darkness:
Building the Fête en Noire Marketing Campaign
Click any of the following images to view larger:
The popular summer gala, Fête en Blanc, has grown exponentially into the "it" party of the year. The event is organized by Joe Hess with his committee of enthusiastic individuals and business owners who contribute in masterminding the staple-mark affair. Guests enter the pop-up location in Lancaster (which changes each year) in white fashion armed with their own food, drink, tables, chairs, and place settings for a lively experience that is free to enter for those who have requested an invitation and obtained tickets. Beyond having fun, the purpose of Fête en Blanc is to bond our local community and contribute to charitable causes through donation.
The team at Espial Design Group was thrilled when approached with the opportunity to devise a marketing campaign for Joe's latest conception, Fête en Noire. The goal for the new "party in black" was to pull party-goers from winter hibernation for a night of mystery, intrigue, and subtle sexy tones while giving back to charity and helping to offset the ever growing costs of the popular summer event. Taking place at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania, Fête en Noire promised to entertain their audience with out-of-the-box performers, a live art auction with pieces by local artists, appetizers from nine different vendors, and a full bar.
To market the event, we devised a visual plan that enlisted model Ashley Velez as the face of the Fête en Noire campaign. With Ashley on board, we called up Revelo advertiser, John Spidaliere of Lanc Living, for a location for our video and photo shoot. John delivered with a stunning, vacant home on East King Street and on a day in November we began setting up our 5-hour-session with a number of playful props. Finch Jewelers and Nicole Taylor Boutique decked out Ashley in their wears and thus our creative vision came to life.
After photo and video edits had their final stamp of approval, the team took the campaign online to unveil the Fête en Noire announcement to the public. The response was incredible. Throughout the campaign, inquiries, sponsorship requests, and posts of excitement came flooding in. The buzz that was created helped to sell out the four ticketed time slots within 30 seconds each!
It has been an honor to work with Joe and the Fête committee to make Fête en Noire a reality and success. The new friends that we have made along the way have, for us, exceeded the goal of warming the cold winter months. We look forward to another spectacular party at this year's Fête en Blanc!
Are you in need of a marketing campaign for your business or event?
Contact Espial Design Group at email@example.com or (717) 364-4444 and let us help promote you!


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Introduction: Rainbow Moravian Star Lamp
Ever since I started college, I've been working part time at a bioprocessing lab. This summer, rather than working full-time there, I decided to branch off and assist a diagnostics lab in SoCal. Because I won't see my coworkers for 2.5 months, I wanted to at least leave a little something behind for them. Specifically the idea that they brought up was a lamp, so that was my starting point. A few days of planning later to find inspiration, I ended up fixated on Moravian stars.
As for the color choice, it was a bit of nostalgic inspiration: When the lights are off, it appears quite plain with the grayscale coloring of gray backbone with black lace and white windows. When the lights are on, however, the true colors are revealed. It's cheese-ily symbolic in that while I began as a clueless intern at the lab, everyone taught and mentored me so I could mature into the colorful individual I am today. :)
Step 1: Materials
Quick introductory note: color combos are totally up to you, but I just listed out what I used. Of course, sub in your own preferences/materials on hand as you see fit.
- thick gray cardstock (80 lb or higher, but not too high else it'll be hard to cut and fold)
- black lace
- rainbow shades of origami paper
- glue
- tape
- fairy string lights + batteries
Step 2: Spikes: Template Design
Decide on the dimensions of the triangular faces of the square pyramidal points. For me, the lengths of the three sides were 2.75", 2.5", 2.75". I chose an isosceles triangle that's relatively close to being equilateral because I didn't want sharp spikes for the star. This was partially an aesthetic choice, but also a practical choice: if the points were too sharp, then the spikes would be more prone to caving in over time (less sturdy especially due to the lace inserts). Decide the triangle window dimensions (for the lace) while you're at it: I used 1.5+1/8", 1.5", 1.5+1/8" to allow for enough area for the light to shine through without detracting from the structural strength of the overall star (since bigger windows substitute out tougher cardstock).
Draw your final template onto a scrap piece of paper by first cutting out four big isosceles triangles aligned edge to edge as shown in the template. Then add thin trapezoidal tabs (thinner than the distance between the window edges and the outer edges or else your tabs will be visible in the windows). Add the smaller isosceles triangular windows centered in the four triangular faces too, and cut out this final template. (note: for the second picture above, you see my template and the smaller window triangle separate because I hadn't figured out this shortcut of adding the window to the template.. you'll see)
Step 3: Spikes: Cutting and Folding
Grab your template and begin tracing 18 of them in your thick cardstock. Cut them all out, and crease at the dashed lines indicated in the third picture above.
Step 4: Windows
I cut out the lace and origami paper for each window separately, and you might wonder why I didn't just cut out a single piece of lace/paper to go across all four windows? Well, it was partially because stupid me didn't think of the idea until I was almost complete, and also because that might interfere with the bending at the edges of the triangles (since the lace and paper would need to flex at the joints.. I suggest sacrificing a cutout to try it out to see if the idea works though: otherwise, you'll need to cut out 18*4 = 72 lace and paper triangles.
Then just glue the lace over the windows before adding the paper (white side facing out so that the colors are hidden) behind it. Let everything dry COMPLETELY (I suggest overnight) before using them later.
Step 5: Polygonal Skeleton: Templates 1, 2, 3
The next three templates are adapted from this website tutorial. See the images above for how the template dimensions work out. Cube dimensions are the same as the bottom side length of your spike triangles. (in my case, it was 2.5" as mentioned earlier so these cubes are 2.5" on all sides)
For all templates, red is fold, blue is a guide, and green means cut. The blue line is just a guide for the triangle: the triangle should be isosceles and have the same length as the side length of the cubes, so the blue marks the middle axis of the triangle. Template 1 and 2 are almost the same thing, except instead of three cubes on the bottom, there are only two cubes. Template 3 has more triangles with fewer cubes. For all templates, I didn't draw in the square windows, but they should also be cut out: my dimensions were 1.8" side length for reference.
Step 6: Polygonal Skeleton: Folding and Gluing
The pictures I took for this section weren't very clear (hard to depict process), but assembly isn't too hard. Common sense should be enough to figure it out, though some pictures are up there for guidance on folding (dashed lines in template) and gluing. Note: the templates do have some extra tabs, which you can either remove by cutting them off or gluing them anyway.
Remember to leave a little gap at any corner (yes, any) when you're gluing them together! This will be where you insert your lights.
Step 7: Lights
Add your choice of lights through the little gap you left before sealing shut. I went with fairy string lights in warm white light for a slightly subdued glow ("fairy" because the bulbs are tiny LEDs rather than full-blown light bulbs). Use tape to secure random sections of the string lights to the skeleton so that the lights don't bounce around.
Step 8: Spikes
For each of your 18 pieces, apply glue on the side trapezoidal tab before pinching the paper as shown in the second picture above. Slip the glued sections for all of them between heavy books (and a TV in my case haha) to let the glue fully dry (I highly recommend overnight).
Once everything is dry, pop them open as shown in the fourth picture above.
Step 9: Gluing Spikes
Apply glue at the bottom trapezoidal tabs for each spike and gently press in place at each of the squares of the polygonal skeleton. As you do this, be careful with your positioning of the colored spikes: turn the light inside on so you can clearly see the colors of each spike so you can properly arrange them as you wish. Hold the spike in place for about 5 minutes (more is better though to fully let the glue set). I used plain white school glue for this, but on second thought hot glue would have been perfect since it dries quickly. In any case, this is a very time consuming process so be sure to have a Netflix marathon while you're at it!
And.... that's it. :)
Step 10: Food for Thought
While I'm quite pleased with my final product, I also recognize that there's always room for expansion and improvement. Some ideas I had:
- Rather than putting rainbow origami paper behind the spikes, just use white origami paper but use addressable LEDs to control the lighting inside each spike individually.
- Try pointier spikes (less like equilateral) for a more dramatic, less ball-like shape.
- Add lace windows in the triangular faces of Templates 1, 2, and 3 (I didn't do it because I thought it might make the star too unstable since there's too many lace faces, but try it out!)
There's plenty of other ways to deviate: play around with your own ideas, and go wild!
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So beautiful! Congratulations!!
Thank you, Linda! Congrats to you for the Quilling Contest. :)
great job! the final look is really cool. also I see you put your biochemistry books to good use :p
Thank you! Haha this is when textbooks really come in handy.
Thank you!
Beautiful!!! I just did stained glass for the first time and made an emerald green star.
Oh nice! I've never done stained glass effects with actual glass before, but I'm sure it's an interesting process.


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New snow boots
When that snow came, I dug out the chocolate brown UGG boots (extreme weather is the only time they come out of retirement) to go out for a walk in the park. About ten steps out the front door, I was on the deck – a full-on fall, right on my hip (at least when I need a replacement I can point to this incident and blame the ridiculous footwear).
On closer examination, the grip has totally worn down: I might not have collapsed arches (my absolute pet hate when it comes to UGGs) but I do have elephant feet.
So I need new snow boots. Been having a browse and am loving Topshop's furlined biker boots, but am also considering these chunky & furry lovelies…
|Faux fur boots @ moda in pelle, £39.99 (reduced from £99.95)
|Black biker boots @ Miss Selfridge, £39
|Pull on ankle boots @ Dune, £47 (reduced from £99)
|Tall shearling boot, Blowfish @ Office, £35 (reduced from £70)
|Lace up boots @ Clarks, £54.99
Product images as credited