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The road is an unpredictable and dangerous place that can put a great deal of stress on a business owner who's employees transport materials or drive company vehicles. At Hortica, we want to make sure to send your employees out on the open road with the coverage that is right for your business and that gives you and your employees maximum protection in those unpredictable situations.
Factors that influence the cost of Business Auto insurance include:
- The year, make, model, weight, cost, use and radius of operations of your vehicles
- Claims you filed in the past
- Your drivers and their driving records
Businesses can help minimize their insurance costs. "Best practices" for managing a company's business auto risks include:
- Choose drivers carefully by verifying their Motor Vehicle Reports before making hiring decisions. Drivers with multiple tickets or accidents are far more likely to be involved in another accident.
- Do not allow drivers to use hand-held phones or similar devices while driving.
- Verify coverage when relying on a Personal Auto Policy to cover a vehicle used for business purposes, especially those used to make deliveries. Most personal insurance excludes business use. This applies to contract drivers as well.
- Insurance costs are linked to the size of the deductible. Consider a higher deductible to reduce costs.
Learn More
Although business auto insurance is required in most states, it is very important to keep the vehicle and anyone or anything in it safe. That being said, even if a business does not have a company vehicle or typically does not use a vehicle for the business, it is recommended to look into business auto if you rent vehicles or allow employees to drive their personal vehicles on company business.
A firm needs Business Auto coverage if:
- The business owns, rents, or leases any kind of vehicle
- Employees drive their own vehicles for business purposes
- You and/or the employees drive company cars for business and personal purposes
Points to consider and questions to ask yourself:
- How many drivers and vehicles need coverage?
- How for from their garaging location do your vehicles travel?
- What kind of vehicles (of different sizes and models) does your company have?
These questions will help you and your Hortica agent determine what kind of policy will fit your business` specific needs. Our agents at Hortica will assist you in taking inventory of your business and what kind of policy will protect you, your employees and the vehicles the best.
Coverage options include:
- Bodily injuries liability: coverage for injuries or death of other drivers, passengers and pedestrians if you or your employee driver is held responsible
- Property damage liability: cover damage to someone else`s property if you or your employee driver is held responsible
- Comprehensive coverage: covers damage to vehicles caused by something other than a collision (such as fire, theft, glass breakage, hail, and flood)
- Collision coverage: covers damage to your vehicle when you hit (or are hit by) another vehicle or if your vehicle collides with a fixed object
- Uninsured/ underinsured motorist coverage: covers expenses that would have been paid by the at-fault driver had that driver carried adequate insurance
- Medical payments coverage: covers medical expenses of passengers in your vehicle who are injured in an accident
No matter who or what is in your business vehicle while it is on the road, our agents at Hortica want to help keep them safe, no matter what the situation is. We want to help your business to keep moving forward on the business road, as unpredictable as it can be.


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Managing Uncertainty: Adapting to and learning from the COVID-19 crisis – a Rotman Insights Webinar Series
Main Content
A University of Toronto innovation expert gives his views on innovation and inequality in the midst of the world's third globalization.
You have said that we are in the midst of the world's third globalization. Please explain.
The first globalization ended with World War I, in 1918. After that, we didn't reach the same level of globalization — in terms of trade, people and ideas — until the 1990s. To paraphrase John Maynard Keynes, on the eve of World War I, what an Englishman could do from his bed while sipping orange juice from Africa and using the wire to do financial transactions, was not repeatable until the beginning of the 1990s.
The second globalization was led by the Americans and ran from 1990 to 2007. The third globalization is underway now, and much of it is happening in virtual reality. Just look at the daily transfer of exchange rates, which is around $13 trillion — more than almost all of global GDP. And that's just people moving money from one currency to another in order to make a few bucks.
The other important aspect of this era is the globalization of services. Supposedly, that is what the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) is all about. The fact is, now that we can move things into the 'cloud', we will start to see things moving around that we never thought were tradable.
I think part of the reason for the political turmoil we are seeing right now is that this third globalization has an odd feature: it allows bits of data and money to move around the world very rapidly, while people are actually more limited in their ability to move around than they were before World War I. We are living in a world in which jobs and wealth move around very rapidly, but human beings cannot.
Many business leaders around the world would love to create their own version of Silicon Valley. But in your view, it isn't the best model for innovation. Why?
It is one model of innovation, but it is certainly not the only one, and it is probably not the best model for most of the world. If you think about what Silicon Valley really does, it doesn't create new technologies — it creates new companies. It's all about finding cheap companies, buying them, and selling them for a large amount of money — whether or not they actually create sustainable products or employment.
This tells you something about who is gaining the most from Silicon Valley: it's the people who can play this game, who are highly-skilled and know how to develop technology at an extremely high-level; also, skilled financiers, and the people that cater to these people — like the highest-quality sushi chefs and inferior designers. These people get a lottery ticket: if they bet on the right start-up, they can become billionaires; if not, they still get paid a very nice salary — which is required in Silicon Valley, if you don't want to have to sleep in your car.
In short, what we have there is a system that perpetuates inequality and gives a massive premium to 'skill-based training'. STEM graduates from places like Stanford, MIT, Harvard and Berkley basically get the lottery ticket; and the people who work in restaurants, hotels, and the people who clean all of those big houses, never get a chance at the lottery. This creates a very unequal society.
Remember, Silicon Valley was given that name because it once made silicon: it once fabricated real, tangible products. Companies like Apple and HP employed a lot of people in California producing their 'things' — but that is no longer the case. The new companies of Silicon Valley do the development and design at their headquarters, but somebody else — usually the Taiwanese, Koreans or the Chinese — actually produces the components and assembles the products. Taxpayers in Silicon Valley should not expect to see any great job creation or manufacturing any time soon: what they will continue to get is moderate job creation of very, very good jobs for the extremely high-skilled. If this is your only model for innovation, you will end up like Israel. With all of its great success over the last two decades — when it became known as a start-up nation — Israel also moved from being the second-most egalitarian society in the OECD to the second-most unequal. Right now, Israel looks more like Mexico: one out of every five households is under the poverty line.
You have said that countries should try to emulate South Korea and Germany, rather than the United States and Israel. Please explain.
The reason we all care so much about innovation is that it's the only path to sustained growth. However, innovation is not just about inventing new products. The reason why our lives are so much better today than 50 years ago is not because someone invented the car, and we're all still driving around in Ford Model Ts: it's because every year, we are constantly innovating and improving, changing, recombining ideas about what the car could be. And the same goes for refrigerators, air conditioning — and everything else.
Every year, without us even noticing, we are seeing Moore's Law personified in three ways: first, in terms of memory, or how much you can store; second, in the speed of a CPU; and third, in software efficiency. All of this allows people who develop software to do things that we couldn't even dream about five years ago. Basically, your iPhone is equivalent to what used to be a supercomputer 20 years ago.
As indicated, at the moment, we have places like Silicon Valley and we have places like Taiwan. But then we also have places like Korea, which excels in specific niches, like memory, and the touch screen on your iPhone. And then we have places like China, which has figured out how to take those 10,000 components and assemble them inside of a small device. Germany does the same thing, but with automobiles; a BMW is actually one of the most sophisticated ICT machines that you can buy. In order to manufacture these products, you need innovation of a specific kind — let's call it incremental innovation or process innovation. The bottom line is, if you do it the way the Germans and the Danes are doing it, you can create a lot more jobs for factory workers that are highly-skilled, and encourage productivity by constantly educating them. This route to wealth is much more equitable.
Canada needs to decide whether it wants to be successful at innovation 'Silicon-Valley style' — which we already know will increase inequality — or whether it can excel at the type of innovation that will create a lot of high-quality jobs for Canadians.
You have said that the Canadian banks largely innovate within their own 'silos', and should be focused on building a 'financial-tech ecosystem'. What would this look like?
First, I must say that what the Canadian banks have already done is pretty amazing. Interac is a great example: when the banks faced the dawn of this new technology, and it became obvious that collective action was the only way forward, they proved to be very agile, flexible and successful in making that happen. With fin-tech, the banks now have to figure out how to do that again. The landscape has changed a bit, and any new tools must be built as platforms.
Think about it like a Windows or Android operating system. The banks would create the infrastructure around which a lot of things could happen. They could involve businesses in the core solution, but they could also create an infrastructure on which individual apps could be created, so that the banks can differentiate themselves. Startups could then have lots of opportunities to develop. The key areas to look at, in my view, are mobile payments and security. The fact is, if the banks cannot solve this together, it will be solved for them by the likes of Google.
The banks do invest a large amount in vigorous incubation centres, but they tend to be spread out geographically. It would be vastly more efficient if this work could happen in big spaces right next to the banks. If it takes more than five minutes for two human beings to walk from place A to place B, those two human beings will never meet; and the same goes for building a collaborative environment at work.
What would be your advice for the Canadian government in terms of innovation policy?
I will put it this way: it is high time that we actually have an innovation policy. We have great research policy, scientific policy and education policy, and we have industrial policy; but we have never had an innovation policy. The government seems to assume that if we get education policy or research policy right, magically, innovation will happen; obviously, that hasn't happened.
What is really striking in Canada is that it is one of the best countries in the world in terms of potential for innovation. We are doing amazing things in science, particularly in the early stages — but in a capitalist economy, innovation happens in the business sector. If we want economic growth, innovation must take place in the marketplace, improving on or creating new products and services. It's very nice to invent and discover stuff, but if it doesn't translate to the ability of our companies to compete, it's meaningless, economically speaking.
Right now, you and I are sitting in a lovely café with lots of young baristas who hold degrees. I would advise the Canadian government to create an environment in which these smart young people can actually use their skills to make good things happen for Canada — and for the world.
Regardless of industry, innovation entails a lot of risk. What is your advice for embracing risk?
Over the past 15 years, the commodity boom has masked the fact that Canada has become the failing student of the OECD. We are now worse than all of Europe in terms of our innovation, and that is partly because most of our business sector does not invest in it. I think the reasons for this go beyond risk. Our business leaders should be demanding that the government create an environment in which it actually makes sense (from a profit point of view) to invest in innovation.
Then, businesses will have to figure out how to routinize innovation, and make it a core part of their business that they invest in year after year. Right now, most Canadian businesses don't even realize that they should have an R&D department. If innovation is the output you desire, then your policy aims should be to spur growth by stimulating companies and individuals to develop products, processes and services that we cannot, by definition, predict in advance.
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subset: commoncrawl


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2day LA Jazz Society's 30th Anniversary Jazz Tribute Award Honorees R Sheila E. Pete, Juan & Peter Michael Escovedo.
LA Jazz Society's 30th Anniversary Jazz Tribute Awards
27 October, 2013, 04:30 PM
Hilton Los Angeles / Universal City, 555 Universal Hollywood Dr.
Universal City, CA 91608
We are proud to announce that our 2013 Jazz Honorees are the exciting, high-energy Playboy Jazz Festival sensation, Sheila E. along with her father Pete and brothers, Peter Michael and Juan Escovedo. If you have never seen this dynamic ensemble perform, you are in for a great Latin Jazz treat.
(Hubert Laws, the greatest flutist in the history of jazz)
We are also pleased that this year's Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to the most deserving esteemed jazz & classical music flutist and saxophonist, Hubert Laws, one of my musical heroes since his legendary recordings for Creed Taylor during the CTI heyday in the early 70s.
Our Jazz Educator Award will recognize the talents of the leaders of our Jazz in Schools program, Ernie Fields, Jr., Charles Owens, and Maestro Delbert Taylor. This year's recipient of the Shelly Manne Memorial New Talent Award will be 14 year-old drummer sensation, Alex Smith. And, to Playboy's CEO and long time jazz enthusiast Hugh Hefner, the "Honorary 30th Anniversary Tribute Chair."
Something new. Those of you who have attended Tributes in the past will notice that there are fewer awards this year. We heard your suggestions and have cut the length of the program substantially. Also, the concert will be just that….all music … no appeals for donations and no speeches. JUST MUSIC. Happily, one thing will remain the same – Leonard Maltin will once again be our dynamic Host.
Sponsorships: $1,000 – $10,000
Commemorative Tribute Journal Ads: $25 – $3,500
Dinner Tickets and Tables starting at: $200 – $2,000
Concert Only Tickets: (arrival at 6pm) – $75 per seat
Call - 818.994.4661
The Annual Jazz Tribute Awards Dinner & Concert was established to recognize and honor Los Angeles based artists for their contributions in furthering the art form of jazz. This major fund-raising event attracts musicians and jazz lovers from all over Southern California and supports the general operations of the organization and its education programs – including Jazz in Schools and Bill Green Mentorship Program.


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Tableau Server was selected in December 2014 and installed in Spring 2015, as the University's new reporting tool. It replaced Discoverer, providing reports for use at Exam Board meetings from 2015-16.
- Exam Board Reports (currently available on campus only to LTS staff and Chairs of boards by request, subject to completion of relevant DPA training).
Supporting Documentation:
- How to access Tableau exam boards
- What to do if Tableau Won't Load
- Helpful tips for running Tableau exam boards
- Who to contact about Tableau exam boards
- Making sense of the reports - marks by module
- Making sense of the reports - marks by student
- Making sense of the reports - rank order
- Using Skype for Business to share your screen with external examiners
- Exam Board Emergency Procedure
- General information for staff about the Board of Examiners


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If you are looking at the Los Angeles real estate from the outside looking in and wondering why you cannot participate, think again. If you have a Los Angeles rental property and cannot seem to get any equity out of it in the way of a re-finance, then you can also think again.
There are lenders out there who originate loans with a private investor. They take that investor's funds and match that with a borrower who needs it because they probably got turned down by a conventional lender.
The borrower may have gotten turned down by having low credit or their tax returns don't show enough income. Often times than CAN quality for a bank loan and they don't want to wait the 45 days. These people require speed and that's what hard money lenders do, they loan and close fast.
You might be asking yourself, how in the world do you find a Los Angeles Hard Money Lender? There are several different ways and I will name a few:
My wife jokingly calls google the source of all knowledge. That's where people usually go to look up how to find anything. Using Google usually means that if Google ranks them high, on the first page of a certain key word, then they are probably more legitimate than the person who cold calls you at and tries to sell you something.
Many people don't think of Craigslist when they are looking for a Los Angeles Private money lender or many other products and services. In regards to real estate loans, especially the private sector, you would go to the city and click one of two places.
The Financial section is probably your best bet. One tip, if you are looking for a loan in Florida, why do you call California hard money lenders? This happens to me all the time. Go local and use Craigslist and Google to get lenders who are near you.
Real Estate or Mortgage Broker Referral
Who would know the best Los Angeles hard money lenders? People who are in the Los Angeles real estate business. This makes sense, doesn't it?
Of the 3 I just mentioned, I would say to get a referral on a private money loan is your best bet. Just like getting a referral for a painter, a contractor, or even trying to get a date. If you are single and your good friend tells you that they have someone who they think you would really get along with, it just might work.
Most of my business comes from broker referrals. I do a good job for their clients that they refer me to and I get future referrals from them again and again. If you don't have the luxury of knowing a broker to get a referral, Google and Craigslist are a good start.
If you need a private money real estate lender in Los Angeles, I know a good one. (me-Ha!) If you need more information, call me at 714-681-2407


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The Academy Hosts 2017 Red Bull Doodle Art Global Final
Photo by Bob Toy.
Although more than 30 languages were spoken on Saturday, June 24, at the 2017 Red Bull Doodle Art Global Final hosted in the Atelier Gallery at Academy of Art University, the universal language of art was evidently stronger than words. For the final stage of the 2017 Red Bull Doodle Art Contest, 47 global finalists from 43 countries flew thousands of miles to compete one last time for the winning title. But this time, their doodles were in virtual reality.
"The Academy has always been on the cutting edge of the most advanced technology as a way to express and push boundaries of art," said James Egan, one of the judges of the contest and executive director of Immersive Technology and Short Term Programming at the Academy. "To me, it's a natural partnership with Red Bull to bring this first international virtual reality doodle contest to the heart of the most important technology companies in the world."
People roamed the packed gallery where audible "wow's" could be heard as people strapped on HTC Vive headsets and explored the vastly different VR work of the global finalist. Viewers were transported to mythical lands crawling with fantasy creatures, nature scenes depicting different parts of the world and images that told a story.
This was a well-earned moment for the finalists, who had spent three days in art workshops throughout the Academy campus prior to the opening of the gallery. It was here where they learned how to use a Google Tilt Brush to help bring their doodling skills to life. In the end, artists had just two hours to create a piece of VR art that was critiqued on creativity, personal style and execution by the four judges of the contest, who were professional artists.
"What a ride," said Shiella Witanto, a global finalist and recent graduate of the School of Illustration at the Academy. "The whole experience is just amazing. I wouldn't have dreamed it to be anything more."
Through an HTC Vive headset, an attendee views the work of one of the global finalists. Photo by Bob Toy.
An attendee views the finalists' artwork with the HTC Vive headset. Photo by Bob Toy.
Guests could view the finalist' artwork in a new dimension through the HTC Vive headset. Photo by Bob Toy.
Finalist after finalist from countries around the world including Spain, Thailand, China and Lebanon talked about what a special four-day experience it was. They smiled reminiscing about their adventures making international friends, exploring San Francisco and being able to express their talents through 3-D art, many of whom had never had the opportunity before.
Mominah Arif, a global finalist and 23-year-old architecture student from Pakistan, spoke passionately about her VR art and her first time visiting the United States. Viewers of Arif's VR work were surrounded by a serene, brightly colored Pakistani garden filled with flowers and a flowing waterfall. She wanted to share her love of Pakistan's geography through the universal language of art.
"Even if we don't understand each other's languages, it doesn't matter," said Arif dressed in a salwar kameez, the traditional dress of Pakistan. "Once we start drawing, we understand one another. This has really brought everyone together."
Another global finalist, Bella Griffiths of New Zealand, chatted with her new friends, but stopped a moment to explain the influence of her VR art which told the story of the New Zealand folklore of Maui, a man who slowed the sun so his people could have more hours in the day to fish and hunt.
Red Bull Doodle Art Contest winner Ayaka Toyomasu. Photo by Bob Toy.
Red Bull Doodle Art Contest participants commemorate their experience with the Sharingbox. Photo by Bob Toy.
"I really wanted to incorporate my culture and virtual reality is a great way to do it," the 19-year-old said. "VR can do so much. It's like a sculpture. It can really take the viewer into the depth of your work."
Starting at 10 a.m., the crowd had a few hours to discover different works of art before the global winner was announced at noon. When the moment finally came, the crowd gathered around Sunni Brown, a judge and professional info-doodler. After complimenting the work of many artists, Brown announced 19-year-old Ayaka Toyomasu of Japan as the winner.
Everyone cheered as the pixie-haired teenager was handed a Golden Gate Bridge trophy as her VR work shined on the screen behind her. Toyomasu's work depicted a young girl in pigtails surrounded by a world of creativity with butterflies, owls and rainbows. Brown said her work was chosen for its technical difficulty, personal style and creativity.
Although Toyomasu didn't speak English, her translator was there to translate saying she was overwhelmed with emotion and didn't have words to express her happiness for winning her first art competition.
At the end of the event, people jammed out to the music and continued exploring the VR worlds at their fingertips. As Mark Edwards, associate director of copywriting for the School of Advertising for the Academy, who attended the event said, "It is these students who will determine what VR is and where it will go going forward."
All of the global finalists' VR artworks can be seen at doodleart.redbull.com/en/usw/vr/.


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Knit Wit Living is the perfect name for my life outside of the full time job. I work for a large corporation where I talk the technical jargon that helps make our world go round.
Knit – yes! Let's get down and dirty and talk about yarn and knitting, and now beading too
Wit – Hopefully you will see the glimpses of my dry sense of humor
Living – Reflected in my food journeys, musing/soap box posts, dealing with grief, etc.
And lest it goes unnoticed – the play on words with KnitWit, i.e. nitwit. If you can't make fun of yourself, you can't make fun of others!
A little more about me:
- Best section of the Sunday NY Times – Sunday Styles or Real Estate (unfortunately not the book review – not always intriguing)
- Favorite candy – chocolate
- No pets
- Favorite yarn weight – DK / Sport
- Next Travel destination on the Wish List – Barcelona, though a trip to the Maldives looks fabulous too
- Favorite color – Gray
- Favorite yarn color – bright colors, variegated OR yellows, reds, blues
Primary Cast of Characters
- LD – Lovely daughter, recent college graduate, living on the other side of the country
- ES – Somewhat elusive son, college graduate, enjoying life and career
- DDSO – Dearly Departed Significant Other, referred to as such here, but I am now ready for a new romance
- Friends
- The Ex – Father of the two offspring
Contact Me!
Send along your feedback, thoughts, suggestions…
Social media notes: I will get a credit on my iHerb account if you use the referral code. I may get a small commission from an ad or a link on my site at no cost to you. Any money I get goes toward hosting this site, or buying more yarn and beads!
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Hellooooo, babes! I haven't blogged in a hot minute, I know. Life has been CRAZY lately, but I plan on jumping back into blogging consistently. (YAAAY!!)
For this post I want to focus on goal setting and share with you some things that I plan on working on in 2018. Goal setting is something that I truly love doing. This helps get me motivated and dedicated to accomplishing what I set my mind to. Every year I choose a word that drives my year with little goals for each category of life relating to my word. I also set goals monthly and weekly as the year goes on. This just keeps me on my game and always working to better myself!
My word for 2018 is BRAVE. In every area of my life for this year I want to BE brave. I'm going to be real honest with you here. 2017 was a SUUUPER rough year for me. I struggled in every area of my life. One area being, switching to teaching high school, realizing that it wasn't for me, and then trying to find a different position in middle school in the same district. I learned really quickly that I AM A MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER. I 100% need to be with my middles. High school
kids mini adults didn't GET ME. They didn't appreciate my creative lessons, my sense of humor, or my style of teaching. It was a hard blow to my ego, y'all. I'm thankful for the experience, but I knew where I worked best as an educator. I also had struggles in my personal life and starting grad school. SO MANY STRUGGLES.
I love that 2018 is a NEW year. It's a fresh start, a clean slate, a new beginning. There will be so many opportunities to be BRAVE. In my personal life, in my career, in my essential oil business, and in grad school. I have some super exciting plans for this year and I cannot wait to share them with you throughout this journey.
If you follow my Instagram, you know that in December I started a WELLNESS JOURNEY. This is something that has completely rocked my world. I started working out before school and noticed a huge change in my body in just 21 days. I feel stronger, have more energy, and I am H A P P I E R. I have always hated working out. ALWAYS. This has honestly a miracle because I am obsessed with working out now IN MY HOME for 30 minutes every morning. It's been such a positive change for me and I am so excited to continue this into the new year. If you want more information on what program I'm doing send me a message! 🙂
I'll end this post by sharing a few goals I have as an educator. I want to BE BRAVE in the following areas:
Teaching Style
This year has been a bit of a struggle for me because I work at a more traditional school. I like trying new things, not using the textbook (that is extremely old), and doing projects in my classroom, which is not the traditional way of teaching. It's been really difficult not having someone to collaborate with that is innovative and open to trying new things. There have been times where I have felt like I needed to change the way I teach to "fit in" to my new school, but I decided that this is an area where I need to stay true to the educator that I am. I will be continue to think outside the box and be brave in my pursuit to teach material that will stick with my students.
Being A Role Model
I want to always have a positive attitude towards my students and my colleagues. I constantly want to speak life in my classroom and encourage my students to do their best. I hope to represent love, generosity, and kindness as their teacher. I hope that I am someone they can come to with their problems and someone they trust completely. I want my students to look at me as a role model and someone they respect. Sometimes this is difficult, but it's a goal that I plan to achieve.
Self confidence
Another goal is to focus on being confident in who I am as an educator and as a person. For so long I have struggled with what people think about me or worried if my students and colleagues like me, but I'm done doing that!! I plan on embracing my weird personality and not caring so much about the opinions of others.
Self Care
Finally, I plan to take care of myself. I always tell new teachers "You can't pour the juice from an empty pitcher!" I need to take my own advice on this one. I am going to do things that bring me joy, carve out some ME TIME each day, and pay attention to the needs of my body. If I want to be an awesome teacher, I need to make sure that I am taking care of my mind and body FIRST.
I hope this inspired you to set some goals and get ready for this AMAZING year to come. I believe that we will do great things in 2018, sweet friends. I would love to hear some of your goals for the new year! Drop some in the comments!
Until next time,


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Greece, Ireland, Iceland, Tunisia, Egypt, Libya….who could imagine they would freak out in Wisconsin?
Actually, Wisconsin is one of the more likely powder kegs in the US , a state with a traditionally progressive voter base (the birthplace of the Progressive Party, after all!) that woke up after the last election to discover it had been taken over by Tea Partiers. Sure, there are states with a more radical tinge to them, like California and Vermont, but both of those states rejected the Republican invitation to self-immolation.
Tea Party governor Scott Walker's budget proposals, likely to pass in the state's now-Tea Party dominated legislature, represented a giant step backwards for many of the state's residents. As Hannah Arendt observed in her classic book On Revolution, revolutions tend to occur not when the poor are oppressed to the breaking point, but when the middle class, which had something, senses that it is losing its privileges.
Walker's credibility was tarnished when he got "punked," as they say these days, into believing that he was conversing with David Koch, when he was actually talking to Ian Murphy, a blogger from Buffalo, New York. The "confidential" twenty-minute conversation revealed that Walker planned to use layoffs of state workers as a tool to push for getting his way, and also captured him agreeing to quid quo pro arrangements with "David Koch." Both are illegal under Wisconsin ethics laws–but the state Attorney General is a Republican, so don't hold your breath.
Since conservative pranksters had been responsible for at least two well-publicized media stunts–the "how do we start a whorehouse?" ACORN video and the spurious trashing of Shirley Sherrod, Republicans could hardly complain about it when one of their own got fooled. Unlike Republican efforts, Murphy didn't have to edit their conversation in order for Walker to make a fool of himself. While Walker claimed that the tape didn't reveal anything he hadn't said in public, it did. Beyond the potential ethics violations, Walker fantasized about "taking a baseball bat" to his political opponents. A Deputy Attorney General in Indiana who suggested using live ammunition against the protesters in Wisconsin was fired; why should it be any different for a governor who threatens violence against peaceful demonstrators?
This just in: the same so-called "conservative" who trashed ACORN recorded NPR exec Ron Schiller saying that
public opinion is driven by "this very large uneducated part of the population."
"(Tea Partiers). believe in sort of white, middle-America, gun-toting. I mean, it's scary. They're seriously racist, racist people."
All of that's true enough, but apparently telling the truth is enough to get you in trouble these days. People don't want to hear the truth. It's too hard on their precious, threatened egos and lifestyles. Republicans hope to use this to cut NPR and PBS out of the federal budget, which will save each of us $1.43 a year. Don't let the prospect of so much additional wealth go to your head! Defense spending, meanwhile, is costing each of us $3,000 a year, but that's sacrosanct. As so often happens, I digress….there are a million stories on the Naked Planet.
The day-to-day drama of this struggle is fascinating, but let's take a few steps back from the crowd and get a feel for the big picture.
Much has already been made in the media of the connection between organized labor's support of the Democratic Party and Republican efforts to destroy union power as a way to undercut the Democrats. Plenty of commentators have also pointed out that unions have shifted over the last several decades from a blue-collar to a more white-collar demographic. I would like to take this one step further. The Republican propaganda machine is whipping up public sentiment against teachers and state employees because they still enjoy the lifestyle and perks that many Americans have lost as the country has been de-industrialized (and de-unionized) over the last several decades. In other words, the party of "Christian values" is promoting anger, greed, and envy to bring down the last remaining bastion of middle-class America. Nice work, guys. I'm sure Jesus would be proud of you.
At the same time, right-wingers have been horrified by any suggestions, such as Michael Moore's, that there might be something wrong with the fact that the wealthiest 40 Americans have more resources at their disposal than the bottom fifty percent. Yeah, that's forty people (OK, plus their families) put together who are wealthier than a hundred and fifty-five million of us . From the Tea Party perspective, it's class warfare to point that out, but somehow it's not class warfare when conservatives work to destroy public health care for those who can't otherwise afford it, unions, community organizations like ACORN, or public service organizations like Planned Parenthood.
Can you say "doublethink," boys and girls? Ever wonder how a scenario like Orwell's 1984 could possibly come to pass? We may be living it, if things don't fall apart first.
While I would be the first to admit that middle-class American expectations are, considered on a global scale, immoderately luxurious, it is simply not fair for the wealthy to insist that the middle class take a hit so that the upper class can continue its even more immoderately luxurious lifestyle. All of us here in America need to come down a few pegs. As with climate change, the problem will not go away if the Tea Partiers succeed in muting the nation's conscience. It will return to haunt us again and again, more and more forcefully.
"You can have my money and my guns when you rip them from my cold, dead fingers." That's the deal you want? That's the deal you'll get.
And where has Obama been during all this? If he were really a socialist firebrand, as the right-wing media love to assert, he would have been in Madison, addressing the rally and reclaiming the base that elected him in 2008. But no, Obama was nowhere near Madison. His staff instructed the Democratic National Committee to back off efforts to support the Madison demonstrators, wile he offered tepid words of encouragement, similar to his pronouncements on the revolution in Egypt and the ongoing revolt in Libya, similar to the way Bush I encouraged the Iraqis to revolt against Saddam and then did nothing while Saddam slaughtered them. No, Obama's allegiance is not to the people, his allegiance is to them that bought him.
It's not clear to me where this movement is going, but I see a couple of possibilities.
If the protesters' energy ebbs and the anti-populists, the Republican Tea Partiers, prevail, America will slip further into being a two-tier society. We will be less organized, less flexible, less able to meet the challenges that will shake us harder and harder as time goes on.
If the protesters prevail, then they will, to a certain extent, be in the position of the dog that chased cars and actually caught one. There will be plenty of difficult decisions to make, and no "other" to blame for poor outcomes and unintended consequences. Reinstating the business taxes that Governor Walker abolished in order to create his "fiscal crisis" justification for ending collective bargaining, will, in all likelihood, discourage business, if only because Republican business owners will get mad and find ways to avoid paying taxes. Freedom to keep all the money you make is, after all, at the head of the list of Tea Party freedoms, right up there with the freedom to ignore compassion, facts, and logic in the interests of having things your way.
So, I certainly stand with the Wisconsin protesters to the extent that I don't want to see the wealthy win this battle in the class war. But I can't, in all honesty, join them in "defending the American dream." The American dream is built on the backs of millions of people in the third world who cannot have a decent life because we need their poverty to support our wealth. We need to wake up from the American dream, but we need to all wake up from it. The majority of Americans should not be made to suffer more so that the wealthiest one percent can keep on dreaming. It's time to share the pain.
Music: James McMurtry, "We Can't Make It Here Anymore"


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Offering quality bespoke services to transform rooms and homes into stylish and functional spaces, Diverse Design and Construct is the creation of a talented and passionate team.
With a family history in construction, Kyal Demmrich is a qualified carpenter with a decade of experience in delivering complex building and renovation projects for commercial and residential clients. His love of natural materials and eye for detail set Kyal apart as a careful and creative craftsman who takes pride in his high quality work.
Kara Demmrich brings her ability to connect with people and her smart design sensibility to the partnership. Having been a successful physiotherapist for over 6 years, Kara puts clients at ease, working with them to explore new possibilities and ideas, and transforming their vision into a beautiful and practical reality.
As brand ambassadors for Bisley Workwear, Kyal and Kara are teaming up with one of Australia's most trustworthy clothing brands to spread the word about their innovative new ranges.
Kyal and Kara were launched into the spotlight on Channel Nine's The Block in early 2014. During the 24 hour challenge they completed to earn their place on the show, judges Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whittaker declared theirs was "the best elimination room" they'd ever seen.
With over 100 outlets Australia wide, and over 50 years experience, Beaumont Tiles are committed to bringing the world's best and latest tiles and bathroom-ware to Australian consumers, builders and renovators. Beaumont Tiles are passionate about providing amazing outcomes for customers through service, guidance, range, quality and value.
Kyal and Kara are back on the television screen in 2015 on Channel Nine's Reno Rumble, which sees former contestants from House Rules (Seven Network) compete against former contestants from The Block (Nine Network).


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This is an old photo of some friends and myself at Disney's California Adventure theme park. On this very memorable day we had decided to get a small group of co-workers together and have our photos taken next to all of the hideous MIckey Mouse statues that were decorating the place at the time.
These 75 statues, each designed by D-list celebrities, were created to help celebrate Mickey's 75th birthday. Southern California was only one stop along the statues' US tour, where they eventually reached New York City to be auctioned off for charity.
I'm not exactly sure where this idea came from, but at one point American cities across America starting using a variation of it for themselves. In Los Angeles they used angels while in Santa Rosa dozens and dozens of Snoopy and Woodstock statues were auctioned off to celebrate their own insignificant anniversary.
It is very important to note that although we had a lot of fun that day, DCA is a terrible theme park, and an embarrassment to the Disney name. Things seemed so innocent and perfect back then, we probably would have had a great time at the morgue.


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Bone Morphogen Protein 2 (BMP2) is a powerful signaling molecule that is made during development, healing, and other significant physiological events. During the development of the heart, BMP2 modulates the activation of cardiac genes. In culture, BMP2 can protect heart muscle cells from dying during serum starvation. Can BMP2 affect hearts that have just experienced a heart attack?
Scientists from the laboratories of Karl Werdan and Thomas Braun at the Max Planck Institute or Heart and Lung Research in Bad Nauheim, Germany have addressed this question in a publication in the journal Shock.
In this paper, Henning Ebelt and his colleagues Gave intravenous BMP2 to mice after a heart attack. CD-1 mice were subjected to LAD-ligation to induce a heart attack (LAD stands for left anterior descending coronary artery, which is tied shut to deprive the heart muscle of oxygen). 1 hour after the heart attack, mice were given 80 microgram / gram of body weight of intravenous recombinant BMP2. The hearts of some animals were removed 5-7 days after the heart attack, but others were examined 21 days after the heart attack to determine the physiological performance of the hearts. Control animals were given intravenous phosphate buffered saline.
The extirpated hearts were analyzed for cell death, and the size of their heart scars. Also, protein expression analyses showed the different proteins expressed in the heart muscle cells as a result of BMP2 treatment. Also, the effects of BMP2 on cultured heart muscle cells was ascertained.
The results showed that BMP2 could protect cultured heart muscle cells from dying in culture if they when they were exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide mimics stressful conditions and under normal circumstances, cultured heart muscle cells pack up and die in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (200 micromolar for those who are interested). However, if cultured with 80 ng / mL BMP2, the survival of cultured heart muscle cells greatly increased.
When it came to the hearts of mice that were administered iv BMP2, the BMP2-administered mice survived better and had a smaller infarct size (almost 50% of the heart in the controls and less than 40% in the BMP2-administered hearts). When the degree of cell death was measured in the mouse hearts, those hearts from mice that were administered BMP2 showed less cell death (as determined by the TUNEL assay). BMP2 also increased the beat frequency and contractile performance of isolated heart muscle cells.
FInally, the physiological parameters of the BMP2-treated animals were slightly better than in the control animals. The improvements were consistent, but not overwhelming.
Interestingly, when the proteins made by the hearts of BMP2- and PBS-administered animals were analyzed, there were some definite surprises. BMP2 normally signals to cells by binding a two-part receptor that sticks phosphates on itself, and in doing so, recruits "SMAD" proteins to it that end up getting attached to them. The SMAD proteins with phosphates on them stick together and go to the nucleus where they activate gene expression.
However, the heart muscle cells of the BMP2-administered mice did not contain heavily phosphorylated SMAD2, even though they did show phosphorylated SMAD1, 5, & 8. I realize that this may sound like Greek to you, but it means this: Different members of the BMP superfamily signal to cells by utilizing different combinations of phosphorylated SMADs. The related signaling molecule, TGF-beta (transforming growth factor-beta), increases scar formation in the heart after a heart attack. TGF-beta signals through SMAD2. BMP2 does not signal through SMAD2, and therefore, elicits a distinct biological response than TGF-beta.
These results show that BMP2 administration after a heart attack decreases cell death and decreases the size of the heart scar. There might be a clinical use for BMP2 administration after a heart attack.
See Henning Ebelt, et al., Shock 2013 Apr;39(4):353-60.


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Ghost Ship | Rum
The ship was built in 1884, in New Zealand. Not long after this she left for North America but disappeared along the way. Someone claimed that the ship got stuck on a reef and sunk. However, there have been numerous accounts from eyewitnesses claiming to have seen her drifting. The last place The Ghost Ship was spotted was around Auckland, New Zealand. She appeared out of nowhere and then vanished into thin air. The Ghost Ship might be seen on a smartphone — follow this link and see if you can spot her before she disappears.


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American Fire Sprinkler
American Fire Sprinkler has been faithfully supporting House of Hope since 2015. Cliftene Lewis, the owner of American Fire Sprinkler, has served on our board since 2015 and also has been actively apart of House of Hope's ministry since_ . With the help of American Fire Sprinkler, it has been possible for residents to attend our program on scholarship. We are so grateful for their generosity, support, and kindness.
Click on American Fire Sprinkler to learn more about them.


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wallpaper scraping as art.
A good friend sent me this link to Mierle Ukeles' Manifesto for Maintenance Art. In it, Ukeles states,
The sourball of every revolution: after the revolution, who's going to pick up the garbage on Monday morning?
Development: pure individual creation; the new; change; progress; advance; excitement; flight or fleeing.
Maintenance: keep the dust off the pure individual creation; preserve the new; sustain the change; protect progress; defend and prolong the advance; renew the excitement; repeat the flight; show your work – show it again keep the contemporaryartmuseum groovy keep the home fires burning
Development systems are partial feedback systems with major room for change.
Maintenance systems are direct feedback systems with little room for alteration.
And this :
Maintenance is a drag; it takes all the fucking time (lit.)
The mind boggles and chafes at the boredom.
The culture confers lousy status on maintenance jobs = minimum wages, housewives = no pay.
clean your desk, wash the dishes, clean the floor, wash your clothes, wash your toes, change the baby's diaper, finish the report, correct the typos, mend the fence, keep the customer happy, throw out the stinking garbage, watch out don't put things in your nose, what shall I wear, I have no sox, pay your bills, don't litter, save string, wash your hair, change the sheets, go to the store, I'm out of perfume, say it again – he doesn't understand, seal it again – it leaks, go to work, this art is dusty, clear the table, call him again, flush the toilet, stay young
The exhibit she was proposing consisted of this :
I am an artist. I am a woman. I am a wife. I am a mother. (Random order).
I do a hell of a lot of washing, cleaning, cooking, renewing, supporting, preserving, etc. Also, (up to now separately I « do » Art. Now, I will simply do these maintenance everyday things, and flush them up to consciousness, exhibit them, as Art. I will live in the museum and I customarily do at home with my husband and my baby, for the duration of the exhibition. (Right? or if you don't want me around at night I would come in every day) and do all these things as public Art activities: I will sweep and wax the floors, dust everything, wash the walls (i.e.floor paintings, dust works, soap- sculpture, wall-paintings ) cook, invite people to eat, make agglomerations and dispositions of all functional refuse.
The exhibition area might look « empty » of art, but it will be maintained in full public view.
on the farm. day three.
We moved onto the farm three days ago. I am writing from a house that's nestled between a highway, a barn and some mountains. The pastures are greening, the birds chirping, the cars zipping past, and the former owner is still hanging around, using our tractor to move farm implements in some master plan that we have yet to grasp. We are simultaneously peeling off old yellowed wallpaper, replacing drywall in the kitchen, trying to find the source of a leak with the inherited washing machine, pounding fence posts and installing fence lines to move the cattle off the conventional mucky paddock they've been on since they arrived here a month ago, finding a veterinarian to figure out what's wrong with our feverish Jersey dairy cow, and taking care of a curious toddler in a space that is not childproofed in the least.
In the same way that I had a hard time conceptualizing what forty-two tonnes of sulphur looked like prior to seeing the delivery of fertilizers that came yesterday, I still don't fully grasp the extent of the work that lays ahead. It is endless. It is overwhelming. Empowering too to think that Paul and I can make this place our farm home, we can set it up as we please, and decide for ourselves the makeup of our days. But it is still so so much to take in.
And then there's the lost feeling of home and rootedness. The not knowing how to carve out a space here. These feelings of being quite lost and scattered amidst the overwork, the sharp edges of exhaustion, and this rural newness.
But I am grateful for the strolls through the fields as we install insulators for the electrical fencing. I am grateful for a partner with more know-how than I realized. Grateful for the remarkable friend who came and so generously stayed with us for two whole weeks to work, to keep us company and to keep us sane. Grateful for this child who's so eager to get his rubber boots on to go look at the calves and push his little red wagon around. And at this point, I'm just trying to focus on the 'adventure' quality of all of this. Despite the blood, sweat and tears.
Here's to hitting the ground running, and to starting a farm in May.
We were cycling to the notary's office to sign the last of the official papers to buy the farm—a pretty big deal for us, to say the least. It had been a long time coming. I'm always iffy about biking with kiddo around rush hour but it was early enough and we had planned our route so as to ride solely on bike paths and roads with bike lanes. We set off with the babe on my bike in a seat clasped to the fork at my handlebars.
We had crossed over to Québec and were waiting for the light at the corner of Montcalm and Alexandre-Taché. The pedestrian light changed for us, with reds all around. My partner leads the way as I'm a bit slower starting. He's crossed the four lanes as I get passed the first and as I enter the second lane, I see a speeding police car coming at the child and I. The cruiser's lights are flashing but its sirens aren't on. I look at my front wheel, with my toddler child sitting not too far from its edge and the scene just seems too surreal. I couldn't have seen the cruiser, hidden behind the other lane of traffic and I can't comprehend why I'm not hearing warning sirens. I put a foot down, I retreat as much as I can without toppling and the driver swerves an inch or two, just enough for my wheel (bike, child and person) to not be sent flying and smashing into the intersection.
I'm in shock.
I've never had a speeding car close call like this.
And never a close call with child-in-tow.
I somehow made it back to the sidewalk.
The police officer parked off Montcalm, walked over, said he was entirely to blame, apologized and told me he had kids, he was shook up, and that this would serve as a lesson and reminder for him.
I stood crying at that street corner for a bit, not knowing what to do. With kiddo beautifully oblivious, pointing at buses and babbling happily. We walked the rest of the way.
What gets me about this (among other things) is that already, as a mother, in order to be a semi-normal person, every day I have to force myself to forget or play down the (very real) risk of losing this little person (and having grown, birthed, nursed and carried this child, I can't even imagine what would happen to me were he to die).
Another real struggle is living in this effed up world, being true to our ideals and convictions all the while appreciating that the way we choose to do things is harder or unpractical with a kid, and definitely not as safe (in the immediate, short term) as mainstreaming it. Transportation and getting from A to B is an obvious one here (choosing bikes, feet and buses over cars), but the way we work, and the way we conceptualize our responsibility to others and the planet are other big ones.
We didn't bring a child into this world to start driving everywhere. I'll admit I feel more justified now taking an automobile than I ever have (and I just got my license after three glorious decades without one, in fact), but the truth of the matter is, our kids have chronic respiratory diseases, are trucked everywhere, and are losing green space everyday to roads, highways and parking lots. They're going to inherit the havoc wreaked by wars for oil and a climate crisis the magnitude of which we probably can't fathom at this point in time. My kid needs a car ride as much as our democracy needs another shady back room deal.
When our governments invest peanuts in real cycling (and other active transportation) infrastructure, we're jammed between a rock and a hard place. I refuse to believe that my only other choice here is to live apathetically in (relative) safety and succumb to the eye twitches of cognitive dissonance brought on by going against my ethic as I try to raise a compassionate and engaged child.
Regardless, I'm frazzled and we're going on foot tomorrow.
mots timbrés.
des mots timbrés
des images
me rappelle
une complicité
y'a longtemps
ces amitiés narrées
nostalgie au carré
savourer ce petit moment
comme une mine
bien aiguisée
qui saurait tracer les contours
d'un bonheur nouveau.
dear plan toys
Dear Plan Toys,
I love sustainably harvested wooden toys as much as the next person (and more than I care to admit, actually), so I was quite dismayed to discover that such an apparently forward thinking company would be peddling such tired stereotypes.
I am talking about the character « farmer's wife » that you sell with the « farmer » for the « PlanCountry » dollhouse.
I, of course, have no problem with farmers having wives, but those wives are oftentimes farmers themselves or have other occupations that could be used as identifiers. If you feel the need to sell a character called « farmer's wife », you should at the very least consider adding a female agricultural worker (you could call her a « farmer ») and a « farmer's husband. » They do exist, I know a number of them.
It would be really stellar if your female, like you male characters, could be identified for their occupations instead of their roles in relation to men. Or, by all means, put an emphasis on roles. It would be a lovely way to teach youngsters that our identities are interdependent and that we all have roles and responsibilities towards one another. But do so for the male as well as the female characters. (You could rename the aforementioned dolls and sell them as a pair : « farmer's husband » and « farmer's wife »).
Also, the heteronormativity of the families on offer for your dollhouses and the tight gender rules that exist for your « boy » and « girl » children dolls should be rectified. It would be helpful to think of girls and boys as children first (and of women and men as people first) and of a person's sex as one of many qualifiers. In fact, I think youngsters would just as eagerly play with a « child doll » than a « boy doll » or a « girl doll ». Something to consider.
In your 2010 catalogue, you say that « PlanDollhouse is a wonderful way to encourage creativity and imagination through make-believe play. » Let's not limit a child's understanding of what human beings can be and create based on their sex or gender. Encouraging creative play starts with not boxing in. And let us remember, the excessive gendering of a child's world serves no one.
Looking forward to seeing more diverse families and agricultural dolls in your next catalogue.
perplexe devant
cette série d'écrits
de bribes sur ce qui use
cette absence de résilience
d'élasticité des humeurs
des émotions
comme si toutes les phrases qui me venaient
servent à expliquer pourquoi
j'n'arrive pas assortir de l'ornière
cette sensation d'âpreté
comme lors des premiers jours après l'accouchement
quand tout et rien pouvait faire pleurer
et lorsque le moindre effleurement
d'être émue par le bonheur apparent
sur le visage d'un passant,
d'avoir la larme à l'œil
en devinant le moindre reproche
reconnaître un besoin criant pour un vrai repos
des heures non-pressées
pour se rebâtir l'élasticité
la souplesse de l'être
avoir moins l'impression d'être toujours
trop près de chavirer
d'arriver à apprécier ce flot, ce courant
en ayant une parois suffisamment robuste
pour y tenir tête.
maintenir l'équilibre.
en rentrant du boulot
à coup de lames de patin
poser le regard sur un homme d'âge mûr
assis sur un banc, les patins aux pieds
qui se reposait, les yeux fermés
savourant ces rayons de soleil
cette chaleur de mi-journée
cet homme, cette image
qui me rappelle
de prendre le temps d'imaginer les histoires des autres
pour mieux apprécier la mienne.
'la géographie des souvenirs'
ma sœur m'a inscrite à une campagne et je reçois chaque semaine, par la poste, une lettre écrite par un.e des écrivain.e.s qui sera au salon du livre du grand sudbury au mois de mai.
en lisant ces lignes de la lettre de sonia lamontagne, une nostalgie bien triste m'a assailli.
« Vous arrive-t-il de vous réveiller avec l'impression, non pas la prétention, de tout pouvoir rebâtir avant que le soleil se lève? de réaménager l'espace avant que la lumière en trace les contours? »
je sais ce dont elle parle. la réponse est non.
pour longtemps, je savais orchestrer cette expérience. quand j'habitais en nouvelle-écosse, sans vrai boulot, je pédalais régulièrement jusqu'au bord de l'eau pour étaler mes calepins sur la rive rocheuse et y rédiger des strophes ou des lettres en sirotant du café chaud. ou quand, dans mon propre petit appartement, j'avais pris soin d'installer mon bureau près de la plus grande fenêtre pour que je prenne le goût, pas mal chaque matin, de m'y jucher pour écrire. parce qu'à force de rédiger on rédige davantage. parce que, chez moi, cet effort créatif, cette concentration et cette discipline sèment le calme et l'équanimité. et nourri cette impression de pouvoir tout (re)bâtir.
je les ai lu bien tard, ces lignes, et une peur m'a avalé la quiétude : la peur que je me suis embarquée dans une vie qui ne laisse pas suffisamment de temps et de place pour cette création et ce calme. avec un copain plein de projets et un bambin qui bouge tout le temps, prendre le temps (pas « l'avoir » mais le « prendre ») n'est pas toujours chose facile. ou possible.
et si on se sent le plus comme soi quand on parvient à « refaire sa place au quotidien » et à « être plus près de l'ailleurs que de l'ici », d'être inexorablement dans « l'ici » (comme l'est sans doute toute nouvelle maman, toute personne sur le bord d'un grand déménagement), d'avoir ses horizons étriqués ainsi, n'est pas très rassurant. et ça use.
nightfall through
nightfall through to daybreak
through to morning
through to night
holding on to strands
of beads and stitches
heartbeats quicken with
the wails of unmet needs
on the brink of
a great coming undone
nightfall through to daybreak
pulling at the needle
pulling at the seams
penser ma néoruralité.
je murmure les strophes d'un texte
à l'écho du machin-bruit dans ta chambre.
tenter de préparer notre transition
en la narrant au rythme de tes siestes.
je te vois courir à pleines jambes
explorer à cœur joie
couvert de boue de la tête aux pieds
devenir enfant du vent, des prés
et en urbaine, moi
j'ai du mal à m'imaginer
élever des enfants
de campagnes, de fermes
des êtres qui seront toujours
plus à l'aise, plus chez eux
plus natifs d'la place
que moi
night out
on the town
out past :
and bedtimes
rediscovering that people don't all live indoors after seven pm
quietly whispering reading playing dice games
gallery bustle
video art splendour
vegetable installation
thick rimmed
pointy shoed
bird patterned
art as stage.


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At its meeting on May 2, 2018 the Executive Committee of the CES Board of Directors confirmed Sarah Farina, CE as the 2018-2020 CES President, beginning on July 1st. Welcome, Sarah! All CES members look forward to seeing you in action.
A long time member of the CES and advocate of evaluation, Sarah offers the following in summarizing her candidacy: "I approach the role of President with a respect for the tradition of excellence within CES, and an appreciation of the innovation that is possible when we fully engage the breadth of our membership and align our diverse offerings in service of building evaluation competencies and advancing the field of evaluation. CES plays an important role in the world of evaluation, and it would be an honour to serve as President. "
Sarah Farina, Presentation Letter
I am delighted to express my interest in serving as Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) President. It would be an honour to work with the dedicated volunteers from the CES Board, Chapters and committees, the CES Executive Director, and the CES Secretariat to further the mission of CES. I value the opportunity to work with the CES and through relationships with key organizations such as the Canadian Evaluation Society Educational Fund (CESEF), Consortium of Universities for Evaluation Education, International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation (IOCE), EvalPartners and the Francophone evaluation network (RFE) to advance the field of evaluation. I have had the pleasure of serving as President and Vice-President of the BC and Yukon Chapter of CES (CESBCY), and currently serve as Past President. During my time with CESBCY, we have revised our By-laws, drafted new policies and procedures, and initiated an annual strategic planning process, an annual one-day conference, and events and bursaries to support students and emerging evaluators, all of which was accomplished through extraordinary contributions from our dedicated Council and volunteers. I Co-Chaired the national CES conference in 2017, where I again experienced the depth and breadth of commitment from CES volunteers, and proudly supported a number of innovations including novel networking opportunities and green initiatives.
As President, I would like to focus on three priorities:
- Providing Valued Service to Members: Members are the core of CES, and I would like to ensure that CES is relevant and accessible to evaluation professionals and scholars throughout their careers. From the energy and ideas of emerging evaluators to the guidance and fellowship of experienced practitioners and scholars, I'd like to encourage a place for all to learn and contribute. As part of this, I would like to further national initiatives and engage with Chapters to ensure they are supported to serve their members.
- Promoting Competency-Aligned Evaluation and Professional Development: I fully support the CE program and want to play a role in motivating government and non-profit organizations to integrate the CE competencies into internal and external evaluation roles. I believe we could benefit from aligning the quality professional development offered within CES, including the Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation (CJPE), the e-Institute, CES conferences and Chapter offerings, to support members to develop these competencies.
- Advancing CES Leadership: I would like to facilitate continued leadership from CES in evaluation through domestic partnerships and international collaboration to build evaluation.
I am a Credentialed Evaluator, Registered Professional Planner and Certified Member of the Canadian Institute of Planners, Member of the Canadian Evaluation Society and American Evaluation Association (AEA), past Director with the Boards of the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of BC, Mount Pleasant Neighbourhood House and Urban Diggers, and co-founder of a community garden in my neighbourhood. I am fluent in French and English, and value the bilingual capacity within CES. I hold a Master's degree in Planning from the University of British Columbia. I founded Broadleaf Consulting in 2011, with a focus on planning, evaluation and governance. Prior to that, I worked for the Government of Canada assessing and monitoring projects funded through contribution agreements, and in international development, where I worked with non-profits to build capacity in planning, evaluation and governance in over 30 countries. I have presented on evaluation topics at CES, AEA and RFE conferences.


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We all have seen our share of B-grade movies about menacing. The evil villain skulks in dark alleyways, basements, maybe in the woods, twirling his moustache with a sardonic smile on his face while waiting for his unsuspecting victim to come near. Then he pounces on her and hauls her off to his cabin, laboratory or wherever he intends to imprison her. Sometimes the plot is so silly that the movie is downright funny. If you face charges of menacing in Colorado, however, this is no laughing matter.
About Colorado's gun laws
Colorado has a relatively permissive attitude to gun ownership, due in large part to its western heritage and vibrant hunting culture. With a concealed carry permit, a gun owner is free to carry a legally-allowed weapon on his or her person, or to transport a gun in a vehicle. He or she can also possess a gun in a restaurant, bar, or business, provided that the owner of the establishment has not expressly forbidden the practice. Permit holders can even carry a gun openly, except in Denver.
What counts as a deadly weapon?
You have probably heard of criminal charges such as "assault with a deadly weapon" or "menacing with a deadly weapon." When you hear the term "deadly weapon," you may instinctively think of a rifle or grenade. While those certainly do count as dangerous weaponry used for violent purposes, the definition of a deadly weapon does not stop with them.


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Recent events over the last few years in Britain have proven that regular maintenance and rope access building inspections must take place on high rise buildings whether they be residential or commercial. In fact, the bigger the building or property, the more import it is to conduct high level building inspections necessary in order to keep everyone safe, but also in ensure no further larger problems develop.
Rope access building inspections involve close inspection, not just of the materials and the structure, but also the cosmetic appearance of a building or other man-made features. For example, if a building is listed or has a feature which is a recognised landmark, such as a company sign or piece of historical architecture. In order to get close enough to inspect the property adequately, high rise abseil building inspections are needed.
We employ the necessary tools and provide the trained team members capable of rope access building inspections, so that the task can be completed without the risk and cost that is usually involved. Without the use of rope to give suitable access to the building under inspection, scaffolding may be needed which is costly to purchase or hire, and time consuming to erect and disassemble. Ladders involve a lot of unnecessary risk and are not recommended for the regular extensive high rise inspections required.
Apex Access Group make use of professional abseil equipment for rope access and MEWP (cherry pickers) for inspections and maintenance work of all kinds. Our rope access technicians are trained to IRATA (industrial rope access trade association) standards. Whatever your project may be, we have the expertise to support you through to its completion in a safe, cost effective and professional manner.


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Three who matter
October 30, 2004
I'M A VIETNAM-ERA veteran who supports Sen. John Kerry for president.
Kerry's forthright and unambiguous positions came through loud and clear in the presidential debates. His advocacy for fiscal responsibility regarding the national debt and deficit, mature plans for waging war on terrorism, bolstering national security, building strong alliances, shoring up Social Security, supporting education and strengthening the health-care system, will ensure the welfare of the country and thoroughly undermine terrorists.
My support goes to Ken Salazar for U.S. senator. As Colorado attorney general, Salazar has taken strong actions on behalf of the environment, exemplified by stands to preserve open spaces and hold polluters accountable for their actions; has prosecuted criminals who take advantage of senior citizens, and has taken steps to protect the security of Coloradans by working with federal officials and Israeli experts on confronting terrorism. I have heard him advocate with enormous passion for character education in our state's public schools.
Stan Matsunaka also receives my support for his effectiveness in representing defensible positions on education, health care, the environment, water rights, civil liberties and responsible gun control. He's a unifier of Democrats and Republicans, and one who respects diverse viewpoints because he's a true democratic citizen, and not constrained by ideology.
And Jim Riesberg has my support in his race for representative of state House District 50. He's focused on the profound issues that confront Colorado: reversing the trend of lost jobs, promoting education pre-kindergarten through graduate school, addressing the need for appropriate reform in health care and related insurance coverage, and thoroughly dedicated to improving the lives of senior citizens. I vouch for his considerable positive efforts on behalf of seniors and of hungry and homeless Coloradans.
We all stand to benefit from electing these candidates.
Recommended Stories For You
Fredrick L. Silverman is a faculty member in the College of Education at the University of Northern Colorado.


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CDL A Truck Driver Cardinal Logistics Herndon, VA Company Driver | REGIONAL |$65K - $75K / Curtain-Side / Benefits after 30 days Requisition ID: 645 For More Information, Contact a Recruiter @ 1.800.935.3131 Pay & Benefits Full-time CDL-A truck (more) posted 10 days ago
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CDL-A Flatbed Owner Operator Truck Driver- Same Day Pay Bennett Family of Companies Leesburg, VA Grow Your CDL-A Business With Flatbed, Step Deck & Heavy Haul Routes! At Bennett Motor Express, we know there's nothing more important than family. In fact, our company is still run by the same (more) posted 7 days ago
CDL Class A Delivery Driver - RBD Reyes Beer Division Chantilly, VA Position Summary: To efficiently deliver the right products to customer accounts, in a professional, safe and timely manner. Position Responsibilities may include, but not limited to: * Accurate (more) posted 4 days ago
Grocery shopper - Earn money on your own time Shipt Ashburn, VA Shipt is a membership-based marketplace that helps people get the things they need, like fresh produce and household essentials, from stores they trust. Help people save time and have fun while you (more) posted 18 days ago
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Administrative Assistant Centurion Vienna, VA Overview Centurion is proud to be a leading provider of comprehensive healthcare services to correctional facilities, state hospitals, and community mental health centers nationwide. We are currently (more) posted 7 days ago
CDL Training School! We Train, We Hire - Guaranteed C.R. England Ryan, VA No CDL? No Problem! We Train, We Hire, We Pay. You can get your CDL in just 21-days! As a family-owned company, we have top-of-the-line equipment, routes, and technology that provide you with one of (more) posted 12 days ago
We Train New Truck Drivers - Refrigerated, Safest in Trucking! C.R. England Ryan, VA Immediate Opportunities! Refrigerated Trucking is one of the safest bets in the trucking industry as it relates to jobs. The country will always need food, medicine, and supplies. There will always (more) posted 12 days ago
Class A CDL - Regional Intermodal Truck Driver Schneider Gaithersburg, MD Regional Intermodal truck drivers at Schneider earn up to $70,000 per year* and enjoy weekly time at home. This Regional CDL driving position features 99% no-touch freight, and you'll haul Intermodal (more) posted 1 month ago
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CLASS A TRUCK DRIVERS! $76,000 + AVERAGE ANNUALLY! Midwest Carriers Purcellville, VA : CLASS A TRUCK DRIVERS! $76,000 AVERAGE ANNUALLY! HOME WEEKLY! Join Midwest Carriers and embrace the wanderlust while getting paid to travel the United States! Our routes will take you East of the (more) posted 11 days ago
Truck Driver - Vehicle Transporter/CDL - Part Time Penske Sterling, VA Description Penske is an essential business to our customers and communities, our team is working hard to keep supply chains up and running. This position is immediately available and we are actively (more) posted 7 days ago
Regional Class A CDL Truck Drivers Shenandoah Growers Manassas Park, VA : CLASS A TRUCK DRIVERS! AVERAGE $1,200 A WEEK! OUT 2 TO 4 NIGHTS A WEEK AVERAGE! Drive with Shenandoah and become part of something truly special. Join us in work that makes a difference in the world (more) posted 13 days ago
Truck Driver - Average $80,000/Year - Excellent Benefits Hirschbach - Lease Purchase Herndon, VA Now Hiring CDL-A Solo & Team Lease Drivers Average $80,000+ Per Year 99% No-Touch - Excellent Benefits - Wi-Fi Equipped Trucks Lease Operator Terms: * Average $80,000+ per year * New higher pay scale (more) posted 7 days ago
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U.S. Xpress Offers New Worry-Free Short-Term Lease U.S. Xpress Leesburg, VA NEW Worry-Free Short-Term Leases: No Money Down. No Credit Check. No Maintenance Expenses!REAL Earnings Averaging $80,000 a year. That's REAL money--what you'll actually keep after lease payments AND (more) posted 7 hours ago
Truck Driver - Earn Up to 58 CPM - Excellent Benefits Millis Transfer - Company Drivers Fairfax, VA Now Hiring CDL-A Company Drivers Earn Up to 58 CPM - Multiple Hometime Options Millis Transfer can mean a lot to you and your family. With 84 years of experience under our belt, the Millis team, led (more) posted 3 days ago
Truck Driver - Home Weekly - Average Up to 65 CPM Boyd Bros - Company Drivers Chantilly, VA CDL-A Truck Driver Jobs with Boyd Bros. - Average up to 65 CPM + Up to $6,000 Sign-On The best flatbed truck driver jobs are right here at Boyd. Bros - the company the best truck drivers call home (more) posted 3 hours ago
Truck Driver - Home Weekly - Earn $902/Week - Excellent Benefits Transport America - Ecolab Martinsburg, WV Ashburn, VA Now Hiring Dedicated Drivers for our Ecolab Account Start at $902/Week - 99% No Touch Freight - Consistent Miles Requirements * 21 years old * 6 months of recent verifiable experience * Hazmat (more) posted 28 days ago
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Truck Driver - Home Weekly - Average $70,000/Year - Excellent Benefits Hub Group - Southern Regional Herndon, VA Hub Group is Hiring CDL-A Company Drivers Home Weekly - Average $70k Yearly - Excellent Benefits Get the miles that take your career further with Hub Group's Regional Opportunities. You'll find high (more) posted 4 days ago
Truck Driver - Top Pay - Great Benefits Paschall Truck Lines Herndon, VA Now Seeking CDL-A Truck Drivers - Earn Top Pay! Mostly Drop & Hook - 85 Years in Business and Growing! Founded in 1937 as a family-owned and operated transportation provider, Paschall Truck Lines has (more) posted 6 days ago
Truck Driver - Owner Operator - Average $128,000/Year - Great Benefits CFI Transport - Owner Operators Fairfax, VA CFI is Looking for Owner Operators Solo Owners Average $128,000 / year or more! Team Owners Average Over $221,000 / year (per team) When you work for CFI as a Regional or Over-the-Road (OTR) driver (more) posted 13 days ago
CDL-a Household Goods Mover Lease Purchase Truck Driver Jobs United Van Lines Leesburg, VA Drive How You Want.Drive Where You Want.Whether it's regional or OTR Owner Operator truck driver job opportunities that you're on the hunt for, United has a number of immediate positions open to CDL (more) posted 8 days ago
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Owner Operator CDL A Truck Driver - Earn 82% Gross (158042-14809). (Reston) TrueNorth Transportation Reston, VA More software means we need fewer people supporting our back-office, which means we can pass on the savings to you. Our mission is profits to truckers . We mean it. What TrueNorth does for you: * We (more) posted yesterday
Retail Solar Sales Advocate Sunrun, Inc Bethesda, MD Sunrun is the nation's leading home solar, battery storage, and energy services company. Our mission is to confront our planet's biggest challenge, climate change, by creating a planet run by the sun (more) posted 13 days ago
CDL-A Household Goods Mover Owner Operator Truck Driver Jobs United Van Lines Alexandria, VA Drive How You Want.Drive Where You Want.Whether it's regional or OTR Owner Operator truck driver job opportunities that you're on the hunt for, United has a number of immediate positions open to CDL (more) posted 7 days ago
Customer Experience Senior Freddie Mac McLean, VA At Freddie Mac, you will do important work to build a better housing finance system and you'll be part of a team helping to make homeownership and rental housing more accessible and affordable across (more) posted 5 days ago
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Customer Contact Center Senior (PART-TIME) Freddie Mac McLean, VA At Freddie Mac, you will do important work to build a better housing finance system and you'll be part of a team helping to make homeownership and rental housing more accessible and affordable across (more) posted 5 days ago
Truck Driver - Home Weekly - Earn Up to $90,000/Year VLADIS TRANSPORTATION Potomac, MD Hiring Class A Team Drivers Home Weekly - Up to $90,000+ Yearly per Driver $5,000 Sign-On Bonus - Guaranteed Minimum Pay Pay and Benefits: * $5,000 Sign-On Bonus * Up to $90,000+ a year per driver (more) posted 16 days ago
Administrative Assistant My Blind Spot Manassas, VA We're now hiring an Administrative Assistant to join our existing top-notch team. If you're hard-working and dedicated, My Blind Spot, Inc. is a great place to get ahead. You'll be glad you applied (more) posted yesterday
Service Center Manager in Training - Northern Virginia Valvoline Instant Oil Change Manassas, VA Automotive and Management experience required. What do you seek in a career path? An opportunity for growth? A chance to succeed? An awesome training program? A fun, exciting social environment (more) posted 2 days ago
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Truck Driver - Home Weekly - Earn Up to $90,000/Year VLADIS TRANSPORTATION Chantilly, VA Hiring Class A Team Drivers Home Weekly - Up to $90,000+ Yearly per Driver $5,000 Sign-On Bonus - Guaranteed Minimum Pay Pay and Benefits: * $5,000 Sign-On Bonus * Up to $90,000+ a year per driver (more) posted 16 days ago
Class A CDL - CDL-A Company Truck Driver - INCREASED PAY!! A&S Kinard: A Day & Ross Company Centreville, VA A&S Kinard, a Day & Ross Company, has a brand new pay package! We have the miles, GREAT NEW PAY, work life balance, excellent benefits, and top notch equipment. Come join our fleet of employees, who (more) posted 9 days ago
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Buying a house is a big decision and it's a good idea to get some sound advice before purchasing. As leading real estate agents in Auckland, Professionals Lovegrove Realty have put together this guide to help you make your purchase with confidence.
It is always wise to confirm how much you can borrow before you go looking to buy a home. You should also keep in mind the additional ongoing expenses that you will need to cover when owning a house, such as rates and insurance.
Look around at different house styles that you can afford in the area you want to live in. It can be disappointing if the house style you have in mind is not within your price range.
As an alternative, you may need to choose a different suburb but still consider your needs of shopping, transport, schools, etc. It helps to make a list of what is essential for you in a home and what would be a bonus.
Often home buyers pressure themselves into buying something because they feel that they have looked for too long or that someone else may also be ready to purchase that same house. As experienced real estate agents, we know this isn't wise. Buying a home is an important financial decision and shouldn't be rushed.
Look at why it has taken you so long to find something; you may need to reassess your criteria for choosing a home.
Real estate agents often report that it is frequently the first home that a buyer sees (and really likes) that they end up purchasing. Salespeople are skilled at understanding what it is you are looking for and will do their best to select for you those homes that most closely match your needs.
Don't think that you have to see dozens of homes to be sure; if the first home you see suits you and you like it, buy it. You may miss out if you choose to look at many other homes before deciding.
Home buyers often try to 'go it alone' and not ask a real estate agency for help. But remember, real estate agents aim to help you find a property that fulfils your criteria. Happy customers often refer us to new clients and that's how we build both our reputation and our business. Ask salespeople questions to get as much information as you need to find the right property for you.
Overlooking potential future problems can be an issue for first time buyers who are not familiar with building construction. It is often a good idea to get a building inspection completed by a registered and qualified tradesperson, particularly if you are in doubt about any structural elements.
Home buyers often feel that they need 'approval' from their parents or friends before making the final decision. Remember it is your opinion that matters most; you will be the one living there.
Don't judge a home by the furnishings and style that are in place. Imagine your own furnishings in place to clearly picture and highlight the benefits of the good floor plan of the home.
Don't avoid homes that are for auction because you are unfamiliar with the process. Talk to your local real estate company or your agent to learn how the auction system works – it is a very controlled and fair process.
When you decide to attend an auction to bid for a house, ask your real estate agent to assist you. They will help you to feel comfortable with the process.
Getting attached to your dream home can be a cause of distress and frustration. You see it, you've got to have it, and then it's sold to someone else with more money. It is possible that your offer may not be accepted or that someone else may bid higher than you at the auction.
The good news is that there really is always another home that will suit your needs, and become your dream home.
If you need further assistance while looking to buy your property, please contact us.


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AbleCommerce software is a complete online store building system. Our eCommerce platform has more features to help you manage orders, payments, shipping, and customer requests. Also a Content Management System (CMS) with the ability to add unlimited web pages to your store. From any page in the storefront, you can quickly change styles, text, and theme colors. Select from an assortment of widgets to create a custom website seamlessly integrated with your product catalog.
With the AbleCommerce Infinite license, you can download the software and install it to a website that supports application hosting (Asp.Net 4.6.1 or higher). The Infinite license is perpetual and includes every feature of the software within unlimited Admin users.
AbleCommerce Infinite includes:
- Full version of AbleCommerce software
- License key for unlimited Admin users - no expiration!
- Source code for the Commercebuilder API and application DLLs
- One (1) year of free software upgrades
- Free installation support through our ticket center
- Free developer support through our online forums and ticket center
- Instant access to our community and developer forums
To install the software, you will need:
- A license keyed to match the exact name of your website.
- Access to upload the application files to a website that can run an Asp.Net application. The site will need to be configured to run with Microsoft Asp.Net 4.6.1 or higher.
- A new database container for the installation. The database connection string will need to reference a Microsoft SQL Server database, version 2012 or higher.
To obtain a license key, please enter the exact website name in the field provided. Otherwise, leave blank and request a license key later. There is a limit of one domain name per each license purchase.
Installation support is included! This includes upload, installation, and initial configuration of the AbleCommerce application only. This service does not include the installation or configuration of any third-party applications installed or that need to be installed on the server. FTP or RDP required for access.
AbleCommerce Infinite is also available as a hosted solution with superior software and website support, daily backups, 24x7 website monitoring, and much more. Plans paid monthly. Cancel anytime.
Excited to find AbleCommerce
Just a quick note to let you know how excited we are to find Able Commerce. We recently finished a complete overhaul of our website. In the planning stages we had to find a new store front application as we had outgrown our old system. After looking at several different options, we selected Able Commerce and are now so glad we did! The application is very user friendly (even for those of us who are not computer wizards), has many features that streamline our ordering and shipping process, and is very simple to navigate and quickly make changes to our website as needed. The staff associated with Able Commerce are very knowledgeable and were extremely patient & helpful as we implemented the new system. We look forward to many years of continued use of this great product! Thanks again for your product and your service! Joy & David McGraw, Avery & Justin Smith Louisiana Crawfish Company, Inc.
What can I say, we (AbleCommerce) use our own software and I love it
After our recent upgrade to AbleCommerce Gold R11, we now have a responsive website design. For the last 20 years, we have always used AbleCommerce to sell...AbleCommerce. That is why our digital goods feature rocks, and also why we are intimately involved with our software design and features - because we use it too. It's really nice to have a strong order management system, and so many features which are all built-in. The ability to customize our site so it is exactly how we want is a huge benefit. We've built a custom licensing system, but we can still keep the software upgraded without having to worry about making a lot of changes. The new Blog feature worked out very nicely. We've transferred all of our Blog articles so they are maintained within the backend CMS. Having the additional content in our store helps with the search engine ranking too. I might be slightly bias towards AbleCommerce, but I do truly love it.
Outstanding for developers
I've been a programmer for over 30 years and love Able Gold. I need projects to start fast and run well. The class designs are extremely easy to understand and follow. Able obviously put a lot of thought into being consistent with their object classes. It makes it so much faster to build my programming. All the code comments and xml documentation help me quickly figure out a new area or understand a particular service class. They really went out of their way to make the code easy to follow. The data schema design makes extending the data layer so easy. Parent-child relationships are everywhere and they just make sense. Payment.shipping gateways are so well documented it's easy to build new integrations. It's hard to find a C# ASP.Net app these days that can support responsive design, exposes IOC containers and fully implements a high performance ORM. As a platform for building fast and reliable customized eCommerce deployments, you can't beat AbleCommerce Gold.
A good platform
Able Commerce has been a good steady platform with very few issues. We currently have two websites on it. Its very simple to use. The updates and features are fantastic and you really get a lot of value for your money.
Best in Class
I've been using Ablecommerce for over 15 years and in my opinion it's the best eCommerce product on the market. The reliability, capability and flexibility of this software is unmatched. Additionally, I'm pleased that Ablecommerce keeps up to date with new features including a responsive design. If you're looking for a solid product that works "out of the box" or can be molded to fit your company's needs, you've just found it.


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Thursday, March 22, 2007
Burst My Bubble
Well the bathroom is still NOT functional. The plumber came yesterday to install all the faucets and found a part missing to complete the tub hook up...#1 Problem. The wrong toilet was ordered, so he showed up WITHOUT a toilet...#2 Problem. It was very disappointing to not have a functioning bathroom. I've been waiting for a very long time and it's so close, I know I shouldn't complain. On the brighter side the sink is working....I have running water in the sink. I can brush my teeth. He is coming back this morning to finish things, I hope he arrives with the correct part and a toilet. I was so excited yesterday but I just want it done NOW.
I needed a distraction from my disappointment so I sewed...sewed...and sewed all day until this top was done. The LQS owner asked if I had time to make this quilt, I said "no" but I needed something to take my mind off my disappointment and this quilt was waiting and ready to go. It will be displayed as a top this weekend at the Sewing and Craft Show and quilted later. The fabrics are from the Sanctuary line.
Waiting for spring...
15 comments:
- swooze said...
I bought a sanctuary jelly roll. What pattern is this? It is really nice.
- March 22, 2007 at 9:30 AM
- Alycia~Quiltygirl said...
Sorry about your bathroom - but I love the quilt you made! Keep your chin up - hopefully it will be ready soon.
- March 22, 2007 at 12:19 PM
- Unknown said...
Very pretty quilt! I hope you have a second bathroom to use in the meantime.
- March 22, 2007 at 2:07 PM
- Pam said...
Too bad about the bathroom :((
Cute quilt. I will look for it at the Sewing and Craft show - I am going this weekend :))
- March 22, 2007 at 2:31 PM
- Sweet P said...
I hope your bathroom is finished today. Your quilt is a pretty way to work through stress.
- March 22, 2007 at 3:49 PM
- Carole said...
Sorry to read about your bathroom. I like the quilt. The colours are so springy and cheeful. I do like that line of fabric. Thanks for sharing! Happy quilting!
- March 22, 2007 at 5:42 PM
- Jenni said...
Very dissapointing - I hope you have a spare bathroom! Good for you to turn the frustration into something positive.
- March 22, 2007 at 8:19 PM
- Rose Johnston said...
Keep thinking how close that gorgeous bathroom is to completion!!!...ur quilt top is lovely!!!....hoping u will be relaxing (very soon) in that clawfoot, candles, maybe a glass of wine and reflecting on a major renovation!!!
- March 23, 2007 at 4:38 AM
- Libby said...
It's a beautiful distraction. Hope the bathroom is done today. Even with the disappointment, it will be wonderful and exciting when it's done.
- March 23, 2007 at 7:09 AM
- Quilts And Pieces said...
Oh what a disappointment, but soon, very soon it should be done!
- March 23, 2007 at 9:38 AM
- Darlene said...
Wow, what a sweet quilt. I love it. What pattern is it?
Oh, I hope your plumber comes to finish the job today - I can imagination your frustration.
- March 23, 2007 at 11:48 AM
- Laura said...
Such a pretty quilt! And I love the sashing and cornerstones!
- March 23, 2007 at 3:50 PM
- Shelina said...
This is a pretty quilt. I hope you have a spare bathroom. I don't think I could hold it that long even if I could quilt the whole time I am waiting! Our bathtub was disfunctional last week, and it was just wretched.
- March 23, 2007 at 3:58 PM
- Leigh said...
Seems to be the way with bathrooms.
Very pretty quilt, gorgeous fabrics. I think we must have the same taste in fabrics.
- March 27, 2007 at 11:20 PM
- Pilar Ramos said...
That good excuse to sew, you have had left edredon precious. Pilar from Spain
- April 9, 2007 at 4:23 AM


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Yunomi Takeo Autumn Houjicha
Country of Origin: Japan
Leaf Appearance: larger, varied in size, twiggy
Ingredients: roasted green tea
Steep time: 3 minutes
Water Temperature: 180 degrees
Preparation Method: kyusu
Liquor: dark amber
I received this tea as part of shipment from +Yunomi.us's Tea Club. The dry leaves of this tea were interesting because they were larger and quite a bit more twiggy than other houjichas that I've tried. Houjicha is green tea has been fire roasted. This one was a particularly toasty and comforting cup. Earthy and mellow with an almost maple syrup-like sweetness, I couldn't help drinking cup after cup. One of the best things about this type of tea is that it is very economical. You'd be hard pressed to find another tea priced at just under $10.00 for 5oz. I love that they provide profiles their farmers and includes a "message to the world" from them. Here is what the Takeo family had to say:
As much as possible, we'd like to create tea that is as close to its natural state. Are chemicals safe to use in agriculture? We don't really know, but we feel it is better to be safe because you can't peel off the skin on tea like you do with fruits. You, our customers, should have the safest tea leaves that we can make.
Autumn Houjicha sample provided by Yunomi.