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Christianity is divined, in my opinion, into three main ideologies, Catholic, Protestant, and Mormons. There are two Catholic churches, divided centuries ago when the Roman church created the position of Pope, whom the Greek church refused to accept. When people started to read the Bible, the Protestant churches were born. There are literally hundreds of thousands of these and they are all based on the Bible, rather than the Apostles' Creed. While some, like the Lutherans, still accept part of this creed, others, like the Jehovah's Witnesses, outright reject it. Last but not least, the Mormon churches all accept the Book of Mormon as a Holy Book, along with the Bible.
This gives Christians three questions, Apostles' Creed, Bible, or Bible and Book of Mormon? From there things get more complicated, but if you chose the latter, here's a list of options and their pros and cons.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints splintered in 1844 when Joseph Smith Jr. was killed. The bulk of the saints voted to make Brigham Young their leader, and later – in Utah – the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was born from that democratic vote of the people. This was the name for the church Smith sent the apostles to England to create, and thus this name may have been used to help the influx of Europeans feel more welcome. At one point, Young had everyone in the Utah territory re-baptized into this church.
The LDS Church is the largest, the oldest, and – like the Catholics – claims to be the official church, though in this case founded by Smith rather than Peter. Of all of the splinter groups, the LDS Church kept with Smith's ideologies of temple worship, plural marriage, etc, that many other groups rejected. This version of Mormonism focuses heavily on evangelism, bringing more souls to Christ than any of the others, both through work used to convert the living and baptisms on behalf of the dead that have become Christians in the next life.
Once this church splintered, the LDS Church followed the Lord's command in the D&C to obey the laws of the land and reject polygamy until it became legal again. This has set a precedence of conforming with the laws of the land, creating a great deal of patriotism for members. With its zeal for patriotism, it is constantly looking for good works to improve ties to communities. It may well have one of the most comprehensive welfare systems in the world.
With over 70 percent of American members leaning Republican, this branch is the hardest for moderates and liberals to feel at home or, at times, even welcome. Young rejected Smith's and the Lord's will to give "blacks" the priesthood, which has lead to rampant racism and bigotry in the Church, making it hard for nonwhites or liberals to feel welcome. This may have been the spark that had Mormon leaders siding with Nazis before America joined the fight in WWII.
Due to its Sadducee-like ultraconservative views, it also makes people with sexual sins feel less than welcome. And, with it's rather Pharisees-like extreme view of the Word of Wisdom (it is a commandment via the Church to obtain a temple recommend, though not a commandment of the Lord, according to Church doctrine), members that smoke or drink coffee often feel as unwelcome as those that publicly commit a real sin, though this is more likely their own sense of guilt from a false understanding of the Word of Wisdom. (In reality, all sinners should feel welcome at church as we are all sinners are fall short of the Glory of God – Romans 3: 10.)
Lastly, after decades of renouncing polygamy, it seems as though the Church may join the other Mormon splinter groups in rejecting the practice now that polygamy is legal in the US again. They have placed false information regarding the Lord's will in the header of Official Declaration 1, pretending that the Lord limits polygamy, in spite of the evidence to the contrary. Also, the Church rarely receives revelation, and even now admits they are not receiving answers to important questions from the Lord. Issues left unaddressed in the doctrine, such as women and the priesthood, same sex marriage outside the faith, and the status of transgender members are still areas the Church left very in the dark as to the direction the Lord would have the organization take.
While the LDS branch is the church of choice for many Mormons, it is far from perfect and a real struggle for any that try to live the faith outside of the box of man-made ideologies that sit atop the true doctrine of the religion. As President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said,
Some struggle with unanswered questions about things that have been done or said in the past. We openly acknowledge that in nearly 200 years of Church history—along with an uninterrupted line of inspired, honorable, and divine events—there have been some things said and done that could cause people to question." – Come, Join with Us
Break off groups:
There are a number of extreme break off groups that range from those that still attend LDS wards as excommunicated members for living the law of polygamy to those treat women as slaves and are even more racist than the average racist LDS Mormon. This article will not go over all of these groups.
If one wishes to join a polygamist branch of Mormonism, the Apostolic United Brethren, a break off from the Council of Friends, would likely be the best to look into, as the church has been made more public due to the Brown family on the program "Sister Wives." This branch is very interesting as it claims its founder to be President John Taylor, successor of Brigham Young. They claim the LDS Church is still true, and that they were set apart to keep polygamy alive for this generation. One would presume that if this is in fact the case, then they would come back to the LDS fold once polygamy is reinstated.
Other known surviving fundamentalist groups include the Council of Friends, the Latter Day Church of Christ, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the most well know polygamist group due to their child brides), the Church of Jesus Christ in Solemn Assembly, the Church of the New Covenant in Christ, the Righteous Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, School of the Prophets, Centennial Park, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Kingdom of God, the True and Living Church of Jesus Christ of Saints of the Last Days, The Church of the Firstborn and the General Assembly of Heaven, and the Church of Jesus Christ (Original Doctrine) Inc.
Image: 1842 portrait of Joseph Smith, founder of the Latter Day Saint movement by unknown, Public Domain.


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Tuesday, June 6, 2017
AK Noodles House
20 comments:
I would love the soup. We do have bihun here served in clear fish soup with salted veg but bitter gourd, they would serve with meat, minced or whole or made into meatballs.ReplyDelete
Me too. I like my fish soup like that too.ReplyDelete
I like hot clear soup too especially I don't feel like taking rice in the evening or when I have a full lunch during the day.ReplyDelete
The clear fish soup looks delicious. Have a happy day!ReplyDelete
I'll choose curry yong tau foo...coz the picture looks good in the menu. Do you have a picture of the actual one?ReplyDelete
Perfect for the rainy days, I think.ReplyDelete
I love this place and always ate their Curry Spotted mackerel with rice. It tastes very different from any other fish curries I have eaten.ReplyDelete
I must go and try it one day :)ReplyDelete
Hope the chilli sauce is good. Otherwise not much taste to go with the rice.ReplyDelete
I love bittergourd and fish in clear soupReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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The day ended with snow flurries and wine.
It began this morning at 3:55am.
A buzzing alarm, some last minute frantic packing, getting stuck behind a stopped train, two flights, and a cab-ride later, we arrived.
Hello, Minneapolis.
I'm a huge fan of cities; in fact I've never found a city I didn't like. Each has it's own unique beauty, culture, and electricity. From New York to San Francisco, Chicago to Miami, each city is different, yet gives that same "I must be missing something, let's get out there!" feel.
I walk miles in a city. And love it.
I have to admit, my number one goal when I get to a new city is always the same. Find a used bookstore, and find a copy of Jane Eyre (Jane Eyre is my all-time favorite book, so I try to find an old, tattered copy in a used bookstore in every city I visit and a memento. By the time I'm 50 I'm bound to have an entire bookcase of just the book Jane Eyre. Oh well…)
The trip to Minneapolis isn't just pleasure, I'm really here for the Non-Profit Technology Conference. And despite the blizzard rolling in (that's right, a real life blizzard. This girl is from Florida…this will be interesting.) I have a good feeling about the next four days…
Well, I found the bookstore. Complete with underground levels, ladders, and dusty old books you can't help but crack open and smell. What I love about old books is they carry a story you'll never know; a silent mystery of where they've been. It's like holding history. And while I did find some great Sylvia Plath poetry, I struck out on the Jane Eyre front…still, I consider any time spent in an old bookstore a win.


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Shane Martin is a talented singer/songwriter with the rare ability to compose songs the audience can identify with about real-life events, emotions, and personal experiences. "My goal as an artist is to hit home with my songs and performances where people can relate and say, "I've been there, I hear you, and I know that feeling' when hearing my songs," - Shane.
The Minneapolis native has been performing around the mid-west region for over 14 years and for the last several years has consistently played over 150 performances per year headlining his talent as a solo artist. The singer/songwriter has been called the "One Man Band". As a solo act he simultaneously plays acoustic guitar, bass pedals and tambourine with his feet, all while singing. Adding in a guitar loop, harmonica and other percussion instruments creates a unique experience and full sound. Shane also showcases with his full band performing with high energy, experienced musicianship, vocal harmonies, and percussive grooves.
Shane's musical background started at a young age playing piano, sketching out song ideas, and crafting lyrics. He was inspired by melodic and chorus filled songs and felt compelled to create his own. By learning to play guitar by ear, he started to have a creative connection and passion with playing and singing. The aspiring artist soon found himself starting a rock band with friends from school and began playing a few club shows and house parties.
As an emerging regional talent, the young singer/songwriter self-released his first solo album in 1998, "Moody Waters". This six song acoustic e.p. featured the song "She Could Cry In Heaven", which appeared on the television show "The Young and the Restless".
From 2000 – 2003 Shane fronted the rock group "Faith Nation" and
warmed up for Bands / Artists such as: Peter Frampton, Styx, REO Speedwagon, The Guess Who, and Great White, to name a few. In early 2003 Faith Nation disbanded and Shane went right to work on his next solo album.
The singer/songwriter's 2005 sophomore release "Thread" was co-produced and recorded with Levi Seacer from Prince's The New Power Generation.
Shane's new release "Rewind" was recorded in Nashville with EMMY award winning engineer /producer Kenny Royster. "Rewind" features a collection of songs showcasing Shane's unique style in the modern rock/country crossover genre and has captured the attention of music critics and music lovers alike. The album's first single "Somewhere Real" sets the tone and sums up Shane Martin as an artist getting back to his small town roots and writing songs from the heart, real life experiences, and genuine emotions.


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The Washington Buddhist Vihara cordially invites you and your families to attend the Asian Food Bazaar, Sanghamitta Day celebration and Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held on Saturday 24th March 2012 at the Vihara. Please join us in this meritorious event by participating or by sending your kind donation to the Buddhist Vihara Society, Inc.
Keynote address will be delivered by Dr. Ananada Guruge, former ambassador to US. He will speak on 2600th "Sambuddha Jayanthiya" (2600th anniversary celebration of the Enlightenment of The Buddha).
9:30 am—3:00 pm – ASIAN FOOD BAZAAR
3:00 pm – 3:15 pm – VANDANA AND BUDDHA PUJA
3:15 pm – 3:30 pm – WELCOME SPEECH BY VEN. M .DHAMMASIRI
3:30 pm – 4:30 pm – KEYNOTE SPEECH IN ENGLISH BY DR. ANANDA GURUGE (The Ex S.L. Ambassador in the U.S.)
4:30 pm – 5:00 pm – ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
5:00 pm – BLESSING SERVICE (SETH PIRITH)
May the blessings of the Buddha be with you!
Maharagama Dhammasiri


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Planting Radishes in Plastic Cups
Radishes (Raphanus sativus) develop edible roots in as little as 30 days, so their seeds are usually sown directly in the garden bed. You can also germinate the seedlings in plastic cups indoors to get the plants off to a healthy start if you transplant them quickly before the roots begin to swell. Radishes started indoors tend to germinate better and once transplanted in the garden, grow more uniformly, according to University of Illinois Extension. Radishes grow during the cool spring or fall season, although they may also thrive during winter in mild frost-free climates.
Disinfect the plastic cups in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts waters. Rinse and air dry. Poke one 1/4-inch diameter hole in the bottom of each cup to provide drainage.
Set the cups in a tray and fill them with a sterile potting mix to within 1/2 inch of the rim. Water the mix until the excess drains from the cup bottoms. Allow the soil to soak up the water for about one hour, then empty any remaining water from the tray.
Sow two radish seeds in each cup. Cover with a thin 1/4-inch layer of soil. Mist the soil surface with water after sowing if it feels dry.
Cover the cups with a clear plastic bag and set the tray in a 65 degree Fahrenheit location. Radish seeds germinate quickly, usually within three to five days. Remove the bag as soon as the first sprouts emerge, and move the tray to an area that receives full sun, at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, and where temperatures do not climb above 65 degrees.
Water the radishes when the soil surface begins to dry. Snip off the weaker seedling in each cup at soil level after the stronger seedling grows its second set of leaves, called true leaves.
Things Needed
- Chlorine bleach
- Sterile potting mix
- Tray
- Spray bottle
- Plastic bag
- Scissors
- Radish seeds
- Radishes are ready to transplant to the garden when they produce their second or third set of leaves, usually within two weeks of germination. Winter radishes may take longer to reach this stage of growth. Transplant carefully so you don't damage or break the main root that develops into the radish.
Photo Credits
- PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images


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Bahrke's Back, and Grateful to Be at Games
February 10, 2006
SAUZE d'OULX, Italy (AP by Eddie Pells)—Shannon Bahrke moved to the bottom of the slope after her training run Friday and shouted a few times: "It's the Olympics! It's the Olympics!
The 25-year-old, a silver medalist in the 2002 Games, is acting nothing like a grizzled veteran as she approaches what could be her final shot at the Olympics, Saturday on the moguls course. Excited is more like it.
That's what happens when an athlete realizes that, fair or not, she's probably closer to the end of her career than the beginning. And that's how things go when she's seen her chances of competing at a top level nearly wiped away.
"I've been injured the last year and a half, so this is a new experience, she said. "I still can't believe I'm back again.
Bahrke had the honor of winning the first of a record 34 medals the Americans took in 2002. This year, women's moguls are on the first day of competition, but at night, so she's less likely to be the first American winner this time.
Still, after what she's been through, it's not medals on her mind as much as being able to make the trip back.
"It's going to be a great games, she said.
Two years ago, Bahrke broke her jaw when, at the bottom of a run, her face slammed into her ski pole during a crash. Last year, it was a more traditional injury _ to her knee _ that cost her the second half of that season.
She recovered in time to qualify for her second Olympics and now, she's seeing these games and this sport in a different light.
"I'm going to do what I want to do, and if they like it, they like it, and if they don't, they don't, she said after finishing second at the Olympic trials in December.
Bahrke is one of four American women on the roster.[pagebreak]Hannah Kearney, the winner of last year's World Championships, is largely considered the best U.S. moguls skier. Michelle Roark, the only of the four women to take a day off from training Friday, won a pair of World Cup events last month. Jillian Vogtli, who at 32 is seven years older than Bahrke, earned her first top-three finish of the season at Lake Placid on Jan. 22. That put her on the team on the last possible day to qualify.
"I knew what I had to do, she said. "A teammate of mine who had gone before me (Shelly Robertson) was in the lead, but she wasn't really expected to make the team, so I knew I had to beat her. I stood at the top in the gate and I said 'you can't have it' and I got what I wanted.
In 2002, the American freestyle team won three silver medals in four events _ men's and women's moguls and aerials. This year's skiers are considered stronger and deeper than that, and coach Jeff Wintersteen figures if the women can win one medal Saturday, surpassing the last Olympics is doable.
"I'm optimistic, Wintersteen said. "It's easy to be optimistic when you're a year out, 18 months out. But with the group we've got here, they're still skiing great right up to the Olympics, so I'm still feeling good about it.
The men, featuring Jeremy Bloom, go next Wednesday and aerials start Feb. 19.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press


text:
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As you walk along the banks of Buffalo Bayou near Allen's Landing, the first thing noticeable about Percy Lyons, the subject of this week's feature on Houston's hidden homeless, is not his camp or his cots, but the cats.
In fact, the 16 cats that live up in Percy's camp are the only thing that may clue you into his whereabouts. It seems a plausible idea that someone living high up under the bridge where we spotted those collared, well-fed cats running around, but from the sidewalk below, it is impossible to tell.
It's impossible to tell where anyone's living in the area, really.
Continue, to see a video of Percy's cat camp on Buffalo Bayou.
Allen's Landing, once the central gathering spot for the city's homeless, is now eerily devoid of life. At least from the outside, anyway. It is currently a construction zone, with fences and barriers acting as blockades, which make it difficult to access parts of the bayou where the camps once sat.
The banks of the bayou are now empty too, at least where they're visible. For the most part, it seems that the homeless are no longer in the area.
On Wednesday, Mayor Parker announced that efforts to reduce homelessness have thus far been successful. She stated that over the past two years, the city has slashed the number of homeless people living in downtown in half, down to 529 from the 1,060 people living there in 2012.
It does seem likely, based on what we encountered searching the bayous and the streets, there has been a thinning out of homeless people in downtown Houston. The area, once heavily populated with the displaced, is now a ghost town.
The "why" behind that number's reduction is another matter.
Mayor Parker credits the drastic downturn with the placement in permanent supportive housing, a goal of the 2016 plan, and says she is committed to continuing that downward trend with the creation of more housing in the next few years.
Even with the movement toward permanent housing, it seems likely that the city's push for a downtown revitalization is equally as responsible for that decline. The revitalization has been great for the area, with bars and restaurants, and even bayou regattas now. But the revitalization may be displacing as many people as it's attracting.
Kayak tours through homeless camps would be a tough sell, as would a revitalized nightlife in the midst of folks sleeping on the sidewalks. Allen's Landing may be great in the coming months when it's shiny and new, but the current state of the area has forced an evacuation of the bayou residents, and there's little likelihood that they've all been moved to permanent housing. It seems much more likely that they've moved to areas more accessible to the transient population instead.
Percy's still there, though, along with those cats. It seems much more likely that he'd rather be with his 11-year-old daughter, but he fell behind on her child support after photojournalist jobs dried up -- even for one with a degree from Arizona State -- and his unemployment checks could not help him after the support for his daughter was taken out.
It's not like the streets were a choice, really. It wasn't too long after finding himself unemployed that Percy could no longer afford his rent, and he landed on the banks of the bayou after making his way down to Texas for the promise of some work. He hasn't seen his daughter in the two years since, but he speaks to her on the phone when he can.
As resourceful as Fisherman Percy is, he is somehow still stuck in this cycle, and in this park. His innate ability to understand the need to live in the shadows has gotten him by thus far, though. Hopefully it will continue to get him by until he's ready to pull himself out of this mess.
If you search around in the shadows, or follow the cats, you still may find a few of the bayou residents that are left in the area of Allen's Landing. But like Percy, the ones who are left in the park are out of sight because they do a fantastic job of keeping hidden, not because they've received the help they need.
We Believe Local Journalism is Critical to the Life of a City
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Read more about Houston's homeless including this week's cover story:
Houston's Hidden Homeless Live Under Bridges, in the Shadows, Out of Sight and Mind
Putting Lives Back Together at Beacon Day Shelter
Reality Check: Calling the Side of the Freeway Home


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Holy cow people!
"Nintendo has told MCVUK that sales for the Wii U in the UK has increased 685 percent for the week ending October 5. The increase in sales is due to the release of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, as well as a price cut.
This is a good sign for the console which has struggled all year. The Wii U sold just 1,268 units the week beforeWind Waker HD, according to VGChartz. That would put last weeks sale at 8,685 units.
Nintendo has several games that will be released later this year that will help keep sales up. Super Mario 3D World, Sonic Lost World, Wii Fit U, and Wii Party U."
Can we just take a moment to appreciate this? Some people may say "derpa derpa derpa it's still less than 10k" but I don't care. That is a HUGE increase from zelda with the pricedrop for one country.


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Recent topics
Recent Comments
Demo effects...
Updated - I've added v2. It now features the javascript timer cwright kindly posted, so it's now MUCH smoother, plus a better image and a bit of colour shifting.
I'll probably post a few of these, so they can all go in here :)
First one, a really oldschool effect popular back in the amiga and atari days when computers were 16 bit: infinite bobs. I tried to do this when I first started with QC, and failed miserably. Now I've figured it out :) So, what it is and how it works...
Back in the olden days, you could only move a limited number of sprites around the screen at once (and actually the same applies now, it's just that modern hardware can probably push more than you could actually see at once!). With this effect, you can put 'infinite' sprites onto the screen, all moving at once, even with oldschool hardware.
It works by having multiple frame buffers (I've used 5 here), switching between them each frame, and rendering the sprite to each buffer in turn as it moves. The buffers are never cleared, so when you get back to the first buffer, you get 2 sprites shown on screen. Because the 5 buffers capture a short sequence of animation, you get the illusion that more and more sprites are appearing on the screen, where there's really just one.
To make this work in QC, I've used 5 accumulators to build up the images, and a multiplexer and demultiplexer to switch between them. The movement is just a moving sprite in a render in image patch.
Because it's frame-rate dependent, it'll look ugly if anything slows it down. Also, it's only running at 30fps because the counter patch seems to stop working at 60fps, and it does strange things as it approaches it :( Anyone know of a better way of switching frame buffer, preferably per frame?
interesting... and somehow
interesting... and somehow just looking at it fills my head with 8bit music =]
switch per frame
I'm surprised there isn't a frame counter (that I could find, at least). However, it's simple to make one in javascript using some mild trickery.
Here's the code in copy/paste-friendly form:
/* We take advantage of the fact that js only executes when the input changes. As long as the input's different each frame, it'll be a faithful frame counter for us. We could also add some frame count reset inputs too if we wanted to be fancy :) */ var frame = undefined; function (__number outputNumber) main (__number ChangeMe) { if(frame == undefined) { frame = new Object; frame = 0; } frame++; var result = new Object(); result.outputNumber = frame; return result; }
(we attach patchtime because it's guaranteed to be different each frame, so it'll keep the js counter running as expected)
[edit: I clearly don't know javascript either.. perhaps the "frame = new Object" is unnecessary? no idea.]
Good code...
It's a good idea christopher. I was waiting for something like this, because as we can't evaluate the real FPS of a comp it is impossible to solve timecode or frame count with math...
to be really efficient your javascript should have 2 other functions : - One for read the frame in reverse in local time (rewind) : frame --; - One to read the movie position in frame from a movie loader (in this case the javascript must have a second input to read the movie duration and reset the counter each time the loop end...this is the difficult part :)
I was originally thinking if there was a way to make it without additional code, but this makes a lot more sense (and it's actually possible, which helps ;)
Between this and Patch Time, it's possible to do both frame-rate dependent effects and correct synching.
The only other thing time related that would be handy is the FPS Display patch - it should be possible to pass the FPS as an output, not just display it. It'd be pretty trivial to do that with your js, but at some point I think I'll modify the original FPS patch instead as I need something like that for my demo project. I plan to have a performance test at the start, and then adjust the complexity of the effects to get a decent framerate.
dynamic complexity
If you're going to go with the dynamic complexity route, I'm going to make a request that you do it at regular intervals during the demo, not just at startup. My machine is usually swamped with protein-folding work in the background, and I only disable it when I notice performance problems with appps I'm using (since Leopard doesn't honour
[By the way: forgot to say how cool the demo is. I forgot about being clever now that we've got so much cpu power these days. Good to get back to our roots :) Thanks for the refresher :)]
A good idea, but...
Not really possible. The way the effect works is that it's totally free to generate objects and grow/manipulate them, but only as long as there is 'energy' available in the system. The energy limits the total complexity of the scene, including the number of objects and the complexity of each one, and the total energy parameter is passed to the algorythm at startup. Changing it later would mean breaking it. :(
Oh, and thanks :) I'll try to update it at lunch time with the js timing and a slightly prettier bob. Then back to looking at the CV stuff.
Added in
I've added this in, and updated the composition. It's now much improved, and I'll leave it there :)
framed playback
To playback frame by frame, normally you don't need any javascript patch: if your movie is 25 fps (in Pal, normally, or did they switch to NTSC in Bordeaux ?), then divide your desired movie location by 25: if you want to go to frame 1000: 1000/25 = 40. So enter 40 seconds in the movie time input. Since calculations are floating point, it stays precise. At 327 frames timecode would be a 13.08 seconds.... looks weird, but it is the same numbers. You just have to know your original framerate and externalise timecode.
The auto reset loop was tricky with QC 2.0, but now with 3.0, colesd looped are allowed within the graph, so you can just connect a stop watch to a conditionnal patch, then connect back the output of the conditionnal to the reset intput of the stopwatch (am i clear ??)
I made the whole Etienne de Crecy's show under QC with timecoded functions and triggers, and it was accurate without needing any scripting, just math.
Handy to know
Handy to know, but the javascript was necessary here because there is no movie in the composition - everything is generated realtime, and the framerate varies if the system can't keep up. That causes major glitches in any effects that rely on the framerate, which is also the case in that composition.
Another thing that's handy to know is that you can use the movie time output to synchronise things to an audio soundtrack:
You can then use an audio file in your composition and keep accurate timing.
Signal patch
Also, the signal patch is your biggest friend here - it generates a signal after x seconds, or every x seconds. Makes timing transitions etc. very easy. It's a private patch btw.
Minor nit pick
Since calculations are floating point, it stays precise
This isn't accurate: Integer math is precise on computers(provided you don't over/underflow), but floating point math suffers from rounding error. It's usually not a big amount (i.e., for frame/time calculation it probably won't matter unless you deal with movies that are trillions of frames long or more), but doing math in FP is not, in fact, precise.
"the framerate varies if the
"the framerate varies if the system can't keep up" : use a system time to generate the timecode, not a patch time !
doesn't work...
If you do that, you find that the source images (which are generated by QC) suffer frame rate slow downs, while the main effect continues to run without receiving new data. You then get glitches aplenty.
The rendering of the main effect has to be tied to the generation of the input images - that's the whole point of a frame-rate dependent effect. The javascript produces a timer that increments when the source input updates, which means it normally runs at 60fps, but if anything slows the input down, the whole playback slows down but the effect isn't disrupted.
Compare the two compositions at the top (infinitebobs and infinitebobs2) - the first one (which uses a normal timer) glitches horribly if you mess around with something that causes it to slow down, the second one (with the javascript) stays pretty smooth.
or does it ?
I was referring to yanomano's post: "One to read the movie position in frame ".
It does definetly work when dealing with QT movies. It doesn't work when generating images from within QC.
Ah, totally lost the thread there...
So apologies for that.
Re-reading yanomano's post got me thinking though - he mentions using the javascript to count frames back. Is there a way to actually jump to a certain frame or time in a movie? Because you could do some very cool stuff with time-based effects.
You can jump to arbitrary times by making the movie loader's timebase external (right click the patch) -- then you have complete control over playback, including fastforward, rewind, and pause. And other fun stuff.
system time, yes !..:)
i had totally forgot(en) this little blue patch...! Thanks frantz
Time To timecode uploaded
I've done this little simple macro patch. You can plug "QC time" into it (Movie duration, movie position, Patchtime, System time.....) and it outputs a regular time code in the 0:00:00:00 format. You can choose the Frame rate from a menu with : 23,98 FPS 25 FPS 29,97 FPS
Don't know if it help ...


text: Blue in Green (1959) Miles Davis Friday, March 25, 2016 Happy Easter! We're going to have a lazy one, hope you have a great one, too! Share This Story Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin this Post Tags: playlist Newer Post Older Post You Might Also Like 0 comments


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Written on: February 3rd, 2014 in NERR, St. Jones Reserve
The other day I was out walking around the Reserve capturing photos for our program. As I walked toward the boardwalk I heard a loud "bark" and knew a fox was nearby. I began thinking about that fox and the famous song "What does the fox say." I have to say I have never heard a fox say "ring a ding ding ding," but that is just my experience. I have heard a fox bark, howl, and sometimes scream. There are two species of fox found in Delaware, the Red Fox and Gray Fox. To learn more about foxes and the differences between the two species read this great article written by Joe Rogerson in 2011 for the Outdoor Delaware magazine. And, the next time you are outside and hear a "barking" sound it may just be a fox. Enjoy the sights and sounds of the great outdoors by visiting the St. Jones Reserve!


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The Bridge
A Spinning Dot Youth Company Production. Directed by Jenny Anne Koppera and Matthew Webb. By Jeton Neziraj, a playwright from Kosovo. What happens when bridges are broken and friends separated? This play empowers young people to see their place as inspiring leaders who can indeed shift and shape the future of our world.


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As part of my forthcoming how to write a research paper challenge, I have determined to post a number of papers I have written for past courses. As an accountant I can understand why the small business owner has neither the time or inclination to do the books and therefore delegates the duty to an expert. To slim down enterprise accounting software program choices, go to You'll be able to select the options you need, and also the value range you are snug with and you will see a complete record of software vendors to select from.
But in contrast to many free apps, Wave has a good set of features like invoicing and receipt scanning on high of core accounting. It additionally offers collaboration options, so you possibly can share your books along with your bookkeeper, accountant, traders and enterprise companions. Yendo — If in case you have a variety of clients, multiple companies and a devoted sales workforce, Yendo is the accounting software program for you.
It is both an accounting and CRM software program, letting you and your sales reps manage and cultivate relationships with prospects, while linking all the data with your enterprise useful resource planning and accounting platform. Enterprise accounting software provides complete info concerning the bills incurred and the income gained by the business, information which helps enterprise house owners and determination makers alike to make informed choices about strategies that may ensure extra revenue.
It could generate a variety of reviews, so you'll be able to consider your online business from any financial angle, together with revenue margins, losses, earnings, income segments — similar to complete income, income by product, income by business and income histories — and extra. WorkingPoint — WorkingPoint is an all-inclusive accounting software that has every part that you must handle all points of your finances: accounting, invoicing, monetary reporting and tax reporting.
So, if you're a member of the administration or the Board, take the time to be taught the basics of accounting so that next time you see the monetary stories, you a minimum of know what it is you're studying. Not like different options that solely characteristic a plugin, Xero has a Mac module that natively connects to the Mac UI. In particular, SaaS accounting solutions are helpful to small businesses in times of regulatory upheavals.


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The University of California at Berkeley's RAD Lab, short for Reliable Adaptive Distributed Systems, has been studying the technologies and logistics of on-demand computing at high scale for about three years.
According to a 2006 Wall Street Journal article, the lab is focused on studying large-scale utility-computing infrastructures. With the backing of many of the largest companies in enterprise computing, many have been waiting anxiously to see what advances they contribute to cloud computing.
On February 12, the lab published a paper titled "Above the Clouds: A Berkeley View of Cloud Computing" (PDF), authored by Michael Armbrust, Armando Fox, Rean Griffith, Anthony D. Joseph, Randy Katz, Andy Konwinski, Gunho Lee, David Patterson, Ariel Rabkin, Ion Stoica, and Matei Zaharia. Intended as a broad road map for the future of cloud computing, the paper makes recommendations about everything from business models to hardware design to required software infrastructure.
The paper begins by setting a definition of cloud computing that will be considered controversial by many, as it is firmly in the "there is no cloud computing inside enterprise data centers" camp:
Cloud computing refers to both the applications delivered as services over the Internet, and the hardware and systems software in the data centers that provide those services. The services themselves have long been referred to as software as a service (SaaS).
The data center hardware and software is what we will call a cloud. When a cloud is made available in a pay-as-you-go manner to the general public, we call it a public cloud; the service being sold is utility computing.
We use the term private cloud to refer to internal data centers of a business or other organization, not made available to the general public. Thus, cloud computing is the sum of SaaS and utility computing, but does not include private clouds.
The researchers go a little further, however, and describe the hardware of cloud computing not in terms of technology, but in terms of a business model:
From a hardware point of view, three aspects are new in cloud computing.
- The illusion of infinite computing resources available on demand, thereby eliminating the need for cloud computing users to plan far ahead for provisioning.
- The elimination of an upfront commitment by cloud users, thereby allowing companies to start small and increase hardware resources only when there is an increase in their needs.
- The ability to pay for use of computing resources on a short-term basis as needed (e.g., processors by the hour and storage by the day) and release them as needed, thereby rewarding conservation by letting machines and storage go when they are no longer useful.
The paper's authors then go on to make a variety of claims based on this definition of cloud computing. One highlight is an interesting table describing 10 obstacles to the success of cloud computing, and the opportunities they create:
I recommend reading the paper, also available on the "Above the Cloud" blog which will apparently be a destination for further insights from the lab. EE Times has an article that also gives a decent overview of the paper's contents.
Reaction to the paper so far has been decidedly mixed. Pleased as punch are the O'Reilly Radar's Artur Bergman and others, who see the paper as providing much needed terminology, noting "the paper succinctly brings together software as a service with utility computing to come up with a workable definition of cloud computing".
On the other end of the spectrum, however, are several people who studied cloud computing as a market for some time. Among them is the always outspoken Reuven Cohen, who suggests that perhaps the authors were trying to turn the subjective into the objective:
In reading this paper, it occurred to me that the very nature of cloud computing, like the Internet itself is based on that of subjectivity or a particular subject's perspective, particularly feelings, beliefs, and desires to drive their own view point/agenda. This seems to be particularly true in the academic views of cloud computing recently.
My cursory, decidedly unscientific survey of "cloud-o-sphere" shows that those deeply involved with cloud computing who read the paper had decidedly mixed feelings about it (myself included), while those simply interested in cutting through the morass of cloud definitions and offerings generally were grateful for its content.
Krishna Sankar (a very smart engineer at Cisco Systems) may have best summarized my own thoughts in his post, A Berkeley View Of Cloud Computing : An Analysis--the good, the bad, and the ugly:
- As an undergrad work on cloud computing, the paper gets an A+. But as a position paper from eminent academics, I can only give a C-. Granted, it correctly identifies many of the trends and obstacles. But that material is widely available!
- With a title "A Berkeley view of cloud computing," the report misses the point. "A Berkeley observation..." is more like it--view requires original thinking and interpolation, which the report lacks.
Furthermore, what I find remarkable about the paper is what is not included. No mention of the SPI model, the standardization of any existing APIs (e.g. GoGrid's open APIs or the Amazon AWS APIs), and the only mention of Eucalyptus (a fellow UC system project, nonetheless) is briefly in the footnotes.
There are no prominent bloggers mentioned except Nick Carr (who is hardly defining the technology of the space), a scant few references to some vendor materials, and none of the existing interoperability consortiums are mentioned at all (e.g. CCIF, OCC, etc.).
I'd like to thank the "Above the Clouds" authors for what is obviously hours and hours of work. There is much value in the paper, and I plan to reread it a couple times to better internalize its lessons. That being said, there is a tremendous amount of brilliant thinking out there in blogs, forums, wikis and conference presentations.
I welcome Armburst et al to reach out and actively participate in the open conversation. We will, rest assured, listen very closely to what you have to say. All we ask is that you do the same in return.
You can follow James Urquhart on Twitter.


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Rancho Bernardo is located in the northern region of San Diego County, about 25 miles to the north of downtown San Diego. The community lies to the north of Carmel Mountain Ranch, northwest of Poway, east of Ramona, and south of Escondido. This master-planned community was established by the San Diego City Council in 1962, complete with residential developments, cultural and entertainment centers, educational institutions, shopping areas, open spaces, clubs, beautiful golf courses and much more. Today, Rancho Bernardo, with an expanse of 7000 acres and a population of over 40,000, has grown to become one of the most sought-after communities in the State of California.
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Forgiving Love
Today we're going to focus on one phrase in these verses. Love keeps no record of wrongs (or is not resentful). This phrase is in connection with our relationship & actions towards other people... In other words, this is one way in which we are called to love each other! Especially others who have or we feel have (which can be different things) offended or wronged us in some way. We will look at this phrase under the heading forgiving love.
The love Jesus loves us with & calls & empowers us to love with is a radically forgiving love. The gospel at its core is a message of forgiveness & a message which makes us forgiving. To the point that we refuse to dishonour even people who have wronged us while choosing to keep no record of wrongs done to us. It's also a message which has the liberating power to even help us protect the reputations of those who have wronged us & to desire good for them. I was struck by the forgiving words of Alan Greaves widow this week...
Of course it has to be said that resenting others needs to be extended to those who have done us no harm as well. Sometimes people resent others or try to tarnish the reputation of another because they are envious of them (think of the stories of Joseph & King Saul). This is something we will look at before we finish the series, but today we're going to focus on the reality that loving the way Jesus loves means forgiving the way Jesus forgives.
A number of Doctors have described what unforgiving & vengeful feelings do the human brain. Based on biochemical research, neuroscientists have documented the toxic chemical flood that our bodies release into our brains whenever we think malicious thoughts. Their microphotographs show how the chemicals that are released burn tunnels into the branches of our nerve cells. One doctor calls these burned-out neurons "emotional black holes." They are empty spaces in the brain produced by the resentments of a bitter soul - resentment harms our brain. But, amazingly, it is possible for the brain to grow nerve fibres that fill in these black holes. And one of the virtues indentified as bringing most healing is forgiveness.
Issues like un-forgiveness & resentment are things which affect us all. We have all resented at some level for some length of time. Is there a person you struggle to forgive? Is there resentment in your heart towards another person? Is there a sin you are counting against someone? Such things limit our ability to truly love. They colour our reasoning & outlook on life & they affect our relationships with others, including those who have done us no harm at all. For example if someone breaks our trust in a significant way it affects the level of trust we extend towards others. It makes us more cautious about whom we trust in future, sometime understandably...
However if we allow un-forgiveness, resentment or bitterness to get hold of us, if we allow them to become part of who we are, to colour our whole outlook on life & church & relationships, then it can give us a warped view of reality. It can affect our whole personality & wellbeing. It can cause us to see ourselves as always the victim & blind us to our own issues... And as we've seen, this is partly because of how things like resentment affect our brains. With all this in mind we conclude that learning to love like Jesus is the quickest path to personal freedom & wellbeing in regards this whole area.
But of course humanly speaking this is not always an easy thing to do. Sometimes the wounds we have suffered run deep, & in some cases still bleed. People have betrayed us in some away. Spoken hurtful words we can never forget or abused us in some other way. Perhaps we even feel they have stolen our happiness... When such things happen many find it easier to hold onto the pain than let go of it. They keep replaying wrongs they have suffered on the Youtube video of their heart & mind, or repeating the same old stories to anyone who will listen. When resentment builds this kind of wall, only love has the power to break through &, as one person has put it, release "memories grip on yesterday's evil."
Love does not ignore evil (as we will see when we look at verse 6). But rather than returning evil for evil, it does seek to overcome evil with good. One person writes that love "absorbs evil without calculating how to retaliate. On another occasion when Paul was writing about love in action he wrote "Do not repay anyone evil for evil" (Rom 12:17) & "Do not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Rom 12:21). This is the way of love. This is the life all Christian's are called to!
As we turn to think about how Jesus displayed forgiving love it is natural for our minds to turn again to the cross. When in his dying hours, being mocked & crucified by evil men, Jesus said "Father, forgive them" (Luke 23:34). But there is another act of forgiveness in Jesus' life that we're going to look at. Remember these words in 1 Corinthians are written to a local church – this is firstly how Christian's are to love each other. So it seems appropriate to look at a story in which we see Jesus forgiving one of his own disciples. The story is recorded in John 21:15-19. This story is the last story recorded in the gospels. It is a story in which Jesus beautifully forgives Peter. How beautiful is it that the final story of the gospels is a story about Jesus forgiving one of his closest disciples & friends, but before we go there we need to set the scene. We will start in John 13:33-38, Jesus is with his disciples:
"'My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I have told the Jews, so I tell you now: where I am going, you cannot come. A new command I give you: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.' Simon Peter asked him, 'Lord, where are you going?' Jesus replied, 'Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.' Peter asked, 'Lord, why can't I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' Then Jesus answered, 'Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the cock crows, you will disown me three times."
Peter's whole experience from this point on would have helped him understand the depth of forgiving love Jesus had towards him. And how Jesus responded to his denials would have taught the other disciples a lot about the new command he gave them in these verses. Jesus could have just as easily said 'As I have forgiven you, so you must forgive one another.' Truth is we could insert any of the qualities highlighted in 1 Cor. 13:4-7.
Peter was the first & the boldest of the original 12 disciples. He was the first one that Jesus called to be a disciple (Matt 4:18-20), the first & only one to get out of the boat & walk on water & the first to recognise Jesus as "the Messiah, the Son of the living God." But Peter was also the first to fall away. The story of his denial is honestly & painfully told in all four gospels. John records it like this (Read John 18:15-18; 25-27.)
Just as Jesus predicted Peter denied him three times. To understand the depth of Jesus' forgiveness it's important we understand something of the nature & extent of his sin. Perhaps we think of Peter committing one sin three times, but he actually committed a number of sins three times. He betrayed Jesus. He disowned Jesus. He lied to protect himself. He showed cowardice. We might even say he was complicit to a murder, because rather than standing up for an innocent friend, Peter refused to have anything to do with him. It's not just what he did; it's also what he didn't do that needed forgiven. All this is made worse when we consider he was one of the privileged 12 & he had been warned he was in spiritual danger & the sins he committed where directly against the very son of God!
How do you think Jesus should have responded to Peter? How would you respond if a close Christian friend did something similar to you? Would the friendship have any hope of surviving? Sadly often such friendships are never recovered, and for reasons much less I might add... Perhaps you're here & you can think of a relationship with another Christian that up to this day has never recovered because of how they treated or wronged you. Well today the Holy Spirit wants to do something about it in your heart...
What did Jesus do? How did he respond to Peter in his moment of betrayal? The first thing he did was simply look at him. Luke 22:61 records "The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him." Luke does not tell us what expression Jesus had on his face, but he looked at him. Often when someone has wronged us we look away from them. If we're in town & we see them coming we try to avoid them. But Jesus didn't try to avoid Jesus he looked straight at him & we can imagine him doing so in love.
Jesus knew exactly what Peter had done, remember he predicted it. In fact Luke 22:31 tells us Jesus had committed to praying for him because he knew he was going to deny him & he didn't want his denials to be the end of him. Would you or I commit to praying for someone if we knew they were going to disown us in the time of our great suffering? The love of Jesus is radically forgiving. Instead of keeping record of Peter's wrongs him Jesus was going to suffer for all Peter's wrongs on the cross. Reconciliation was more important to Jesus than keeping records. This reminds me of 2 Cor. 5:19 "God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. " Or as Psalm 103:10-12 says; "He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far he removed our transgressions from us." Our God is a radically forgiving God & we are set apart to reflect this forgiving love in Christian community & in all our relationships with others.
When Peter seen Jesus he was broken man, Luke records "And he went outside and wept bitterly." One loving glance from Jesus was all it took for him to know he needed to repent. This sets the stage for the reconciliation that happens in John 21:15-19. Let's read it.
This happened on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. The disciples had gone fishing & caught nothing until a stranger on the shore told them to cast their nets on the other side, then they caught so many fish they could not get them in the boat. As soon as Peter realised the stranger was Jesus, he jumped out of the boat & swam to the shore. Peter was not moving away from Jesus but toward him, which is what we should always do when we know we have sinned. He is forgiving, not counting our sins against us. In Mark 16 the angel said; "But go, tell his disciples and Peter." Jesus did not make things hard for Peter to continue in relationship with him because of his fall. He did all he could to make it easy (including sending a personal message via an angel). We must also make it easy for those who sin against us. This is what forgiving love does.
Anyway, soon all the disciples are back on the shore & Jesus kindly cooks them breakfast. And afterwards, Peter & Jesus have this heart-to-heart by the Sea of Galilee. This is also an important part of forgiveness... It's worth mentioning what Jesus didn't say. He didn't condemn him. He didn't make him feel he had to earn his favour back. He didn't cast things up. He did not speak to Peter resentfully at all. He does not even bring it up. Jesus has already forgiven him... Peter then could join the Psalmist in saying; "If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you" (Psalm 130:3-4).
All Jesus did was ask Peter a simple question, three times, "Do you love me?" Just as Peter had denied Jesus three times Jesus now leads him in affirming his love for him three times. I believe this was for Peter's benefit; sometimes we struggle to forgive ourselves. This was a hard conversation for Peter; because of his past actions it would have made it hard to answer that question three times. I think Jesus is helping Peter leave the past in the past. Forgiving love helps others to forgive themselves...
Jesus not only asks Peter three questions he also entrusts him with taking care of & feeding his people, which would at times take the same forgiving love Peter experienced from Jesus. Peter would have understood Jesus words "Love one another as I have loved you" in a whole new light. A way helped equip him for taking care of God's people. Jesus also helped Peter see that even though Peter's words 'I will lay down my life for you' must have seemed to empty after his denial, one day he would indeed fulfil them by laying down his life for Christ... And then Jesus says to Peter "Follow me!" (v19). These are the first words Peter ever heard from Jesus. They are the words that started his journey with Jesus & now Jesus uses them to assure him the journeys not over. It's almost as if he's saying, 'pick up from where you left off...'
Peter's restoration helps us understand our own calling to forgiving love. To love the way Jesus loves is to be towards others the way God in Christ has been towards us. This includes offering others the same forgiveness we have received. If we fail to forgive, then we fail to live out the implications of the gospel we proclaim & we ignore this new command Jesus gave us to love one another. Loving the way Jesus loves always starts with understanding how much God has loved us. When it comes to forgiveness, we find that, because of the cross, he does not count our sins against us. We have all denied Jesus like Peter in many ways, yet we are still forgiven.
The same Peter who experience Christ forgiveness wrote in 1 Peter 4:8 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." This is what forgiving love does... It's doesn't go around exposing the sins others have committed against us; that is what resentment does... Love protects, love forgives, love seeks reconciliation & look at what our reconciliation cost Jesus & we have been called to love the way Jesus loves... Let me finish with these words from Lewis Smedes;
"Love lets the past die. It moves people to a new beginning without settling the past. Love does not have to clear up all misunderstandings... Love prefers to tuck all the lose ends of past rights & wrongs in the bosom of forgiveness—and pushes us into a new start."
Church cannot survive & thrive unless we learn to forgive the way Jesus forgives...
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CGMP Emeritus
Emeritus StatusEmeritus status is an honorary status SGMP bestows on those who have been actively certified and then retire from the field. This allows you to keep your designation although you are no longer working in the government meetings industry. Emeritus status has no expiration date.
Retired CGMPs may qualify to receive Emeritus status if they meet all of the following requirements:
• Are at least 55 years of age
• Retired from full-time employment in the government meetings industry (e.g., you cannot work more than 20 hours per week for compensation)
• Are not eligible to be a member in any other category (e.g. government or contract planner or supplier member)
• Maintain an SGMP membership as a retired member
• Maintained an active CGMP certification through the date of retirement
Your Emeritus application must include:
• CGMP re-certification application - Click Here
• Proof of age (e.g., government-issued ID)
* A Letter stating:
- When you retired and from what position
- Contact information of your last previous employer (SGMP reserves the right to contact former employers to verify your retirement)
- Emeritus fee of $100 USD


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The time has come to start chipping away at Canada's largest province, Ontario. A land of scholastic mystery, the engine room of this sadsack state hides too many malevolent folds to be covered in one go. Because of its sheer size and shittiness our tour of Onterrible begins up north, to a post-extractive hellscape that makes the Soviet Union's old industrial yards look pleasant. How bad is Northern Ontario? How about we begin with a piece from the Toronto Star with the by-line "Survival in Ontario's north requires ingenuity, endurance and a trace of subversion", which includes stories of pitiable want and active avoidance of the stew of ineptitude that is Queen's Park.
From the same piece:
Northern towns have one small food outlet if they're lucky. If not, residents go to the next town. No matter where they shop, they won't see cantaloupes, fresh pears, bunches of raw broccoli, inside round steak or 200 gram blocks of partially skim mozzarella cheese. At least half of the items on the province's [nutritous food basket] checklist aren't available in the north.
That's fucked up. Northern Ontario is one of Canada's most neglected regions. Governed from Toronto by people who consider Northern Ontario to be nifty map-filler, the area's chronic neglect and desperation takes so many forms that this entire piece will consist of ringing them off and asking you, the reader, if this is the kind of stuff you expect in a "rich country".
The first shit-shaped tee-ball to get smashed by yours truly is the staggering cost of transportation. Those people of Manitoulin Island who don't own vehicles get to spend a staggering $35-60 on cab fare to get to the nearest grocery store. Imagine if every grocery trip you made involved you purchasing several t-bone steaks only to throw them into the street. Speaking of transportation, Northern Ontario is a classic case of "free"** Canadian healthcare. Take the town of Timiskaming, where nearly 1 in 5 men have diabetes. If a denizen of Northern Ontario dares to need specialized medical help that they can't find locally they can expect a $100 grant from the government…but only for one-way travel. Better get ready to hitchhike home, sucker! People in Northern Ontario are, to be frank about it, unable to take care of themselves because of the sheer costs associated with transportation. And even assuming that you're picked up by someone who isn't going to rape you and chuck your corpse in the snow good luck traversing Northern Ontario's roads in the winter. Come to town to get one health problem examined, go home with two. Now that's some Canadian mathematics for you!
How about telehealth services, asks the hypothetical caker apologist? Treating Northern Ontarians as though they have a right to get around is expensive and icky, after all. Why see a doctor physically when you can go online?…Except the Internet access in Northern Ontario is fucking terrible. Are you surprised? And before you ask about Northern Ontario "getting a job", why don't you read some labor stats? Like these, which put Northern Ontario's employment rates at 54.5% and 58%, respectively?
We certainly can't forget the crown jewel of Northern Ontarian shittiness – atrocious housing. We're talking fucking shacks here, folks.
Living in such dire poverty, surounded by joblessness and want with nowhere to go and no way to get out, lead lives of stunning want. Appendix B of this report speaks to some of the difficulties associated with combatting homelessness and so-called "invisible homelessness" (which basically means couch-surfing and bumming at friends' places). Words like "skeletal infrastructure", "no infrastructure", "using informal networks", and "lack of data". Lacking basic information and having no real means to handle the basic needs incumbent to capitalist civilization suggests to me that these areas are effectively without governance. And that's not just me saying this, either.
That's a good way to end our brief trip through Northern Ontario. The area lives with infrastructure deliberately designed to bypass inadequate and poorly thought-out governance from Toronto. People can basically afford to slowly become more ill, trapped by insane transit costs and a live of grinding dependence on piss-poor social security. And if there's anything worse than being governed by cakers, it's being forgotten by cakers.


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The full text of this essay is available to ALS subscribers
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Published 1 November 1998 in Writing the Everyday: Australian Literature and the Limits of Suburbia. Subjects: Characterisation, Melbourne, Poetic creative process, Suburbs, Writer's craft.
Cite as: Duwell, Martin. 'Alan Wearne : Interview.' Australian Literary Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, 1998, doi: 10.20314/als.aff6a7b973.


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What Is the Largest Currency Bill
Does the $1 Million Bill Exist?
Reading about a man trying to pass off a fake $1 million bill in United Arab Emirate's Central Bank triggered a question: what's the highest currency denomination ever made in the US?
As of now, the highest bill in circulation is the $100 note and the $1 million bill has never existed, according to the website of the US Treasury.
Interestingly, the highest currency the government has issued in the past is the $100,000 bill. The note, printed between Dec. 18, 1934, and Jan. 9, 1935, was not used by the general public, and was only utilized in transactions between Federal Reserve Banks. I wouldn't want to be carrying that bill in my wallet!


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RSD/ Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Here is my newest grand- daughter, Ellie Grace, joined with her brother Connor, who is 2 yrs old.
Ellie was 3 weeks early, but someone miscalculated, because she weighed 8 lbs and was 19 in long- fully developed. Her mom is my oldest child- 35 years and time to stop now before something would go wrong.
This is the latest technology news concerning changes in my brain.
I got this article in full off my RSD group, I belong too.
"Scientists peered at the brains of people with a baffling chronic pain condition and discovered something surprising. Their brains looked like an inept cable guy had changed the hookups, rewiring the areas related to emotion, pain perception and the temperature of their skin. The new finding by scientists at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, begins to explain a mysterious condition that the medical community had doubted was real.
The people whose brains were examined have a chronic pain condition called complex region pain syndrome (CRPS.) It's a pernicious and nasty condition that usually begins with an injury causing significant damage to the hand or the foot. For the majority of people, the pain from the injury disappears once the limb is healed. But for 5 percent of the patients, the pain rages on long past the healing, sometimes for the rest of people's lives. About 200,00 people in the U.S. have this condition.
In a hand injury, for example, the pain may radiate from the initial injury site and spread to the whole arm or even the entire body. People also experience changes in skin color to blue or red as well as skin temperature (hotter at first, then becoming colder as the condition turns chronic.) Their immune system also shifts into overdrive, indicated by a hike in blood immune markers.
The changes in the brain take place in the network of tiny, white "cables" that dispatch messages between the neurons. This is called the brain's white matter. Several years ago, Northwestern researchers discovered chronic pain caused the regions in the brain that contain the neurons -- called gray matter because of it looks gray -- to atrophy.
This is the first study to link pain with changes in the brain's white matter. It will be published November 26 in the journal Neuron.
"This is the first evidence of brain abnormality in these patients," said A. Vania Apkarian, professor of physiology at the Feinberg School and principal investigator of the study. " People didn't believe these patients. This is the first proof that there is a biological underpinning for the condition. Scientists have been trying to understand this baffling condition for a long time."
Apkarian said people with CRPS suffer intensely and have a high rate of suicide. "Physicians don't know what to do," he said. "We don't have the tools to take care of them."
The new findings provide anatomical targets for scientists, who can now look for potential pharmaceutical treatments to help these patients, Apkarian said. He doesn't know yet if chronic pain causes these changes in the brain or if CRPS patients' brains have pre-existing abnormalities that predispose them to this condition.
In the new study, the brains of 22 subjects with CRPS and 22 normal subjects were examined with an anatomical MRI and a diffusion tensor MRI, which enabled scientists to view the white matter. In addition to changes in white matter, the CRPS patients' brains showed an atrophy of neurons or gray matter similar to what has been previously shown in other types of chronic pain patients.
Apkarian said the white matter changes in patients' brains is related to the duration and intensity of their pain and their anxiety. It is likely that white matter reorganizes in other chronic pain conditions as well, but that has not yet been studied, he noted.
Source: Northwestern University
Wow what new scientic research has found. It explains my emotional lows, anxiety, pain perceptions ( I read that as we take pain meds-, and our pain medication is absorbed about 20-30% of them are used in my body. It explains my lower immune system problems, and my suicidal thoughts. I cannot do household things like cooking, baking, cleaning, and typing with only 1 hand.
I sleep into the afternoon now
I am so down- that I am not participating in my fibro group, and I am disappointed how low in number of RSD people who participate. I know I have not lost any weight. I need prayers for healing - I have been praying continually for the RSD to leave. My RSD leg is 1 " atrophied more than the other. I am hot always when others are wearing sweaters. I was on the site itself where they demonstrated the short circuts in my brain- unfortunately when I had a brain injury in my old marriage- they did not know this stuff.
Well that's my update on my RSD/ CRPS.
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Hello! I have no idea how I got here through the blogs, but apparently Creator led me. I have had RSD since 4/2003. You are right about one thing, people who are healthy just don't get it. They just don't understand the "pain" involved with RSD. My wrists are almost completely atrophied. My depression brought on breast cancer and the RSD spread like wild fire. I ended getting two nerve block shots before I started the breast reconstruction. The "pain" for me seemed to accumulate more acreage after the port was put in. Then it graduated in a matter of hours after my mastectomy. When the "pain" gets out of control I have black outs, can barely move, and it's the "pain" that keeps me awake. I seem to be doing nerve block shots about every two years. Your memory is shot to sh**t, you are thankful for the cell phone so you can keep track of the day, the month and the hour. My boyfriend resotred to writing all of my doctor appts. in neon lime green on the calendar for me. There have been times I should not have been driving!
CANDLEWIC9 I do understand the "pain", the depression, the sleepless nights, the exhaustion from the continueous "pain" that seems to age our body quicker. My lower lumbar took a dump about a year after the mastectomy. Standing at the sink is ungodly painful.
Sweetie, the best medicine for the blues and depression that I have found so far is to get out and walk in NATURE. Just walk a little bit, but be in the woods, along a river or creek, listen to the winds, the birds, the geesse honking as they fly south. Just be out in NATURE as long as you can handle it. I hurt like a dickens after a mile, which takes me a while to get done. I stop and rest on each bench I see that they have built along the path/trail. I have found being in NATURE, meditating and talking my prayers, helps me, my heart to love me, myself and I all the more.
I have spent thousands of dollars so far, and I do mean thousands of dollars, trying to find alternative remedies and I have tried hundreds. My cubboard is loaded! I didn't want to take all those pain pills because they make you stupid in the head and do absolutely nothing for the pain.
I know what you mean when you can no longer do the things you once did. I actually had to figure out a "different way" to wipe my butt for heavens sake! You can't hold a hair brush to brush your hair. You can't use pressure to even cut your toast. People and doctor's just don't get it when you say that you can't do it. You really can't do it. If I push my hands, they spasm for over an hour. Shake, shake, shake and tremble some more! It's embaressing and fustrating.
I wasn't eligible for the cerebral implant in the neck to control the pain, it's become arthritic.
There's only a few other things that seem to help some. I get an herbal product from www.herbalhealers.com called CAL/MAG/POTASSIUM. It's a liquid you take 2-3 @ day. I also started juicing my breakfast and sometimes all three meals, to get the best of fresh fruits and vegetables all at once in liquid form. Otherwise, I live on IB Prophin when it's bad.
CANDLEWIC9, please take into your heart some aswered prayers that you are not alone. If anything, I'm on this Sparks club to loose weight too - but I haven't lost a pound!! I follow the nutrition guide as best as I can, I try to walk a mile every day, actually I'm almost up to two full miles.
The hot flashes of menopause can be figured out with a little help. The herba healers has a wonder Woman's Balance. Great stuff. I am 57, I have worked since I was 14 years old. My life, my independence, came to a screetching halt 4/2003. It hasn't been the same since. I know what you mean when people harp about not working, getting ssi, and doing nothing all day. They don't understand that you can't! They never will unless it happens to them. Just love them anyways. It is our courage and stamina that is our strongest assets. We can do it. Hang in there CANDLEWIC. Just give me a blog or email. I'm here. I don't work either. I hang out on the computer or I read alot of self-help, spiritual awakening, and just good books to keep me alive and well in my heart.
4024 days ago
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Niyi Yusuf became the company's new country managing director of the Nigeria office on April 1, 2010. He was head of the Systems and Integration Growth platform in Nigeria before he succeeded Mrs. Omobola Johnson who stepped down as CMD on March 1, 2010, becoming chairman.
Mr. Yusuf embodies all that we at Accenture cherish in our core values of stewardship, very strong work ethic, in-depth knowledge of our business and passion for both our people and clients. He also brings to bear the strength of Accenture as a technology firm that globally derives more than 70 percent of its income from technology based work.
He joined Accenture in 1995 after 4 years of experience in the Nigerian IT industry. Having spent over 14 years in Accenture, Yusuf brings to his new position a broad range of experience, skills and capabilities with an enviable record of achievements in project delivery and systems improvement. He has managed the implementation and delivery of many turnkey projects for clients in various industries spanning manufacturing, oil and gas, banking, insurance and public sector.


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The promise of automated cars is that they could eliminate human-error accidents and potentially enable more efficient use of roadways. That sounds, at first blush, like self-driving cars could also mean traffic reduction and lower commute times.
But researchers aren't so sure.
Hesham Rakha is an engineering professor at Virginia Tech who studies traffic's flow — or lack thereof.
Part of the fundamental challenge of traffic, he says, is it's extremely easy for human drivers to create traffic. "One little touching of the brake can pull the whole system down," he says.
That's largely because of delayed human reactions. If a driver sees red tail lights and taps his brake, each subsequent driver approaching from behind also has to react, and that delay forces each one to brake harder than the next. Soon, you're at a standstill for seemingly no reason.
The most minor disturbance like that can cost 10 to 20 percent less flow, Rakha says. "If we can prevent that congestion from happening, not only will we let vehicles travel faster, but we will also get more vehicles through our system."
To demonstrate how automation might affect traffic, I met Rakha at a parking structure overlooking the intersection of Interstate 66 and the Dulles Toll Road just outside Washington, D.C., which is a well-known bottleneck that merges four lanes of traffic into two.
Rakha has already collected traffic data from sensors on the road and designed an algorithm to calculate how real traffic might change as more self-driving cars hit the road.
Automation allows real-time traffic information to help cars anticipate what's ahead, then slow down to avoid disruptions, the way the right flow of sand won't overflow a funnel. It also helps that there is no reaction time in an automated car.
Self-driving cars become synchronized. They communicate with one another, signaling disturbances ahead, and adjust to the optimal speed to not create a backup.
In Rakha's simulation, as the number of self-driving cars increases, we can see how the red dots indicating congestion on the screen gradually clears and become green, moving dots.
Geoff Wardle, director of transportation design at the ArtCenter College of Design, says he expects automated cars will lead to more ride- or car-sharing; or, they will park themselves. Either way, he says, "a significant amount of traffic congestion is caused by going around and around the same block looking for a place to park."
But automation is not a commuter's panacea, either. The reason, ironically, comes down to human beings.
"We tend to like to try to cheat the system to gain personal advantage," Wardle says. Basically the problem is this: Drivers might cut off driverless cars, screwing up their flow.
In fact, Rakha's research shows it might take a while to see any improvements in traffic. That's because while the behavior of automated cars is predictable, that of humans is not. So it's not until enough driverless cars are on the road that we might see some easing of congestion.
In the end, Rakha tells me he cannot predict whether automated cars will improve traffic congestion.
"I don't know the answer," he says. "If the road is less congested, more people are going to be attracted to that road, and so basically it will become congested because it's supply and demand."
If traffic does improve, more cars and trucks are likely to use the roads, and we could be back where we started.
All right, here's something that will come as no surprise to anyone who drives to work. Maybe you're driving to work right now. Commuting times are just getting longer and longer. The Census Bureau says the average commute takes 26 minutes. That is 20 percent longer than in 1980. NPR's Yuki Noguchi is asking if self-driving cars, which might improve traffic flow, could shorten her commute.
YUKI NOGUCHI, BYLINE: I'm standing here watching rush hour build. I'm overlooking the place where Interstate 66 and the Dulles Toll Road merge just outside Washington, D.C. It's here I meet Hesham Rakha, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech with a lifelong interest in traffic - how it flows and why it sometimes doesn't.
HESHAM RAKHA: Yeah, that's 66. It's 66.
NOGUCHI: It is, he says, extremely easy for human drivers to create traffic jams.
RAKHA: One little touching of the brake can pull the whole system down.
NOGUCHI: A driver taps his brake, subsequent drivers react, each braking harder than the next. Soon, traffic is crawling for no apparent reason.
RAKHA: So if we can prevent that congestion from happening, not only will we let vehicles travel faster, but we'll also get more vehicles through our system.
NOGUCHI: Self-driving cars can synchronize. They communicate with one another, signaling disturbances ahead, avoiding backups. To illustrate how autonomous cars flow differently, Rakha pulls up a traffic simulator on his laptop.
RAKHA: This is what we call a fundamental diagram.
NOGUCHI: The simulator uses recent actual traffic data collected from the highway merge below us.
RAKHA: And the red is the congestion which spills back from this.
NOGUCHI: An algorithm then allows Rakha to simulate how the colored dots flow when some or all of the cars are autonomous. The biggest bugaboo of traffic - accidents caused by human error - go down dramatically. On the screen and we can see how the red dots indicating congestion gradually clear and become green moving dots.
Geoff Wardle teaches transportation design at the ArtCenter College of Design. He says he expects more people will share automated cars, creating less demand for parking, or the cars might park themselves. Either way...
GEOFF WARDLE: A significant amount of traffic congestion is caused by people going round and round the same two or three blocks looking for that place to park.
NOGUCHI: That's the positive side of self-driving cars. Here's the negative. Again, here's Wardle.
WARDLE: Human beings, we tend to like to try and cheat the system to gain personal advantage.
NOGUCHI: In fact, Virginia Tech engineer Rakha's research shows that once self-driving cars make their way onto our roads, it will take a while to see any improvements in traffic. The behavior of self-driving cars is predictable, but human behavior is not. So it's not until there are a lot of driverless cars on the road that we might see some easing of congestion. Put another way, some humans are jerks who try to cut in at the front of the line. Oh, you know who I'm talking about - Rakha certainly does.
RAKHA: And they'll cut across all the lanes and cause everyone delay just because they want to save a couple of seconds. They break down the whole system.
NOGUCHI: When people ask you so are automated cars going to reduce my commute time, what do you tell them?
RAKHA: I don't know the answer. If the road is less congested, more people are going to be attracted to that road and so basically will become congested because it's supply and demand.
NOGUCHI: If traffic does improve, in other words, more cars and trucks are likely to use the road. And for us right now...
Maybe we should get out of here before traffic gets bad.
RAKHA: Yeah, I think it's a good idea.
NOGUCHI: Yuki Noguchi, NPR News, Washington.
(SOUNDBITE OF REKI SONG, "THE ORIGIN") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.


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Buying A Used Car Roadmap
Buying a used car can be an incredibly good deal, however there are a lot of potential issues too.
Will it last?
Is it safe?
Is it Stolen?
Buying a used car is can be tricky. You don't know anything about it, and there area lot of people out there selling crap. There are also emotions that play into it, which is a bad thing when buying something and spending so much money on it.
There are many variables, I found some incredible tips from carbuyingtips.com make sure you visit the full article but here is a buying a used car roadmap:
Investigating the Car's History
Most Important Tip to Follow when Buying a Used Car
Whatever you do, you should never buy a car without first verifying what you are buying by running a history report. I get a ton of emails from people that ended up buying a used car and later finding out it had been wrecked. There are body shops that are professionals at making a car look good. It can happen to anybody. If the VIN isn't clearly listed in the ad and the seller won't give it to you then move on to the next car. They are most likely trying to hide something. Since you are normally buying a used car "As Is," you will want to know about any problems before the purchase.
Financing a Used Car
Financing is handled differently depending on whether you are purchasing from a dealership or a private party. Either way, most banks will not give you a loan for a car older than 4 or 5 years. In general, you will pay at least 2% higher APR for a used car than you would on a new car loan but you can offset this by using an online lender that specialized in financing used cars such as the ones we recommend. Try to have your credit score over 680 because you will be considered a prime borrower and get the lowest possible APR. If your credit is really bad you might want to try and repair it before you buy a car.
Closing the Deal
Now that your price negotiating is complete, it is time finalize the transaction. You should never pay cash because if something goes wrong you may have trouble getting your money back. Besides, carrying around large sums of cash is dangerous. You should pay with a credit card if possible or a check of some type (personal, official check, etc.). With a credit card or check you have a paper trail and some recourse available if something goes wrong.
One of the trickiest things to deal with when finalizing the purchase of a used car is when the seller still owes money on it. This should only occur when you are buying from a private party. The lender is holding the title and you must make arrangements with them to have the note paid off and the title transferred to you.
- DO NOT sign an "As Is" agreement at a used car dealer!
- DO NOT even think about taking delivery of a used car without the title!
Also a few other tips I use when buying a used car.
- Make sure you do a "cold start" if the seller already has it running that is a red flag! Problems tend to go away after it's warm.
- Make sure you check all the fluids, oil should be in the hatched area of the dipstick, and transmission fluid should look a little reddish, smell it too, if it smells like burnt crap then that's bad.
- Check the level of the coolant.
- Check the wires, do they look like they are beaten up?
- Try to look at the hoses and look for cracks
- Check the tires, are they at the wear bars? Tires have a built in wear indicator. But you can also manually do a test too, take a penny and put abe lincoln's dead in the tread, if you can see the top of his head they are bad.
- Check the pedals,do they look really worn? If so it's possible someone drove the snot out of it and it's more likely to break down.
If you follow these tips you'll have a much better car, and time buying the car. I love buying cars used but you need to do some research! Don't forget buying a used car roadmap!
used car buying roadmap


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Touch Season 2 ,The network announced a couple casting additions today: Lukas Haas and Saxon Sharbin will both come on board as series regulars.
Haas (24) will portray an employee of Aster Corps, the research facility that has set its sights on Kiefer Sutherland's Martin and his son Jake.
Sharbino, meanwhile, will portray the gifted daughter of Lucy Robbins, the character played by another new series regular, Maria Bello.
In what we'd have to imagine will finally be the official time/day, the Kiefer Sutherland-anchor drama will return on Friday, February 8 with a two-hour episode.
It will feature Martin and Jake - now in Los Angeles - on the run, aiming to aid Maria Bello's Lucy in her search for her daughter, Amelia.
In other Fox programming news, the network is burning off the final four episodes of The Mob Doctor. They will air at 9 p.m. on December 29, December 31, January 5 and January 7.


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Lunch box friendly Date, Apple & Cinnamon Seed Balls
We love a good bliss ball around here (well 3 out of 4 do so that's what we go with these days) and I wanted to try something a bit different to our normal & much loved choc flavoured ones. Enter these Date, Apple & Cinnamon Seed Balls that are nut free so that they can be taken to school, also dairy free, egg free, actually vegan if I think about it and healthy too!
I took them to Book Club the other night for the grown up taste testers and so we could kid ourselves that we were being healthy while drinking the wine (and eating chocolate). They were approved. Yay!
Store them in the fridge for up to a week or freezer for up to 3 months. Also I prefer to get my dried fruit from a health food or organic shop when I can as the supermarket ones all seem to have sulphites added but obviously whatever is easiest and your personal preference of course.
- 7 - 8 pitted dates (110g)
- 1 C (90g) dried apples (try to get the sulphite free ones and the chewy kind)
- 1/2 C (50g) rolled oats
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp (15g) sunflower seeds
- 2 Tbsp (20g) white chia seeds
- Put all the ingredients into a blender or food processor and blitz until a thick paste has formed. If using a Thermomix Speed 9 / 45 seconds
- Scoop out bite sizes spoonfuls of the mixture and roll into balls.
- You can eat them immediately but I think they taste a bit better if you put them in the fridge for a bit to chill.
- Can be stored in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to 3 months.
If you like bliss / energy balls you may also want to check out my Raw Cacao, Date & Nut Bliss Balls, Lemon & Coconut Balls or my "Oh She Glows" Balls because you know, everyone wants glowing skin, right?!


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NZ Green MP Under Fire
Posted on: Mon 4 Dec 2017
Newly-elected Green MP, Golriz Ghahraman, has come under severe scrutiny following the release of a controversial photo taken during her time working for the United Nations.
The photo in question, shows Ms Ghahraman smiling with Simon Bikindi, who was later convicted of war crimes in Rwanda.
Kiwi correspondent, Pearl Little, joins Tom Mann and Ian Newton to discuss this controversy and more.
Produced by Hazel Cameron
Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons


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In my job I work for the greater good of the whole. The other people I work with, well that's not so much their priority. I'm sorry, I care about my job. I care about what I do, I care about doing things right the first time, and if I don't happen to do it right the first time, I like the feedback so that I don't repeat my mistakes. I like making things better, it makes me feel like I'm doing something worthwhile, but when I bust my ass in an attempt to make things better, and dip shits come along and manage to muck things up more than they already have done, well then it just pisses me off.
-I just fixed one thing, and you nimrods need to have that kiltered balance in your life, so you go and screw something else up. It's like this, I get one thing fixed, and then they forget how to do a totally different part of their job, so as the shit runs downhill, I get to step in it, and try & clean it up. and they're always shitting in different spots. it's so irritating... I'll rub their nose in the one spot that they shat in, then I clean it up, so as that's getting done they go to a different place and shit there... so then here comes the process again, I have to rub their nose in that other spot they shat in, and start cleaning it up... it's a never-ending cycle.
it's amazing.
I can't believe that some of these people are old enough to be my parents. shit. I won't EVER let myself get like that! I was raised better. I guess when your parents drill it into your brain that you can be or do anything you want in life, that you have that potential inside, it's not something that you just sit idly by and pick your nose to while you ponder it over.
crap, but I guess that's one of the differences between *my* kind of people and *those* kinds of people. Some people are more than happy just going through life not questioning anything, or trying to think on their own for themselves, that's not me. I am going to make something of myself; I'm not going to be some 45 year old lost soul who works with someone who's old enough to be my daughter. hell no. no one half my age will be my equal in a job. that's a disgrace to the advancement of human kind.
Always push forward, always learn more, and never look back. For those of you who think that things are hopeless, well the only thing that is hopeless is you.
end of ranting session.


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Or at least we think.
Demi fires back!
Everybody went into a frenzy when they dove into Demi Lovato's "Complex" cover story and read that she wasn't on speaking terms with her former Disney BFF Selena Gomez. Asked if the reason for their rift was because of Selena's tumultuous relationship with Justin Bieber, the singer replied, "Not anymore."
It was a puzzling part of the interview, considering the duo recently reunited and took their first selfie in years. So are they friends or not? Well, Demi took to Twitter to address the interview, and (we think) she's telling folks not to give into the gossip that the two are at war with each other.
Interviews are done months and months before the issue is published. I lot can change between then and now. Don't read into the ********
— Demi Lovato (@ddlovato) September 30, 2015
We can't think of any other bit that Demi might want to subtly allude to, so we're going to say that this quote is aimed particularly at the folks that are gossiping about another rift between the pop darlings. Try to sleep comfortably tonight knowing that these two partners in crime are in it for the long run.


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Beloved neighborhood cat honored with statue in his likeness
He will be remembered forever.
Imagine a world where you don't even have to go on the Internet to look at cat pictures.
The cat population had taken a brief hiatus from being cynical to try their luck in the lottery, only to be heartbroken when their numbers didn't win them the jackpot. And where do cynics go to let out their emotions? Twitter, of course.
If only every Tuesday was Fat Cat Tuesday.


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Small Agency of the Year, Northeast, Gold: Nail Communications
For clients looking to jump-start conversations about their brands, partnering with the 21 staffers at NAIL Communications is like hitting the jackpot. The team at the Providence, R.I., agency has shown its prowess in boosting earned media for brands and has a proven track record in sparking consumer engagement on social-media channels.
Take what they did with an old-school, little-talked-about candy brand. In 2012, Nail embarked on a campaign to gain traction with younger customers by seeding this outrageous story with the media: After 72 years, Mike & Ike were splitting up over, staging a gay divorce. The elaborate, fabricated tale saw boxes on store shelves with one of the partners' names crossed out. An online video explained that Mike pursued a new career as a rapper, while Ike immersed himself in art.
So absurd was the story that it made news shows and late-night TV, including "The Daily Show," "Late Show With David Letterman" and CNN. Within two months, Google-search traffic had overtaken rival candy brands such as Good & Plenty, Hot Tamales and Twizzlers. The earned media buzz was followed by a TV campaign on Nickelodeon and MTV, plus other paid media channels such as outdoor, PR and radio.
The firm, which was founded in 1998, and has three owners -- Jeremy Crisp, managing partner; Alec Beckett, creative partner; and Brian Gross, creative partner -- had just over $3 million in revenue last year. Other clients include Vibram Five Fingers, Gore Tex and The Providence Journal.