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WildAire was founded with love in 2005 by Matt and Jean Driscoll after years of immersing themselves in the Willamette Valley wine scene. They started the journey 23 years ago by a chance visit to Oregon to attend a friend's wedding and their destiny was sealed. After getting married in 2000, they moved 3000 miles from Virginia to learn all aspects of the wine business in Oregon. Their time in the Willamette Valley began by studying winemaking, farming, and marketing Pinot Noir at the Northwest Viticulture Center and by working with some of Oregon's top winemakers.
Matt has 18 vintages of winemaking experience and oversees the production for WildAire while Jean focuses on the sales, marketing, and financial side of the family business. Their vision is to create elegant wines with love and passion that are acid driven and food friendly using fruit grown from some of Oregon's greatest vineyard sites.
WildAire's first year of production was approximately 70 cases of wine and has now grown to 500 cases. The winemaking philosophy is to start with beautiful fruit from some of Oregon's premier vineyards and then gently guide the grapes through the fermentation. WildAire's small size allows them to pay careful attention to every detail of the winemaking process. By constantly tasting and evaluating the wines during their lifespan in barrel ensures that the wine is absolutely the best that it can be. All of the wines are aged in French Oak barrels with about twenty to sixty percent of them new for each vintage.
In 2005, they sold their house in Salem and moved to McMinnville to form a wine company. The winery is now located at the Carlton Winemakers Studio in Carlton, Oregon. The name "WildAire" comes from the name of Matt's family estate in Roanoke, VA. The name was discovered carved into a granite fireplace mantle in a long since forgotten remains of a hotel near the peak of McAfee Knob near Roanoke. The hotel was used as a base by Rangers on the Appalachian Trail and lightning has since burned it to the ground, leaving nothing but the fireplace standing. Matt's Mother wanted them to use the name for their new wine business and when she passed away, they thought it would be a fitting tribute to her memory to call it "WildAire".
Matthew Driscoll was born in North Carolina, raised in the southeast, and has lived in North Carolina, Ohio, and Virginia before settling here in Oregon. After attending Longwood College and Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), he started his own construction business in Virginia in 1988 and soon realized that it was incredibly difficult to enjoy wine while nailing walls together. That led to a new career path in Geographical Information Systems (GIS) where he spent 10 years working for various Engineering and Mapping companies. In 2000, Matt began a new career that would lead him to the promised land of the most beautiful grape in the world, Oregon. After enrolling in the Enology and Viticulture programs at the Northwest Viticulture Center, Matt got a job working harvest as a greenhorn cellar rat at a winery. Since then, he has developed his craft by working at some of the best wineries in the valley. In 2005, Matt became the Co-Founder and winemaker for WildAire with the hopes of making world class Pinot Noir.
Jean Driscoll is a born and raised army brat. She finally found the group of friends she had been searching for in Richmond, VA, where she completed her BS, Information Systems, at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). While in Virginia, she pursued her career of supporting business software on midrange computer systems and hung out with the best buds on earth. Through this group she met her husband, Matt. With this group of friends and both of the families in attendance, they married in Nags Head, NC. One of her bridesmaids lives in Amity, Oregon and it was after visiting her in 1995 that Matt and Jean determined to come live in the Willamette Valley and produce Pinot Noir. Jean enjoys business trips back to Virginia and Pennsylvania, to share their wine.
Anne Driscoll Nesbitt was born in Winston-Salem, NC and raised in Richmond, VA and is the oldest of Matt's three sisters. Also a graduate of VCU with a degree in Communications, Anne began a career in the media as the Director of Programming for WRLH Fox 35 in Richmond. Anne has since raised 4 beautiful daughters who have made it to college and beyond. Hence her appreciation for wine! Her previous experience was from the world of Contracts and Grants at UNC Chapel Hill and she now resides in Winston-Salem as a new real estate agent. We are super lucky to have Anne investing in our company! She is incredibly loyal, fierce, laughs all the time, drinks our wine constantly, hikes, and loves the Pacific Northwest.
Amy Driscoll was born in Asheville, NC and raised in Richmond, VA and is one of Matt's three sisters. After graduating from Catholic University with a degree in Music, Amy began a career in the business world as a graphic artist in Washington, DC. She has since kept up her musical chops on the cello and frequently plays in symphonies and quartets in the DC area. Currently an Art Director, Amy is the mastermind behind all of the bottle labels, logos, and business cards for WildAire. Her vision and expertise is what makes all of our packaging look so sharp. Plus, she's family! That makes it even more special!
Shea Vineyard is owned by Dick and Deirdre Shea of Portland, Oregon and is managed by Jesus Marin. It's located in the in the northern region of the Willamette Valley inside of Yamhill-Carlton District AVA near Carlton, Oregon. WildAire sourced the Wadenswil clone of Pinot noir from block 25 on the west hill. The elevations of the vineyard range from 400 feet to 600 feet and the Marine Sedimentary soils are mostly made up of the Goodin, Melbourne, and Willakenzie soil series. The row spacing is 8' x 4' and is non-irrigated. Shea Vineyard farms its land using LIVE and Salmon Safe management techniques and the wines that come from this site generally have supple tannins with a mixture of red and black fruits from Blackberry to Cherry that weave with hints of earth and spice. See Shea Vineyard on Everyvine
Zenith Vineyard is owned by Tim and Kari Ramey of Salem, Oregon and is managed by Pedro Martinez. It's located in the northern region of the Willamette Valley inside of the Eola-Amity Hills AVA near Salem, Oregon. Zenith Vineyard was originally owned by Pat O'Conner and was first known as O'Conner Vineyards. The Ramey's purchased the vineyard in 2002 and have replanted and added several blocks of varying clones of Pinot noir, Pinot gris, Pinot blanc, Chardonnay, Auxerrois, and Tempranillo, and it now boasts 70 acres of vines on multiple trellis spacings. The vineyard is LIVE certified and the wines that come from this site typically have higher acidity with bright red fruits and classic aromas of bramble and rose petals. See Zenith Vineyard on Everyvine
Open Claim Vineyard is owned and managed by Brett and Marnie Wall and is located in the foothills of the Coast Range near Dallas, Oregon. Open Claim Vineyard was first planted in 20012 with 21 acres of Pinot noir and Chardonnay that's spaced at 7' x 5' vine rows. The vineyard was planted on a south-facing slope of Bellpine, Helmick, and Jory soils that range at a 7% grade. The top of the vineyard is at 420 feet elevation, and the bottom 250. This vineyard is farmed using only organic vineyard practices. See Open Claim Vineyard on Everyvine
Yates Conwill Vineyard is owned by Stephen Conwill and is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. The elevation of 450 to 350 feet for this 12 acre vineyard has vines spaced on a VSP trellis at 7' X 4' for a vine density of 1555 vines per acre. The well-drained soils are marine based and made up of bands of silty and sandy clay loams that are mixed with gravel from ancient seabeds. The clusters that come from this vineyard are just bursting with dark cherries and violets and abundant structure. The topography of the slope varies from block to block with minor undulations that almost seem like swells out on the Ocean. This is a relatively warm site so it can be one of the first vineyards that we'll pick every year. See Yates Conwill Vineyard on Everyvine
Monks Gate Vineyard is owned by Ron and Linda Moore and is managed by daughter Rebecca Moore. The property is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA and abuts property owned by the nearby Trappist Abbey. These neighbors were very helpful to the Moores in their land clearing efforts and, yes, there is a gate, complete with a statue of Saint Francis of Assisi that was installed to give the Monks access to the land. The vineyard site ranges in elevation from 260 to 440 feet on predominantly south to southwest slopes. The soil type is primarily Willakenzie, a silty clay loam over siltstone and WildAire sources the Wadenswil and Dijon 667 Clones of Pinot noir. The vineyard is not irrigated and is farmed sustainably to ensure that it will be environmentally and economically viable for generations to come. Aerial Flyover of Monks Gate Vineyard See Monks Gate Vineyard on Everyvine
Fairsing Vineyard is owned by Mike and Mary Ann McNally and is managed by Daniel Fey. It is located in the Yamhill-Carlton AVA. Fairsing Vineyard was established in the summer of 2005, when the family purchased a quarter section of harvested forestland. By October 2006 eighteen acres were successfully planted and trellised with the assistance of Oregon's collegial winegrower community. Vineyard development continued at roughly 5.5 acres per year, to reach the current 38 acres of Pinot noir and two acres of Chardonnay in production. WildAire sources the Wadenswil, Dijon 115 and 777 Clones of Pinot noir. The vineyard is nestled inside an 80-acre Certified Family Forest, distinguished by biodiversity, varied topography and panoramic views of the Northern Willamette Valley. See Fairsing Vineyard on Everyvine
Our philosophy in the cellar is to gently guide the fruit through the fermentation process and into barrel. That being said, our winemaking style isn't really a style per se. We routinely tweak our winemaking protocol depending on what the vintage gives us and constantly experiment with new techniques and equipment. There is no absolute, perfect way to make wine due to the dizzying array of variables that we face every year. You can't make wine from a recipe. You've got to be intuitive and listen to what the grapes are telling you when they show up at the door and react accordingly. However, there are some constants that ring true in the way that we treat the grapes during harvest.
For Pinot Noir, the grapes will be destemmed slowly and not crushed to get as many whole berries in the fermentation as possible. Depending on cluster maturity, some lots will get a percentage of whole clusters added to the destemmed fruit and dry ice to help reduce the temperature. Sulfur is added at the crusher to the fruit at very low levels if it looks clean and disease free. We want to help the native yeasts take control of the fermentation as they create more complexity in the finished wine. We cold soak our fermenters for as many as 7 days at a temperature of 45 to 50 degrees. This helps to gently extract color and tannin from the skins in an environment without alcohol. Pinot Noir also has a habit of racing through the fermentation. In fact, I've seen a fermentation crank thru 12 brix in just one night.
Cold soaking gives you the time to make sure that you get what you need from the skins and that the temperature rises slowly for a nice and even fermentation curve. The cap of grape skins that floats up to the surface in the bin has to be re-submerged on a daily basis."Punchdowns" are all done by hand. This process is very labor intensive, but it also creates an intimate relationship with how the grapes are progressing through the fermentation. After the cold soak is over, each bin is warmed up slowly and inoculated with our Pied de Cuve that we have started offsite from the prior week. When fermentation begins punchdowns increase to 2 times per day, with an occasional, gentle juice pump-over through a screen, only as needed to cool the fermentation and give the yeast a boost of oxygen.
The punchdowns will then decrease as the fermentation ends so that the new wine won't become over-extracted with tannins in a high-alcohol environment. The newly fermented wine and its solids are allowed to sit in tank for 10-20 days of extended maceration, a period during which the tannins soften and the primary fermentation esters develop more complexity. Total time on skins for our Pinot Noir averages from 25 to 30 days. The new wine is then pressed off to tank for 3 to 5 days to settle and then moved to barrel. Our Pinot Noir barrels are all 3-year air dried French Oak barrels from various forests in France. About 10% to 60% of these barrels are new, depending on the structure of the new wine.
For Chardonnay, the hand picked clusters are tread upon by our crew in quarter ton picking bins and left to soak overnight to extract aromas and flavors from the skins and stems. We then gently press the CH in the morning to avoid releasing any bitter phenolics trapped in the seeds. Pressing occurs in stages with increasing pressure steps over the course of 90 minutes. The stems help the juice drain from the press by creating spaces in the cake for the juice to fall into the press pan. The juice is racked from the press pan to a chilled settling tank with no addition of sulfur to pre-oxidize the juice to create what we call "Black Chardonnay".
The cold and very brown juice is racked to barrel the next day. We inoculate each barrel with our Pied de Cuve that we had started the previous week offsite. We like to begin our fermentations with wild yeast from the vineyard instead of the dominant strain that lives in the winery. It takes about 2 days before we see signs of fermentation beginning and then it usually takes another 12 days for the new wine to become dry. We use about 20% new french oak for our Chardonnay as we don't want to overpower the wine with new oak. The oak should serve as a pedestal to place the fruit upon, and not to cover it up.
We strive to create Chardonnay with fresh acidity and minerality while still capturing those primary fruit aromas. Stirring the lees helps create a softer mouthfeel in the finished wine to offset acidity and bitterness. Malolactic fermentation (also called secondary fermentation or ML) of the wine naturally occurs in barrel and converts the sharper tasting Malic acid to the softer Lactic acid and is normally done to completion on all of our wines. When ML is complete, the wine gets it's first dose of sulfur dioxide to kill any micro-organisms and also to protect the wine from oxidation. All of our wines age on the lees until they are ready to bottle. They are never racked from barrel during this time in order to protect their delicate aromas.
After barrel aging,the wine is transferred out of the barrel using inert gas to gently push the wine into tank with minimal oxygen exposure. Typically, the wine will stay in tank for one to three weeks before it's bottled. We normally bottle age our red wines for about 6-12 months before releasing it to the public to let the wine become accustomed to it's new surroundings in bottle. These ideas are all aimed at preserving the flavors and the aromas of terroir and the nuances of each vintage. Pinot Noir shows this like no other grape does with its delicate complexity. Each bottle is like a sliver of time that's slowly evolving, capturing the essence of the vineyard and the vintage.


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By: Raymond Allen, created: 2013-04-17 | updated: 2013-04-17
Three types of Windows Wav file players. One has an assembly component and can play high quality 16-bit stereo wav files. The other two are all in SPIN. One plays 16-bit mono up to 16 kHz. The other plays 8-bit mono at 8 kHz.

subset: commoncrawl


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Restenneth Priory In Pictures
The ancient Restenneth Priory, by Forfar, is believed to have been founded by the king of the Picts around 715AD.
Would such deep history from a county – Angus – that's deemed to be the birthplace of Scotland, transfer into earth energies that spark paranormal activity?
Let's look at some pictures from Restenneth Priory in this article, with further expansion of our findings in addition material to follow.


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Working in Kuwait?
The Job Search for Expats in Kuwait
The Job Market — Favoring Locals
Expatriates are a common phenomenon in Kuwait's economy. Around two-thirds of the labor force is made up of foreign nationals. Although the majority of these are manual workers in low-income jobs, the number of expats in the upper segments of the labor market is also high. Still, finding a job in Kuwait is not as easy as it once was. While, in the past, expats have filled many major upper-level positions, new generations of Kuwaitis now entering the labor market are increasingly well educated, and the government is aware of the need to provide them with decent career opportunities within Kuwaiti borders.
Companies are therefore strongly encouraged to hire locals whenever possible. Kuwaiti authorities can limit the number of work visas issued to a company to make sure certain quotas of local employees are upheld. Additionally, plans have been proposed to cut the number of expats in the country over the next few years. As of 1 March 2016, Kuwait has started to ban all expats aged over 50 from working in the public sector.
The treatment of migrant workers — in low paid jobs — is always a hot topic in the GCC region, with numerous stories about the exploitation and abuse of laborers, with regard to their working conditions and level of pay, as well as their inability to report any mistreatments or even change their employers. Just recently, however, a new law set an upper limit on working hours to twelve hours a day including breaks. Even though this is still a high amount, it was the first time that the government has put a maximum on the number of hours, so it still is a step in the right direction.
Professional Qualifications Needed for a Job
Despite government efforts to become more self-sufficient in terms of labor, the demand for expatriate specialists is not likely to cease altogether. Expats skilled in key areas for the development of the Kuwaiti economy will still have a good chance to get a job there.
This applies particularly to expats who hold a degree and have comprehensive professional experience in the financial sector or in the fields of marketing, sales, and business development. Engineers, especially those with skills relevant to the oil industry, probably stand the best chance of fulfilling their dream of working in Kuwait.
How to Search for Work
For job postings, check out Monster.com and Bayt.com. Both have extensive job listings for working in Kuwait. Also, there are a number of reputable recruiting agencies that mainly deal with jobs in upper management. Aman Overseas and Career Hunters, to name just a few, are highly regarded recruitment agencies that you could start with.
When push comes to shove, however, self-initiative is key. Seek out companies (both multinationals and Kuwaiti businesses) that might require the set of skills you can offer, and contact them directly. In Kuwait, personal relationships are very important in all aspects, including in the business world. Local contacts can therefore prove immensely valuable for finding employment.
Teaching English
As in many other expat destinations, teaching English is a very popular option for working in Kuwait. There is always a high demand for English teachers in private language schools, as well as at the universities and private international schools. Private lessons are also becoming increasingly popular, though they are mostly a means for regular teachers to supplement their income.
Depending on the institution, a university degree in TEFL and some teaching experience are usually required for working in Kuwait as an English teacher. There is also demand for translators, though usually only on a part-time or short-term basis.
We do our best to keep this article up to date. However, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is always current or complete.


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This is the third and final entry for this weekend in the "Every Goal" series. Stay tuned next weekend as I'll be compiling every goal scored by Daniel & Henrik Sedin, as well as Alex Burrows. That's 93 goals, so I'm not looking forward to it. I'll likely be motivated, however, because there are Canucks(ish) hockey games to be watched this week. That is sweet.
Mikael Samuelsson was something of a surprise to Canucks fans last season. He joined the team from the Red Wings on a 7.5 million, 3 year contract. It seemed high, and many were skeptical he'd have an impact worth his contract, but he proved the doubters wrong with a 30-goal season, timely production, and versatility that saw him play everywhere from the first to the third line, with success in all situations. He always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, he put the whole team in a shooting mentality with his shoot-first approach to entering the offensive zone, and he was a greatteam guy. In short: he was good, see for yourself. Here is every goal Mikael Samuelsson scored last season.
1. Oct. 1 vs. the Calgary Flames
I said earlier in this series' that Edler's passing ability on the power play was sorely underrated, and here we see it again. Samuelsson's first goal of the season comes on a tip from a brilliant Edler pass. Notice as well: as soon as Sammy scores, he takes a crosscheck from a Flames player and swings his stick in retaliation. He doesn't connect, and it's a good thing. The whole thing happens in one fluid moment, but it's early evidence of Samuelsson's propensity for reacting to a slight without thinking first (you know, like a famous interview).
Another power play goal, this one on a rebound. Samuelsson joins Wellwood in front of the net, and he's left completely alone. I like the little push on Wellwood's back to let him know he's there. As soon as Wellwood realizes Samuellson's with him, he just starts nudging Mara away from the crease. Crazy observation: Wellwood is moving Paul Mara. With what, one might ask, his mind? I didn't know he had the core strength for that.
So far all of Samuelsson's goals have come on the powerplay. This one's a tap-in, as Henrik's cross-ice pass (which also would have resulted in a tap-in) doesn't get through, but Bernier's does, and Samuelsson buries it into the open net. I wonder if Bernier meant to do that, or if this was a failed tap-in of his own that wound up working out for us.
Scored from a similar position to the previous one, Samuelsson picks up a rebound off of an Alex Burrows spin attempt, gets it from his backhand to his forehand quickly, and roofs it. A skillful goal from a player whose goal-scoring prowess was already beginning to surprise. One thing I like about this powerplay tactic--the down-low pass followed by the spin and attempt to jam it--is if it doesn't work, the puck's momentum spits it out to the open man at the side of the net.
I remember this goal and thinking it was awesome. Brian Campbell tries a lazy drop pass in his own zone, with Samuelsson forechecking, and he pokes it away from Pat Kane. By the time realizes Samuelsson has the puck, he fires a great wrist shot past Niemi. One reason Samuelsson fit well with Raymond and Kesler last season was that he forechecked as hard as they did.
6. Oct. 29 vs. the Los Angeles Kings (at 0:52 of clip)
In this clip, Samuelsson one-times a sweet Alex Burrows pass right in front of the net. In the Kesler edition of the "Every Goal" series, I pointed out that Burrows' passing has become a major asset for him over these past two seasons, and here is more evidence of that. I know I'm claiming that nearly every one of our players is a great passer, but it's true: the Sedins are incredible passers, but Raymond, Burrows, and Edler rarely get their due. The Canucks are a very good passing team.
Speaking of forechecking, here's another example. The Raymond-Kesler-Samuelsson line was rarely all that pretty (which made for a nice counterbalance with the wizardous sedinerie of the first line. The second line just forechecked hard and potted rebounds. That's what we have here, as Raymond dumps the puck in and forces the Rangers defenseman to turn it over to Kesler. Kesler shoots it, Lundqvist gives up a rebound, and Samuelsson puts it home. Textbook for these guys.
Another garbage power play goal off a rebound, this one from a Kesler shot, but again I want to draw your attention to Alex Edler's incredible pass to get this one started. Look at it, marvel at it, recognize how good he is.
The first of what I would like to call "Sam's Surprises". These are the goals where you went, "Was that a shot?" "That went in?" "What the Heck?" Samuelsson scored a few of them. Pay special attention to John Shorthouse's commentary, as he goes to say, "Samuelsson, for Schneider, in front," but when the puck takes that weird bounce, he just stops at "in." Way to improvise, Shorty.
The passing on this play is ridiculous. Let's give Samuelsson credit for the one-timer, but Alex Edler's powerplay passing again factors into it, as does Mason Raymond's this time around. I've been banging the "Mason Raymond is a pretty good passer" drum for a couple days now, and this is another good example. His only knock is that he still can't do it at top speed with regularity. That may come this season.
This might be the only time I say this, but much of the credit for this goal goes to Darcy Hordichuk. He goes hard (really, really hard) to the net, drawing defenders and creating a messy screen. Samuelsson does what he always does and shoots the puck, and with that sort of traffic in front, there's no way LaBarbera can see it.
Can we call this one of Sam's surprises? When Shorty calls it a sharp angle shot, it might be the last great understatement of 2009. Note here the difference between Samuelsson, who shoots from there, and Raymond, who would have dragged it across the crease. This one also shows off Samuelsson's strength, as he pushes Barret Jackman off the puck smartly to free it up for him.
Another weird one, as he enters the zone without the puck, seemingly puts himself offside, then fortuitously gets the puck back and just shoots it right away. The shot itself is a laser, but the circumstances surrounding the goal are bizarre. Part of me thinks the goal counts because not even the referees were ready for him to shoot that puck. That's what Sammy does. Have puck? Check. Shoot puck? Yes.
A great forecheck by Kesler as the period is winding down leads to this play in front, as Samuelsson again scores from a pretty sharp angle. Normally, I'd get down on a player who shoots this much, and I know they called him the Logo Hunter in Detroit, but he must have improved his accuracy or something, because this many goals on quick wrist shots and bad angles can't be a fluke.
Again we see Samuelsson benefiting from some hard work on the forecheck by the second line. Mason Raymond gets the turnover, tries to wrap it around, and it squeaks out to Samuelsson, who buries it.
Much like the last goal, this one comes off some unified forechecking, as Kesler creates the turnover, then Raymond exacerbates it, and the Canucks get it back. The shot from the point is bouncing, but Samuelsson still gets a stick on it for a redirect, and it jumps over Curry. Sidenote: who the Hell is Curry?
All alone in front, Samuelsson opens the scoring in a game I fondly remember, apart from that part when Andrew Ladd tagged Kesler below the eye. I hate Ladd. Anyway, speaking of Kesler, he makes this play happen, fighting off three Blackhawks to get his first shot off, then outhustling them to get to puck a second time and tip it out to Samuelsson. I'm a big fan of Kesler's brand of playmaking. He's not the best passer in the world, but he creates scoring chances by hustling, checking, and going desperately for loose pucks. When you're skating with opportunists like Raymond and Samuelsson, that can only bode well for you. I'd love to see him with a playmaker this season, though, to add a new dynamic.
Another goal I fondly remember, this one came as a shock to everybody, because Samuelsson enters the zone with the puck on his stick and doesn't shoot it. Everybody thinks he's gonna, even Henrik Tallinder, but instead, Sammy makes a couple of jukes, then drags it to the backhand and slides it home. Way to switch it up. Notice as well the presence of the Green Men, who were an absolute blast last year, as long as we were winning. I think Vancouver collectively soured on them during the Blackhawks series, but is that really their fault? Was it ubiquity that wore that joke down or the citywide bad mood that sapped the joy from every joyful thing? Guess we'll find out this season if Force and Sully return for a second season of pressing their groins against the penalty box glass.
Wherein Samuelsson scores on a one-timer on the power play. It's a 4-on-3 power play, so there's already a lot of room, but you have to imagine the Canadiens D-corps aren't respecting Sammy's slapshot the way they'd respect Sami's slapshot. That's the mistake.
Here was have another one of Sam's Surprises, as Samuelsson's quick wrist shot is blocked by Derek Brassard, sails high in the air, and lands behind Steve Mason for the goal. It concerns me that the Canucks scored two goals of this sort last season--hopefully we didn't use up all of our flukes in 09-10.
21. Feb. 14 vs. the Minnesota Wild (at 6:41 of clip)
Another Samuelsson shot that surprises everyone. This time, he's sent in alone by Kesler, and I don't mean on a breakaway. I mean he's by himself and there's no rush developing. Still, he just skates in and snaps an unexpected wrist shot, and it goes in. It's old hat for him by now and it's more of a tendency than an anomaly, which is likely why Kesler sprung him like that.
The first in a 9-goals-in-6-games streak that pushed Samuelsson to 30 on the season for the first time in his career, improving on his previous career-high by seven. What sort of goal is it? Another of Sam's Surprises, as Samuelsson comes off the boards and shoots it at a strange time and from a strange angle. Nobody is expecting it, much less Chris Osgood, especially with the Sedins on the ice. You've got those two playmakers, both capable of their wizardous sedinerie, and you shoot the puck willy-nilly? Samuelsson, you're an odd duck.
23. Mar. 5 vs. the Chicago Blackhawks (at 7:59 of clip)
Samuelsson's goal here comes by deflecting an Andrew Alberts shot from the point. Yes, Alberts. Why is he shooting from there? Because the Canucks are down 6-2. They would go on to lose 6-3 in one of the suckiest games of the season for a Canucks fan, but it wasn't all bad. My band, Cinnamon Toast Funk, had a really awesome CD release party that night. I remember checking the score just after Skeeter's band, Hooray For Gooba opened for us, and being sorely disappointed that we were already down 5-1 or something stupid like that.
Holy cow, are these the only type of goals Samuelsson is going to score anymore? Another Sam's surprise, as he takes a slapshot from a stupid angle and it goes in. Note here that if the hockey gods aren't having a laugh, Dan Hamhuis uses his speed and angling ability to prevent a 2-on-1. It's textbook defending, right up to the point where the heavens open up and Samuelsson is kissed by the hand of fate.
I remember this game well. My wife and I were on a vacation in Cannon Beach, and I used Internet powers to pull the game up on her laptop. We were down 3-0. I checked in sporadically, the feed was laggy, and I missed almost everything. But somehow, we won. A large part of that was Mikael Samuelsson's hat trick, which began with this put-back on a Daniel Sedin rebound. Note the guy in the old-school Vancouver Millionaires jersey in the audience. He's so cool, I wish he was my dad.
Samuelsson's second goal of the evening is also on a rebound. So many of his goals last season were. Frankly, they were either rebounds or Sam's surprises; those are the ways he scores.
Samuelsson's hat trick goal is about the laziest tap-in I've ever seen. Look at him. He looks like he's putting. He looks like a less racist Fuzzy Zoeller, he does. I'm also amused by his body language here. I recognize he's watching the puck intently to see if he needs to take another whack at it, but he kind of looks like a boy poking a dead bird with a stick.
Samuelsson's 28th goal of the season comes on a forced turnover by Henrik, who pokes the puck away from Ed Jovanovski. Samuelsson gets it at the side of the net and jams it in.
The 29th goal of the season comes on the power play, as Samuelsson takes a nice pass from the point, courtesy of Pavol Demitra (who would go on to prove in the playoffs that he should never, ever, ever be back there) and fires that patented wrist shot of his.
Samuelsson gets his 30th of the season on his first breakaway goal. Backhand is where Samuelsson goes when deking, so we shouldn't be surprised that's what he does with it this time. It's a nice goal to reach that career landmark and a fitting end to this list. I like Samuelsson. I'm concerned that last season was a career year for him; he'll likely need another one just as good for the Canucks to improve on the 09-10 campaign. Here's hoping he can match his totals. Part of me doubts it, as I'm skeptical he'll get so many fortunate bounces, but this last clip demonstrates that he's got a wicked shot, luck or no luck. If he plays with the Sedins, and he should to start the season, given the Burrows injury, he'll get ample opportunities to use it.


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Urban Thoughts released a video interpretation of his poem "Dear Son" on last week. He asked me to write about it. So here is my written interpretation of this piece. Watch the video below, then read the rest of this post.
"The video became my healing. After I went into the Ozark mountains to finish some other writing, I ended up editing "Dear Son" with the film maker Jason Hall. It became the final poem. But I realized I hadn't forgiven myself yet. The video became my forgiveness and redemption." –Urban Thoughts
For the men who have lost themselves in an abortion…
It's never easy to say goodbye. Especially when another life is in your hands, another soul, another body. But when your life isn't the only one at stake here, it becomes impossible.
While watching this video, I asked myself, "What would you do?"
I honestly couldn't come up with an answer for that. But when you've lived your life for others, decisions never seem to be yours anymore.
When the decisions that you told yourself you'd never have to make are looking you in the face, it's hard to make a choice.
When you've contemplated taking your own life, the idea of taking another seems like murder suicide. Because a small part of you dies as well. There's a saying that with death comes new life. But it's hard to live a life when you're missing a piece of it.
But at some point you had to make a decision. Do you give up your future so that your son can have one? Do you change the course that God laid out for you, simply because you weren't ready. It makes you wonder if readiness isn't overrated. Nothing ever happens when you want it to happen. You're never actually ready to be responsible for a new life.
But they say that everything happens for a reason. Even this. There's a lesson in the pain. There's a lesson in the regret. You don't have to punish yourself for something that a younger you did. If we asked you today, that decision may have changed. But who knows how anything else would have turned out.
Even the smallest change in the past disrupts the climate. It changes the course of time. When you've given your all to a woman and she starts to harbor a piece of you, she becomes you. That pain that you felt, she felt it too. Women are incubators. Whatever you sow into them turns into something remarkable. You gave her a piece of you and even though she didn't keep it. Even though that piece didn't have a chance to grow. Her heart didn't stop growing.
You asked a question… "Did you fight, like I should have fought for you?" You said that "[you] were reminded… that they say sons are like their fathers."
If your son was like you, he knew the difference between a murder and a sacrifice. He knew the difference between a victim and a martyr. You weren't a policeman or a Mr. Zimmerman. You were a young man who ran out of options. You were a young man who hadn't gotten life figured out yet.
You were a man in love with a woman who hadn't gotten life figured out yet. You were a young man who learned what it meant for silence to grow into constant yells and screams. Screams that grew from grief. But grief that led to prayer. Prayer that brought you closer to a God of forgiveness. That same forgiveness that you've learned to gift yourself. Because in reality, we've all done things we're afraid to admit. We've all done things of which we're ashamed. We've all done things that have taken us years to forgive.
They say that time heals all wounds. But I say that time exposes the scars. Those scars tell a story of why we're still here. They tell the memories that we try to forget or the ones that we hold onto. Some memories we hold onto for dear life. Some scars we cut open so that the pain doesn't disappear. We feel that if the pain leaves, so does the memory. But in that comes growth. Those same scars grow back stronger even when we try to make them wounds. Eventually they'll all forgive themselves. It's only right that you do too.
Harley Quinn on (background vocals)
Poetic Sun and Suavo J (actors)
AC Dutch of 224 Studio (recording)
Jarvis Sumlin (J.D. Daltry) of KneeBraceMusic (audio production)
Tundrea Lyons (voiceover on the phone)


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Project Times Authors and Contributors
Join the team! Read more about contrubiting
Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson, President of LMA Consulting Group, Inc., www.lma-consultinggroup.com, is a senior supply chain and operations executive and management consultant. Sign up for her free monthly newsletter containing tips and techniques for improving business performance She can be reached at 909-630-3943 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Kiron Bondale
Kiron D. Bondale, PMP, PMI®-RMP has worked for over thirteen years in the project management domain with a focus on technology and change management. He has setup and managed Project Management Offices (PMO) and has provided PPM consulting services to clients across multiple industries. For more of Kiron's views on project & change management, please visit his blog or contact him directly at kiron_bondale @ yahoo.ca.(PMO) and has provided PPM consulting services to clients across multiple industries.
Drew Davison
Drew Davison is the owner and principal consultant at Davison Consulting and a former system development executive. He is the developer of Project Pre-Check, an innovative framework for launching projects and guiding successful project delivery, the author of Project Pre-Check - The Stakeholder Practice for Successful Business and Technology Change and Project Pre-Check FastPath - The Project Manager's Guide to Stakeholder Management. He works with organizations that are undergoing major business and technology change to implement the empowered stakeholder groups critical to project success. Drew can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com
Brad Egeland
Brad Egeland is a Business Solution Designer and IT/PM consultant and author with over 25 years of software development, management, and project management experience leading initiatives in Manufacturing, Government Contracting, Creative Design, Gaming and Hospitality, Retail Operations, Aviation and Airline, Pharmaceutical, Start-ups, Healthcare, Higher Education, Non-profit, High-Tech, Engineering and general IT. Brad is married, a father of 11, and living in sunny Las Vegas, NV.
Robert Galen
Robert 'Bob' Galen is the President and Principal Consultant of RGCG, L.L.C. a Cary, NC based agile methods coaching and training consultancy. He is a deeply experienced agile coach who is active in the agile community and regularly writes & teaches on all topics related to the agile methods. Bob wrote the book Scrum Product Ownership, which is focused on that role and driving value in team delivery.
Elizabeth Larson PMP, CBAP
Elizabeth Larson, PMP, CBAP, CSM, PMI®-PBA is Co-Principal and CEO of Watermark Learning and has over 30 years of experience in project management and business analysis. Elizabeth's speaking history includes repeat presentations for national and international conferences on five continents. She and her husband Richard Larson have co-authored four books: The Practitioner's Guide to Requirements Management, CBAP Certification Study Guide, PMI®-PBA Study Guide, and The Influencing Formula. She has also co-authored chapters published in four separate books. Elizabeth was a lead author on the PMBOK® Guide – Fourth and Fifth Editions, PMI®'s Business Analysis for Practitioners – A Practice Guide, and the BABOK® Guide 2.0, as well as an expert reviewer on BABBOK® Guide 3.0.
Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP
Richard Larson, PMP, CBAP, PMI®-PBA, President and Founder of Watermark Learning, is a successful entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in business analysis, project management, training, and consulting. He has presented workshops and seminars on business analysis and project management topics to over 10,000 participants on five different continents. Rich is a frequent speaker at Business Analysis and Project Management national conferences and IIBA® and PMI® chapters around the world. He has contributed to the BA Body of Knowledge version 2.0 and 3.0, the PMI® BA Practice Guide, and the PM Body of Knowledge, 4th edition. He and his wife Elizabeth Larson have co-authored four books: The Practitioner's Guide to Requirements Management, CBAP Certification Study Guide, PMI®-PBA Study Guide, and The Influencing Formula.
George Pitagorsky
George Pitagorsky, PMP, integrates core disciplines and applies people centric systems and process thinking to achieve sustainable optimal performance. George authored The Zen Approach to Project Management and PM BasicsTM. He teaches meditation and is on the Board of Directors of the NY Insight Meditation Center.
PMI is a registered mark of the Project Management Institute, Inc.


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Adrienne Lau BUILDING SURGERY: SoHo Maildrop Centre
129-131 Greene Street, Soho, Manhattan, NYC.
This project attempts to explore the potential of the building conversion genre. A building in the 19th century cast iron district of Soho is selected for its delicate structural nature and historical urban context.
Then as now buildings were designed that pushed their physical limits, aiming to be higher and bigger and these building set the prologue for the skycrapers which came soon after.
In the design for the SoHo Maildrop the building anatomy is exploited. Cut outs around existing structure make way for new elements and to enable new utility. In order to protect the lightly loaded facade a new truss system is introduced that spans over and through the existing structure. The result is a functioning entity made of machines and spaces: a sinuoid conveyor loop, hoppers and overhead conveyors, gravity rails, a public atrium, a visitors' glass viewing gallery, corridors of pigeon holes, are all housed in the coexisting old and new building.
Back to Proving Ground 2013


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A 3D printer for the whole family
Thanks to all our backers and everyone who has shared, liked and spread the word about our campaign. We are really exited and can't wait to deliver all your rewards. Together we will make a more innovative and creative future.
If you missed the Kickstarter, then sign up to our newsletter at www.sculpto.dk - then we will keep you updated (don't worry our webpage will be translated to english soon).
Follow us on Facebook and Youtube (Our Facebook will also be available in english soon)
Best regards,
The Sculpto team!
Sculpto is a new and innovative toy for the whole family. We really want everyone to have our Sculpto 3D printer but in order to do this we need funds to start production and to modify the appearance by integrating the wires into the chassis of the printer and smoothing out the edges to make a more stylish design.
Our application which will be available online and as an IOS app on Appstore is still under development; we have automated the difficult processes of 3D printing and made the Sculpto printer wireless. The front-end of our application is still under development. You can experience how it is going to look through our wireframes - presented in the project video and project description.
Sculpto creates a gathering point for the entire family. Every member of the family can join the process of creating their own toys and gadgets for the home. Whether you want to be the person designing or choosing what to print or you want to be the person who assembles and builds the pieces or even if you just want to join the fun when the creations are ready to use, there will be space for everyone.
Be creative during the process of designing, 3D printing, assembling and playing with your own toys. We want you to experience that there are no limitations to what you can create. And with a lot of great toys and things to 3D print that support learning, then maybe you will become the next Einstein!
Be the inventor of the family and create a lot of the things you used to buy. With Sculpto we give you the opportunity create gadgets yourself whenever you need them in your own home.
With all the cool toys you will be able to make with Sculpto, you will without a doubt be busy for hours! Therefore we will of course make sure that there are always great new 3D models to print on the Sculpto App.
Assembling and building is a cool and fun way to combine parts in different colors and sizes! It will make it possible to create toys and gadgets for the home that are bigger, better and more innovative!
With Sculpto you can print many of the spare parts you need in the home. Perhaps dad needs a bow tie for work, a new shelf bracket, an iPad holder or clips for tying laces.
3D printing used to be quite complicated and involve a lot of different software. It still does, however the only difference is that Sculpto is doing it for you, so the only thing you need to do os choose between our many exiting toys and gadgets and then press print.
You can print directly from your iPhone and iPad via our IOS Application or you can print via our web app on any tablet, smartphone or computer! We have already incooperated the wifi modul and made the back-end nessersary for printing directly and automaticly from your phone or tablet but is still working on development of the front-end interaction on the app.
If there is something missing in the Sculpto Application, then don't worry! You can create your own 3D models in programs like Google Sketchup and Thinkercad and them import it to the Sculpto Application and print them via our one-click-printing.
The Sculpto 3D printer prints in nontoxic PLA plastic called filament. Apart from being a safe material to 3D print with, it is also quite cheap. The figure of Simon next to the spools only cost 4,2 DKK ($0,64) in materials. You can adjust whether your 3D prints should be solid, hollow or in between and that way adjust the 3D printing speed and strength. PLA comes in a huge variety of colors - you can even get glow in the dark and wood PLA.
The Sculpto 3D printer offers very precise and high-quality printing. But if you want to speed up the process, you can also 3D print in lower quality to maximize your toy production!
Sculpto can print big objects! The print surface is 21 cm in diameter - the same as a football - and it can print 16 cm in height - That equals 5 liters of printing area!
As you have probably noticed already, the Sculpto 3D printer is rather small and handy compared to the size of the print area. And that's not all - it is also quite robust!
Let's get technical.
But first there are a few things you should know:
-We are committed to bringing you the best 3D printing experience that we can possibly provide. That means that some of the specifications you see below will be outdated and updated upon delivery. For example, we are we working on incorporating the wires on the Sculpto 3D printer into the chassis of the printer.
- Even though most of our technologies are protected by an open source license, we are in a highly competitive field with rapid product-cloning. For this reason there are some parts and components we don't feel comfortable sharing as of right now.
Our printer prints in a bipolar system. Besides creating a fascinatingly hypnotizing 3D printing experience, when the build plate and arm move synchronously, using bipolar cylindrical coordinates solves a number of issues compared with most other 3D printers.
Using a bipolar cylindrical coordinate system means that only two rails are necessary to provide a stable Z-axis which in turn means that the space the printer needs is drastically reduced. We think this makes a much more esthetically attractive 3D printer – one you would actually want to have on your desktop.
Fewer parts means a more compact design. Using a bipolar cylindrical coordinate system means that no space is wasted. Less space consumptions means more room for a functional minimalistic design – which is the hallmark of Danish design.
The Bipolar cylindrical coordinate system doesn't need as many parts to deliver high-precision 3D printing. This means that manufacturing is both easier and more cost effective which in turn saves you money when buying the Sculpto 3D printer.
In order to ensure high performance and lower costs we made custom electronics. This enabled the printer to consume less energy and thereby using a standard external power supply which in turn costs less. Furthermore, the custom electronics are optimized for mass production.
Here at Sculpto we love rapid prototyping. So here are two older prototypes of the main board. One was cut on a CNC machine. Here we see the Wi-Fi module implemented on top and there is an SD card slot for local storage. Obviously we have implemented a number of changes that we cannot show you due to rapid cloning in our industry
We have made all the processes of 3D printing that used to be difficult and made everything work automatically, so that all you have to do is press "print" and choose what quality you want your print to have.
We have developed a custom raft that is a specially designed sequence of extruding that ensures a high success rate of the prints. The raft adheres enough to the build plate to secure a solid base and adheres just enough to the object to continuously secure success of the print while being very easy to remove.
Simon was born and raised as an entrepreneur. With the experience of running a business he takes ideas and makes them reality. He believes in progress and results and stops at nothing before achieving it. Simon's business skills are at the core of what makes Sculpto a real business.
Jacob is the organizational glue. He has experience with both technology and customer relations. So, he is what you could call a real life terminator - half man, half geek. And this is very useful when the team has to communicate between the creative, business and technical guys.
Jesper is the mind behind the Sculpto 3D printer. Jesper has been tinkering since he was 3 years old and later reborn out of the open source community and has since then been building his own 3D printers for more than 5 years. When we ask him he doesn't remember life before 3D printing.
While finishing his masters in computer science Emil has been writing the brain of the Sculpto 3D printer in code. Emil has been the computing power behind transforming the cartesian system into a bipolar 3D printing experience while also automating the difficult processes of slicing and determining the supporting structures.
With a background in mechatronic engineering Matthias helps out with the perfecting of the customized electronic components and mechanical properties for manufacturing.
Steen Kamronn - Member of our advisory board .
Christina Fisker from Simplicité - In charge of Sculpto's visual identity.
Makeable ApS - Supporting the development of the Sculpto app.
Incubator - Strategic business development and premises.
Business Academy Aarhus - Advising and premises
We want you to be a part of the project by backing us today and making it possible to start production of the Sculpto 3D printer. This way you can be a part of making 3D printing accessible to all children because we believe that the future of innovation lies in their hands and heads. In this age of crowdfunding you have the power to choose which innovations deserve your support. At Sculpto we want to return the favor by giving you the toy that can create an innovative and fun gathering point for the whole family.
To ensure that we will be able to deliver your Sculpto 3D printer at the estimated time we have decided NOT to sell more printers than we can handle. We have also lined up strong partners with a lot of experience within hardware production - to ensure that we have the knowledge and experience needed to deliver a great product timely.
Christina Breum Fisker (graphics)
Sebastian Breum Fisker (starring in video)
Stine Breum Fisker (video production)
Maibrit Hahn (video production)
Dorota Grajewska (video production)
Lasse Løndahl (video production)
Thomas H. Alstrup (translations)
Atalay Ataman (spool holder design)
Adalinda: the Singing Serpent by Louise Drigger aka loubie http://gyoo.gl/zePyjU
Exoskeleton Hand by 3DPrintIt http://goo.gl/zTkG7d
BeQui by bqLabs http://goo.gl/1KjgWn
The Amazing Gyroscopic Cube Gears by joefe http://goo.gl/uCBBLE
Space Shuttle by RotoScan http://goo.gl/HzEO6v
Unicorn Trophy by Apachcreation http://goo.gl/jS7VEN
Math Spinner Toy by christinachun http://goo.gl/Qk9fZ7
Spider Rover by johan517 http://goo.gl/wES2pw
The Frog Dissection Kit by Curriculum http://goo.gl/EhvnSx
DNA Playset by emmett http://goo.gl/KEalj9
Twist Bow Tie by ATOM3dp http://goo.gl/jSKhvB
Klöts by Kart5a http://goo.gl/YMCXk8
Risks and challenges
There is always risk involved when manufacturing a new product. However, many of the components and mechanical parts are used in other products of the same kind and have therefore been thoroughly tested in similar situations of stress and endurance.
With that said, some of the components, mechanical parts and software are unique innovations and need to be tested on endurance, stability and user experience until we are satisfied and we will not deliver a 3D printer or app that does not meet our high standards.
We feel confident about our time line and will update you on our wins and possible delays consistently throughout the journey that we hope you will be an active part of.Learn about accountability on Kickstarter
Funding period
- (30 days)


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A snippet:
Of course, medieval philosophy cannot be proposed again today exactly as it is, Amerini said.
"Even in Continental philosophy, modern philosophers tend to mock it. But in most cases this is the result of an oversimplification of it, or of the false conviction that medieval philosophy can be re-proposed today exactly as it is."
On many occasions medieval philosophers anticipated (more or less exhaustively) modern theories in philosophy, he said. But medieval philosophers should not be regarded only as forerunners for modern philosophers.
"What is profitable for the current philosophical debates, I believe, is rather the method of medieval philosophy, the medieval thinkers' philosophical scrupulousness, their almost obsessive attention to language and arguments. Their method may still be useful today, as a stimulus for improving our way of doing philosophy.
"As to the contents, of course, if one wanted to propose medieval philosophy again today, he or she would need to qualify it very carefully and compare it critically with the current philosophical and scientific models."


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Forming A College Education Strategy
College is an important part of a productive life and it is crucial to do nicely. Every year, Allegheny College partners with the United Way and members of the neighborhood to carry out service in Crawford County. CLEP exams offer students a unique way to obtain worthwhile college credits for minimal expense. College campuses and dorm rooms are not always best study environments, but you may not have a choice. In Australia a college may possibly be an institution of tertiary education that is smaller than a university, run independently or as portion of a university. This is grand since all players have to block at some time throughout a football game.
If you are contemplating this method, make sure you operate closely with academic advisors at each schools to guarantee that all the credits you earn as a commuter student at the community college will be applied to your principal four-year degree program. A excellent tip if you are considering about going to college is to get all of your basic education out of the way. Their high college coach takes no interest in helping them get recruited for college and no 1 else measures up to the plate to support these athletes get recruited. Early Choice is an accelerated college admission method in which students need to complete in November. Your college scholarship will help you finance your college studies and receive the degree that you want.
With these college scholarship search engines, you will have the golden opportunity of getting the degree that you want despite the financial troubles that you are experiencing. With online courses a student can continue to function while attending college, without getting to adjust a function schedule around a class schedule. You can uncover an abundance of easy recipes in books that had been written especially for college students. If you feel you can play at some level of college competitors, yet you are not getting recruited or you are being recruited very little, take a look at these five motives and see if any of them are getting an influence on your recruitment.
Some benefits of the Early Selection procedure is that it has a larger acceptance price than normal college admissions students who are not accepted early nevertheless has an equal consideration with the typical applicant pool students who are accepted early does not have to pressure far more about getting into college months ahead of most applicants. The college recruiting game is not a enjoyable game to be in when you feel like you are constantly on the outside searching in. If you locate your self in this circumstance, simply make the choice to take duty for your personal recruitment and you will make confident college coaches know your name. If you are fortunate in your search in a single college scholarship search engine, you will be offered with the qualifications to be eligible for that scholarship. They can be an invaluable source of aid if you struggle with …Read More


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1/8" Female to 3/8"-24 Male
1/8" Female to 3/8"-24 Male
- 1/8" NPT Female to 3/8"-24 Male, used for Low Pressure
Solid Brass Construction
Made with 02 compatible materials
Country of Origin:
United States of America
General Maintenance:
Rinse all products off with clean water at the end of the diving day. Allow the product to drip dry or towel off. Do not allow the adapter to sit in dirty water for a prolonged period. Doing so may discolor the plating. Discoloration will not have a negative effect on the product other than appearance.
O-ring Service:
O-Rings should be replaced every 100 dives or 1 years, whichever comes first. Please refer to the proper o-ring replacement guide or Standard Operating Procedure (SOP). Use only o-rings approved by OmniSwivel International.
** Always positive pressure test fittings prior to entering the water to ensure that an air tight seal has been made. **


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It probably is no shock to any of you that when I pull the Tarot Card of the Week, I always say, "Oooooooo, two of swords." Or "Oooooo, the Moon." The Two of Swords is one of those cards whose imagery and symbolism absolutely enthrall me. It is so brilliant, succinct and confusing. Truthfully, this card has come to mean many things to many people, and my meaning has drifted afield of the traditional Tarot interpretation. But we'll talk about all the meanings, and you can draw your own conclusion for the beautiful Two of Swords.
With each card, you have layers of meaning--first the numerological implications of the card number, then the suit symbols, then the actual images on the card. Let's start with the number two, which numerologically is about balance, how we relate to others, communication, partnerships, relationships. This is no surprise. I think intuitively, we think of marriages as twos. Two people coming together. The suit of Swords is air and with it comes issues around communication, logic, thought. The Sword challenge cards are quite tortured. Think of the Ten of Swords, where a man is lying in a battlefield with ten swords in his back, or the Eight of Swords, where there is a bound and blindfolded woman in a jail of swords. These cards are about self-imposed crisis. Those tortured thoughts and the way we trap ourselves. So, swords are often these internal struggles, the growth of our mind and spirit that pushes us to think differently, so we can act differently.
The Two of Swords is a beautiful card, all my favorite symbolic elements, which is perhaps which I cannot bear to associate this card with its traditional meanings.Traditionally, this card has come to represent repression and denial. The fear of expressing love or anger or our truth. Remember swords are about communication, so this card can mean a blocked throat chakra often along with a blocked or closed heart chakra. I understand how this card has come to mean this in traditional Tarot interpretation. The woman sits before a calm sea--water always coming to symbolize emotions. The moon harkens of shadow work arising. Her back is turned away from her emotions, she does not want to face or see what she needs to see, as the card is traditionally interpreted. She holds the swords over her heart chakra, protecting her heart center. But I have trouble solely associating that meaning with this card.
To me, the Two of Swords is a highly intuitive card. There is nothing tortured or suffering about her position. She seems absolutely in control, staid, trusting of herself. (Here I am referring to the figure of the Rider-Waite deck. Opposed to Two of Swords in the Universal deck, where the woman on the two is absolutely tortured by her repression. In this way, our decks can make a huge difference in our interpretations.) The water is calm, settled. The sky is clear. In Tarot, the backgrounds of the cards deeply dictate the mood and meaning of the fore figures. The blindfold, rather than put on by someone else, seems carefully placed by the only figure in the picture. Perhaps she is training to trust her intuition, or she knows that her eyes are untrustworthy when it comes to her heart. "What do we know about ourselves?" this card asks. Do you know that that handsome man seduces you with charm and cunning, but turns around to deceive you? Do you know he says what you want to hear, but not what you need to know? So, what do you trust? That feeling of dis-trust, feminine intuition if you will, comes for a reason. When we dismiss it, we are trusting our eyes over our gut. Her solar plexus, open and unblocked, is the source of that knowing, and her third eye is blue, illuminated, rather than covered with hair or blindfold. This is what is shining through her. Strength and intuition. (Use Pietersite for that beautiful combination, if you are looking for Two of Swords energy.)
The two of the Two of Swords means this card is about partnerships, so often this is about protecting our heart. But the Two of Swords is in a position of waiting--for the time when her swords must be lowered, or when her swords must cut. The Two of Swords asks us to wait, to reflect, to contemplate, to train our minds through meditation and positive affirmation before we move. Watch. Learn. This is the time of preparation. I keep hearing Karate Kid--Wax on. Wax off. In fact, you get the feeling that this woman has been waxing for years, waiting to blossom, open her heart again, or open it for the first time. The moon is a feminine symbol in Tarot, and it definitely rings strong and true in this card, hovering in waxing(!) stage, over the whole scene. There will be a fulfillment here.
The figure is female by all accounts. These feminine symbols often harken to tap into your female intuition, whether you are female or not. That gut feeling, as I said. Perhaps we can see the traditional interpretation of this card as part of her training. She has closed off her feelings, but her defensive posture is absolutely warranted. She needs the protection, and her next move is knowing exactly when to lower her guard. Without the usual cues, she will just know. And it is about knowing when you need to use your swords or not. She is not a knight, in this picture, rather she is dressed in bed clothes. So we are also reminded to watch our dreams and the way Spirit speaks to us, warns us even, of those who can and cannot be trusted in our sleep.
A beautiful affirmation for this card might be:
I am in perfect alignment with my personal integrity. I trust my intuition to protect my heart.
So, let me know what you think of the Two of Swords. How do you interpret it? How is her energy working in your life right now? And please do not forget to comment to win a pair of labradorite and moonstone earrings on this post. Drawing on the Full Moon. Moon blessings.


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10 Great Marketing Tips To Grow Your Business Today
Starting and sustaining a business is not an easy task. It requires a


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This week is already Thanksgiving, but it still felt like summertime at the Hornitos Tequila Block Party last Sunday, November 15th, in Burbank. The back lot of Warner Bros. Studios provided the perfect suburban setting for nearly a thousand folks to enjoy an afternoon of barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, cupcakes, cotton candy, and, of course, Hornitos Tequila cocktails.
Guests could indulge their inner child and play old-school games like badminton, ping pong and Twister, or duck into the "Mischieve" photo booth and pose with the provided fake mustaches, oversized sunglasses or plastic vampire fangs (a favorite among the "New Moon" fans).
Further setting the event apart from your average block party were bikini-wearing beauties lathering up a red sports car, an ice cream truck dispensing more Hornitos-based libations, and even a ferris wheel that provided a prime view of all the action.
In the "Whatever-Happened-To…" department, DJ Jazzy Jeff headlined the roster of DJs spinning tunes for the crowd. Babies of the '80s remember him as Will Smith's sidekick on "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," but the next generation of youngsters will come to know him as one of the playable avatars on the recently released DJ Hero video game.
The carefree event offered attendees a much-appreciated chance to unwind before the hustle and bustle of the holiday season.


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Lose weight quickly with these easy tricks!
Drop 7 pounds in 7 days with these diet fixes!
If you ever had a subscription to a women's fitness type magazine, I'm sure these phrases sound familiar.
I used to get a few fitness centered magazines (that will remain nameless) and after a while, every issue has the same "easy" weight loss tips with a different spin.
So if they keep giving us the same information over and over, it must be useful, right?
Nope. Well, some might be, but for the most part, it's the same stupid tips over and over.
It's time to separate the real weight loss tips from the malarkey.
Let's start with the malarkey. Here are a few tips you might have heard before:
Eat less meat or Stop being a carnivore because meat will eventually kill you. This goes back to Dr. Ancel Keys' Diet-Heart Hypothesis that eating meat, and thus, saturated fat, will cause heart disease. We've come a long way in our nutrition research, but you'd be surprised how often animal fat is still demonized.
Increase your cardio or Just burn more calories on the elliptical than you eat and you'll be fine. You can't out exercise a crappy diet. What you eat accounts for 80% of your health equation, said someone smarter than me.
"People who regularly weigh themselves and keep track of their progress in a journal are more likely to lose weight." Taken directly from Dr. Oz's Top 100 weight loss tips. I am SO against using the scale to quantify yourself. There are better ways to gauge your progress including your energy levels and how your clothes fit.
"Sugarless chewing gum can suppress your appetite in a pinch.". Another Dr. Oz gem. Um…isn't your appetite your body's way of telling you it need some kind of fuel? Let's just ignore our bodies are telling us. That always sounds like a good idea.
Those are just a few of the "weight loss tips" that make me want to claw my eyes out when I stumble upon them. Sorry if I sound catty—these tips make me feel catty.
That being said, I've tried all of these things before.
ALL of them.
- I was a vegetarian for four years .
- I used to throw a tantrum if I couldn't do my hour-long elliptical workout everyday.
- I weighed myself obsessively.
- I chewed two packs of Orbit Sweetmint per day. Three pieces at a time. True story.
There's so many weight loss tips out there that it's hard to know what's real and what's malarkey. When you're desperate to lose weight, it's easy to get confused by all of the information.
Now for the Real Weight Loss Tips. Ready?
Tip #1 There are no real weight loss tips.
HA! I SO got you!
Weight loss tips feed your diet mentality and when you're focused on weight loss for the sake of weight loss, it's much harder to actually lose weight.
Okay, so maybe there is ONE real weight loss tip.
Shift your focus to your health instead of your weight.
Weight loss will come as an effortless byproduct of working toward better health.
In the words of Lauren of Empowered Sustenance:
"You don't lose weight to get healthy, you get healthy to lose weight."
So how do you honestly shift your focus from weight to health?
- Get back to your human roots. Back to eating nutrient dense, whole foods and to making sure you're completely nourished. Eating animal proteins, vegetables, fruit and healthy fats. If you are taking supplements be aware about the side effects of fat burners.
- Practice Gratitude for your healthy body. Cherish the body you have right now, as opposed to the body you wish you had. Practice gratitude for all of the things your body allows you to do right now.
- Find a goal that effortlessly drives you. Remember when you were in high school and you wanted those purple Doc Martens? You worked extra hours and saved your money to get them, and it didn't feel like effort, because you REALLY wanted them? Find a health goal like that.
- Be patient and forgiving. The process of shifting your focus can take time. Don't beat yourself up if you find yourself slipping back into your weight focus—just take a deep breath and remind yourself that you're doing the best possible thing for yourself by focusing on your health.


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There are certain times of year which can be particularly challenging for anyone who is having difficulty getting pregnant, and Mother's Day is right up at the top of the list. A day which is focused entirely on celebrating motherhood is bound to be tough if you are longing for a baby, but this is often exacerbated by the fact that the growing commercialisation surrounding Mother's Day has made it far harder to avoid.
The build up to the day
It's often not just the day itself but the weeks leading up to Mother's Day which are difficult. It can seem impossible to get away from as reminders crop up all over the place. You may find yourself facing racks of Mother's Day cards when you go to buy a newspaper at your local newsagents, and you may be confronted by endless Mother's Day gift suggestions at the supermarket when you are picking up your groceries.
Many women who are experiencing fertility problems find that Mother's Day reinforces the sense of isolation and loneliness they feel when more and more of their friends are becoming parents. It may make you feel as if you have become an outsider, unable to join in with the rest of society.
Doing something for someone else
For anyone who has their own mother nearby, or perhaps a mother-in-law, one way of dealing with Mother's Day can be focusing on doing something nice for her. If you can plan something that you know she will enjoy and think about having fun together, this can be a positive way of coping with the day.
Of course, this may depend on siblings or other family members who might have their own ideas about what to do for Mother's Day. If you usually have a large family get-together which you know is going to be hard going for you because there will be babies or young children present, you may prefer to avoid any such family celebrations. Remember, there is nothing wrong with admitting to that and explaining your feelings to the family member you find easiest to talk to.
That doesn't mean you can't do something good for someone else though. It may be the ideal opportunity to visit an elderly neighbour or friend who has recently lost her own mother – doing something kind for someone else can give really give you a boost and help you to feel better.
Meeting up with fertility friends
If you know anyone else who is experiencing difficulties getting pregnant or who doesn't have children, this can be the ideal time for meeting up with them. Getting together for a day out, a trip to the cinema or theatre or sharing a meal can be a good way of reminding yourself that you are not alone.
If you don't know anyone else who is having fertility problems, maybe this is the time to consider going along to a fertility support group if you have one locally, as it can provide a good opportunity to make friends who genuinely understand how you feel.
Alternatively, you could decide to spend the day with your partner doing something that you both enjoy and don't often find the time for, or something that you've always wanted to do and have never quite got round to!
However you decide to spend the day, try to remember that you are not alone. Around one in seven of the population experiences problems when they decide to try to start a family, so there are many many thousands of people across the country who are feeling exactly the same way as you do about Mother's Day.
Kate Brian
Writer and journalist
Kate Brian is a journalist, writer and author of four books on motherhood and fertility, including The Complete Guide to IVF. Kate started writing about the patient perspective on infertility after having IVF herself.
Currently, she contributes to various types of media as an expert on fertility and writes her own blog, where she gives all the latest news and views on fertility issues, as well as useful advice and links for anyone trying to have a baby.
Have you found yourself in a similar situation? Join in and share your experience with us! You can also follow us on our social media communities.


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The Best Way to Eat Collard Greens is to Sip Them
Read on for the one thing you should never do when cooking a mess of greens.
Like most Southerners, I love digging into a plate of tender collard greens (or turnip greens, or mustard greens, or even kale), especially if they have been simmered for hours and seasoned with a little hot pepper vinegar. But the goodness of this dish isn't really about what's on the plate, it's about what's left in the pot. I'm talking about potlikker, the rich, savory liquid produced by cooking down a large amount of greens.
RELATED: Taste of the South: Turnip Greens
Potlikker doesn't look like much. It's the brownish-greenish liquid that remains in the bottom of the pot once you've scooped out the greens. But no self-respecting Southern cook would pour it down the kitchen sink. Not only is it packed with flavor, it's also full of nutrients—even more than the actual greens. Like bacon fat, potlikker is a useful byproduct of a dish that is as delicious and useful as the dish itself.
It can be saved as a stock to be used in place of vegetable or chicken stock in soups and stews, or you can drink potlikker straight. Strain the warm liquid and sip it as-is, or dress it up with hunks of cornbread, steamed rice, or any type of cooked pork.
Excellent potlikker starts with excellent greens, and we've got you covered in that department. Buy the freshest greens you can get your hands on and some good-quality smoked pork (or turkey). Then cook up a traditional pot of collards with crispy bacon and sautéed onions, or make a super simple version in your slow cooker. Either way, don't forget to slurp that liquid!


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IAP lost ability to HTTP fingerprint OS
Hi All,
I recently updated my instant wifi network (three IAP-105s) to 126.96.36.199-3.4.0 and lost the ability to HTTP fingerprint the OS of any device connected. In the Client Info, I was previously able to see iPhone, Win7, Android, etc next to the OS: before the firmware update. Now all I see is OS: - - with no entry for any device connected. I understand that the VC reads the HTTP header user-agent string once a web session is opened to get the info. I am not sure where that data is cached or why it isn't being displayed any longer.
I set up a role for iOS with a DHCP fingerprint and I was able to detect which devices were iOS-based, but I don't have a need for rule-based assignments and found the Client Info OS: data to meet my needs at this time. Is everyone else able to detect the OS of connected devices under the latest firmware? Any advice or information you can share is appreciated...
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Britney's 'beyond excited' to be US X Factor judge
Latest Stories
Britney Spears is said to be 'beyond excited' for her upcoming judging role on The X Factor USA.
The pop star has apparently signed a contract to join Simon Cowell and LA Reid for the second season of the American version of the hit talent competition, following months of talks, reported E! News.
"The contract is signed. There's been a lot of back and forth over the past few weeks as they negotiated the small details, but she's on," a source close to the star said.
"It's all completed and Britney is beyond excited," the source added.
Judges Paula Abdul and Nicole Scherzinger were axed from their seats on the judging panel following the show's inaugural season, along with Welsh host Steve Jones.
This will be Britney's most high-profile TV stint since 2004's short-lived reality series Britney & Kevin: Chaotic with ex-husband Kevin Federline, although she has made appearances on shows like How I Met Your Mother, Will & Grace and Glee.
"She's ready for this. She can't wait to sit down next to Simon at the judges' table and give this everything she's got," the source continued.
"She is excited about showing the world that she can do this, and do this well. This is the perfect next stage in her career. Both Britney and Simon are very excited to work together."
Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato have been linked to the fourth and final judge's seat, which has yet to be filled.


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Commercial Building Services
When a commercial building needs more space and an addition is required, Xpact Constructions may be the right solution for achieving this goal.
With our team of professional experts and trades people we assist our customers in the design process or we undertake complete design work along with all building and constructions needs.
Particular attention is paid when existing structures have to be occupied during construction course and we are very happy to cooperate with the occupants to achieve everyone's safety and undisturbed work activities of both builder and the occupants.


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Nissan's "Off-Road Experience" Covers Serious Gnu Terrain
Posted by: Larry Bozka on December 8th, 2011
MEDINA RIVER RANCH RESORT, BANDERA, TX – Hang around "serious" off-road enthusiasts long enough and you'll inevitably concur with the conventional four-wheeler contention that a "stock" vehicle … unaltered, straight off the lot without a single modification … is not a "serious" off-road vehicle. Ditch one more stereotype. After four-wheel exploring this majestically rugged piece […]
Read: Nissan's "Off-Road Experience" Covers Serious Gnu Terrain »


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I've been reading a new work by an old friend, Wendell Berry, titled A Small Porch.
Also…have been reading from the writings of Russell Moore, ethicist for the Southern Baptist congregations.
Both writers are concerned about our societal loss of soul.
Industrial animal agriculture and the treatment of soil by industrial grain farming are unfortunate and enormous examples of a loss of soul.
Mr. Berry points out the inherent mystery in our universe…how, whatever new knowledge we gain, there ALWAYS remains great mystery. From that realization he infers the need to act humbly.
Mr. Moore points out that, as humans, we are profoundly flawed…thus the religious concept of original sin. He also infers from that original sin a need to act humbly.
I too am concerned about our souls.
Both writers believe careful scale, humility, and reasonable compassion are central to good work.