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South African Journal of Psychiatry
On-line version ISSN 2078-6786
Print version ISSN 1608-9685
S. Afr. j. psyc. vol.20 n.2 Pretoria Apr./Jun. 2014
Undiagnosed metabolic syndrome and other adverse effects among clozapine users of Xhosa descent
N FaasenI; D J H NiehausII; L KoenIII; E JordaanIV
IMB ChB; Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stikland Hospital and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
IIMB ChB, MMed (Psych), DMed (Psych), FCPsych (SA), PhD (Psych); Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stikland Hospital and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
IIIMB ChB, MMed (Psych), PhD (Psych); Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Health Sciences, Stikland Hospital and Stellenbosch University, Cape Town, South Africa
IVBSc, BSc Hon, MSc (Statistics); Biostatistics Unit, Medical Research Council, Bellville, South Africa, and Department of Statistics and Population Studies, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, South Africa
BACKGROUND: Clozapine use is known to be associated with significant side-effects, including prolongation of the QT-interval, agranu-locytosis and metabolic syndrome. However, few data exist on the prevalence of clozapine side-effects in patients of Xhosa descent.
OBJECTIVE: To gather data from Xhosa patients with schizophrenia to establish the prevalence of clozapine side-effects in this population.
METHODS: Twenty-nine Xhosa patients with schizophrenia (as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)) who had been receiving clozapine treatment for >1 year on an outpatient basis were selected for inclusion. All patients were participating in a genetics study in the Cape Metropolitan area. The participants were evaluated for the presence of side-effects (tests including an electrocardiogram, white blood cell count (WCC) and fasting blood glucose.
RESULTS: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 44.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 26.7 - 62.9) and of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus 13.8% (95% CI 1.24 - 26.34). There was a significant association between metabolic syndrome and body mass index (BMI) (p<0.01). The mean (SD) WCC was 7.8 x 109/L (2.8), with 3.4% of the subjects having a WCC <3.5 x 109/L. Sedation (82.8%; 95% CI 69.0 - 96.5), hypersalivation (79.3%; 95% CI 64.6 - 94.1) and constipation (44.8%; 95% CI 26.7 - 62.9) were common. The mean QT-interval was 373.8 (35.9) ms and 10% had a corrected QT-interval >440 ms. There was an association between the duration of clozapine treatment and QT-interval (with Bazett's correction.
CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of metabolic syndrome and undiagnosed diabetes mellitus in this sample points to a need to monitor glucose levels and BMI on a regular basis. A larger study should be done to accurately quantify the differences in prevalence of side-effects between population groups.
Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic drug that has been commercially marketed since 1990.[1,2] It has been shown that clozapine has a higher efficacy than typical antipsychotics and is mostly indicated in cases of treatment-resistant schizophrenia.[1‐4] Besides the higher efficacy, clozapine also has a lower incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms (EPSs) than the classic neuroleptics.[1-‐3]
Common side-effects associated with clozapine use are sedation, hypersalivation, tachycardia, constipation and orthostatic hypo-tension.[1] A life-threatening adverse effect sometimes associated with clozapine use is agranulocytosis.[1-‐3] In patients with a white blood cell count (WCC)<3.5 x 109/L, it has been suggested that they should not receive clozapine owing to the difficulty of identifying early agranulocytosis.[1]
It has long been known that clozapine is associated with weight gain[3] and more recently it has also been shown that there is an increased risk among clozapine users for developing metabolic syndrome.[4‐7] It has been suggested that clozapine may have a direct effect on glucose regulation, independent of weight gain,[8] and Koller et al.[2] suggested a causal relationship between clozapine treatment and diabetes.
Because of the increased risk of cardiovascular-related death in patients with metabolic syndrome,[9] this is a serious adverse effect of which the prescribing health practitioner should be fully aware. Apart from tachycardia and orthostatic hypotension, other more severe cardiovascular side-effects of clozapine include QT-interval prolongation, cardiomyopathy and myocarditis.[10‐11] Pathological QT-interval prolongation has been shown previously to be rare with this drug.[11] Although relatively low, the incidence of myocarditis and cardiomyopathy with clozapine use has been shown to be higher than that of the general population.[10]
Because clozapine is prescribed as chronic medication for schizophrenia patients, it is important to be aware of the development of side-effects, especially those that would lead to increased morbidity and mortality (e.g. agranulocytosis, prolonged QT-interval and metabolic syndrome). To ensure appropriate monitoring and rapid diagnosis for individual patients, it is important to know the prevalence of these adverse effects in the population group to which the patient belongs. This study was done to establish the prevalence and severity of the adverse effects of clozapine in patients of Xhosa descent, focusing on metabolic effects, prolongation of QT-interval, decrease in WCC and the commonly reported adverse effects.
Patients with schizophrenia (as per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR)) of Xhosa descent being treated as outpatients and using clozapine as the primary treatment modality were selected from a large genetics study done in the Cape Metropolitan area.[12] Sixty (8.1%) of the 738 Xhosa participants with schizophrenia in the genetic study were taking clozapine at time of assessment. A convenience sample of 29 (48%) of the 60 participants was analysed for this study. Participation was voluntary. Informed written consent was obtained from all participants. The study was approved by the Health Research Ethics Committee of Stellenbosch University. The prerequisites for the study were that the subjects needed to be schizophrenia patients of Xhosa descent (defined as 4/4 grandparents reported as of Xhosa descent) who had been receiving clozapine for >1 year and be outpatients at time of assessment.
Demographic, age, treatment duration and treatment dose data were collected by means of a structured questionnaire. A family history of cardiovascular disease (including hypertension) and a smoking history were obtained. Two self-reported questions regarding exercise and weight gain were included. Assessment of the degree of sedation was based on a scale used to evaluate the efficacy of H1 antihistamines.[13] Every patient was asked a question regarding changes to stools (constipation defined as lumpy/hard stools, straining or <3 defecations/ week) after the initiation of clozapine. The frequency and severity of clozapine-induced hypersalivation was assessed by means of the Drooling Severity Scale (DSS),[14] Drooling Frequency Scale (DFS)[14] and Toronto Nocturnal Hypersalivation Scale (TNHS).[15] The presence and degree of EPSs was assessed by making use of the Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS).[16]
Metabolic syndrome, for the purpose of this study, was defined (according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF)[9]) as: central obesity of >94 cm (for men) and >80 cm (for women) or body mass index (BMI)>30 kg/m2 plus any two of the following: raised triglyceride level >1.7 mmol/L; reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol level <1.03 mmol/L (for men) and <1.29 mmol/L (for women); systolic blood pressure (BP)>130 mmHg or diastolic BP >85 mmHg; raised fasting plasma glucose levels >5.6 mmol/L, or previously diagnosed type 2 diabetes. Glucose was measured with an ambulatory haemoglucose test meter. The pulse rate of the patients was measured manually and the BP was determined by means of a portable sphygmomanometer. The waist circumference (measured at the point midway between the lowest rib and the iliac crest) and BMI were determined by means of a tape measure and an electronic scale.
An electrocardiogram (ECG) was done on every patient and the QT-interval was measured from the beginning of ventricular depolarisation (Q-wave) to the end of ventricular repolarisation (end of the T-wave).[10] The corrected QT-interval (QTc) was calculated using both Bazett's and Fridericia's corrections.[17] Laboratory blood tests included triglyceride, HDL cholesterol levels and WCC.
All variables were analysed descriptively. Where applicable, frequency distributions for nominal variables, and medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs) for continuous variables were calculated. Population parameters for both continuous and dichotomous data were calculated using 95% confidence interval (CI). Univariate analyses were performed to establish which factors were associated
with metabolic syndrome (as defined above). The Mann-Whitney U-test and χ2 test were used depending on whether the data was continuous (former) or nominal (latter). Spearman rank order correlations were calculated to investigate the association between treatment duration, clozapine dose, age and adverse effects of clozapine (sedation, constipation, hypersalivation, prolongation of QTc-interval, WCC and EPSs). A significance level of 5% was applied throughout. All tests were analysed using Statistica version 10 (2012) for Windows.
Demographic and clinical data
All 29 patients had been taking clozapine for >1 year, with a mean (SD) dose of 319.8 (158.3) mg/day (median dose 300 mg/day; range 125 - 900 mg/day). The mean treatment duration was 6.7 (4.2) years (range 1 - 15 years). The mean age of the participants was 40.1 (9.9) years, and 90% were men. A family history of cardiovascular disease was positive in 69% of the patients. The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (according to IDF criteria) was 44.8% (95% CI 26.7 - 62.9). The mean waist circumference was 95.6 (17.2) cm and the mean BMI was 26.4 (4.4) kg/m2. The mean fasting glucose was 5.8 (1.7) mmol/L and the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus (fasting plasma glucose >7.0 mmol/L) was 13.8% (95% CI 1.24 - 26.34) (Table 1).
As shown in Table 2, there was a statistically significant association between metabolic syndrome and BMI (p=0.005). Metabolic syndrome was not associated with clozapine treatment duration, dosage, age, smoking or family history of cardiovascular disease.
No statistically significant association was found between raised plasma glucose and dosage of clozapine, nor between raised plasma glucose and treatment duration. The three most common abnormal metabolic parameters (from IDF criteria) were raised systolic BP (79.3%; 95% CI 64.6 - 94.0), raised diastolic BP (58.6%; 95% CI 40.7 ‐76.6) and central obesity (55.2%; 95% CI 37.1 - 73.3). The mean WCC (Table 3) was 7.8 χ 109/L (2.8), with 3.4% (95% CI 0 - 10.1) of the patients having a WCC <3.5 x 109/L. The prevalence of sedation was 82.8% (95% CI 69.0 - 96.5), with 48.3% of the subjects experiencing a sedation rating of 10 ('hard to stay awake') on the sedation scale.
According to the TNHS, the prevalence of hypersalivation was 79.3% (95% CI 64.6 - 94.1). The median (IQR) severity of clozapine- induced hypersalivation was 2 (2 - 2) ('mild, only lips wet') according to the DSS. With the TNHS, the median severity was 1 (1 - 2) ('mild, signs of saliva on pillow'). There was a prevalence of 13.8% moderate hypersalivation ('wet on lips and chin') and 10.3% severe hypersalivation ('clothing becomes wet') as measured with the DSS. The prevalence of severe hypersalivation according to the TNHS ('frequent soaking of pillow or clothes >3/wk') was 13.8%, and 3.4% of the patients reported very severe hypersalivation ('awakening due to hypersalivation'). The median frequency of hypersalivation, according to the DFS, was 2 (2 - 2) (occasionally drools). The prevalence of frequent drooling (according to the DFS) was 13.8%, while the prevalence of constant drooling, as measured with the same scale, was 10.3%. The prevalence of constipation, as reported by the subjects, was 44.8% (26.7 - 62.9).
The mean QT-interval was 373.8 (35.9). The mean corrected QT-interval was as follows: for Fridericia's correction (QTcf), the mean was 397.7 (30.5), and for Bazett's correction (QTcb), the mean was 411.1 (38.9). The prevalence of QTcf>440 ms was 10.3% (0 ‐21.4), and that of QTcb>440 ms 20.7% (5.9 - 35.4).
The association between the duration of clozapine treatment and the QTcb-interval was statistically significant (p=0.008). Duration of clozapine treatment was not statistically associated with the QTcf-interval (p=0.077) nor with the uncorrected QT-interval (p=0.618). The age of the patients and the QTc-intervals (with both corrections) showed statistically significant associations (Table 2).
The median severity of the EPSs, as assessed by the ESRS, was rated as either minimal (1) or absent (0) (Table 3). The prevalence of minimal Parkinsonism was 44.8% (26 - 62.9). Of the participants, 10.3% (0 - 21.4) were assessed to have 'moderate' dyskinesia, with 6.9% (0 - 16.1) having 'mild' Parkinsonism as well as 'mild' akathesia. None of the subjects had severe or extreme ratings for any of the EPSs.
Besides the association with QTcb-interval, no other statistically significant associations were present between clinical variables and duration of clozapine treatment, nor was clozapine dosage associated with any demographic or clinical variables, including EPSs (Table 2).
This report presents the first systematic study to determine the prevalence of metabolic adverse effects in Xhosa patients treated with clozapine. Metabolic syndrome was present in almost 45% of patients.
This agrees with previous studies on other ethnic group patients treated with clozapine, where similarly high prevalences were reported.[4,5,7]
The association between BMI and metabolic syndrome illustrated here indicates that BMI may predict metabolic syndrome in clozapine users of Xhosa descent. It has been hypothesised that weight gain is the most significant contributing factor to the development of metabolic syndrome[5] and therefore the BMI may offer a screening test for metabolic syndrome in patients treated with clozapine.[18]
The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus was 13.8%, consistent with that found in the literature.[19] However, there was no association between raised plasma glucose and either clozapine dosage or duration of clozapine treatment. Therefore, a direct diabetogenic effect of clozapine could not be proven by these data, despite previous reports in other population groups suggesting such a direct effect.[8,20] It is possible that the high incidence of undiagnosed diabetes in our group may be attributable to other factors (e.g. family history, physical inactivity, abdominal obesity, poor diet). Because these risk factors for diabetes were not controlled for, the use of a comparison group would be necessary to confirm this relation.
Previous research has indicated that agranulocytosis can be attributed to clozapine use.[1,3] Although a small percentage of subjects in this study did have a WCC of <3.5 x 109/L, the study sample was not of sufficient size to indicate adequately this rare but dangerous adverse effect.
Sedation was a side-effect in the majority of patients (>80%) and almost half of the patients reported severe sedation ('hard to stay awake'). A high prevalence of hypersalivation was also present, and although most subjects only reported a mild degree, this adverse effect is very common (almost 80% according to TNHS). Subjects also reported a high prevalence of constipation, with over 40% affirming the presence of constipation with concurrent clozapine use in the absence of laxative use. Healthcare workers are encouraged to monitor and treat these side-effects as effectively as possible.
QT-interval prolongation has been shown to increase cardiac arrhythmia risk, especially torsades de pointes and with QT-interval prolongation.[10] Although there is no universal upper limit for a normal QTc-interval, intervals >440 ms are considered to be prolonged.[10] Some studies have reported that patients with QTc-intervals >440 ms had an increased risk of mortality,[21,22] but it appears that there is some controversy. However, in this study, the high prevalence (20.7%) of prol onged QTc-intervals (>440 ms) with Bazett's correction, and a prevalence of 10.3% with Fridericia's correction, may indicate an increased risk for QT-interval prolongation with clozapine use. The association between the QTcb-interval and duration of clozapine treatment further illustrates the possibility of increased risk. This dose-related effect of clozapine has also been reported in other population groups.[11] Prolongation of the QT-interval is known to be associated with increased age,[23] which was true for this population group studied. A low prevalence of severe extrapyramidal adverse effects was found in this group as would be expected with atypical antipsychotic drugs.
Limitations of the study include: the cross-sectional design of this study did not allow us to comment on the possible interplay between treatment adherence over time and the metabolic effects of that treatment. In addition, the results cannot be extrapolated to other ethnic groups in South Africa as differences in genetic predisposition and lifestyle patterns may lead to interethnic variation.
The findings from this study are consistent with those from previous research, linking metabolic syndrome to clozapine treatment[4,5,7] in other population groups. These results reiterate the necessity to monitor weight and BMI in patients receiving clozapine treatment. The relatively high prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes mellitus in this group may further point to a need to monitor glucose levels on a regular basis in these patients. The presence of a reasonable proportion of patients with abnormal QTc-intervals indicates the requirement of regular ECG monitoring in this patient group, especially in elderly patients. The high prevalence of the less serious side-effects of clozapine in this group illustrates the necessity to educate patients regarding treatment compliance. Because of the cross-sectional design of this study, there was no long-term follow-up of patients. This, as well as the use of comparative data with randomised assignment and detailed monitoring of concomitant medication use, is recommended for future research, especially with regard to the metabolic adverse effects of clozapine.
1. Safferman A, Lieberman JA, Kane JM, et al. Update on the clinical efficacy and side effects of clozapine. Schizophr Bull 1991;17(2):247-261. [ Links ]
2. Koller E, Schneider B, Bennett K, et al. Clozapine-associated diabetes. Am J Med 2001;111(9):716-723. [http://dx.doi.or/10.1016/S0002-9343(01)01000-2] [ Links ]
3. Umbricht D, Kane JM. Medical complications of new antipsychotic drugs. Schizophr Bull 1996;22(3):475-483. [ Links ]
4. Lamberti JS, Olson D, Crilly JF, et al. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome among patients receiving clozapine. Am J Psychiatry 2006;163(7):1273-1276. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1176/appi.ajp.163.7.1273] [ Links ]
5. Grover S, Nebhinani N, Chakrabarti S, et al. Metabolic syndrome among patients receiving clozapine: A preliminary estimate. Indian J Pharmacol 2011;43(5):591-595. [http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0253-7613.84979] [ Links ]
6. Brunero S, Lamont S, Fairbrother G. Prevalence and predictors of metabolic syndrome among patients attending an outpatient clozapine clinic in Australia. Arch Psychiatr Nurs 2009;23(3):261-268. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2008.06.007] [ Links ]
7. Josiassen RC, Filmyer DM, Curtis JL, et al. An archival, follow-forward exploration of the metabolic syndrome in randomly selected, clozapine-treated patients. Clin Schizophr Relat Psychoses 2009;3:2. [ Links ]
8. Scheen AJ, De Hert MA. Abnormal glucose metabolism in patients treated with antipsychotics. Diabetes Metab 2007;33(3):169-175. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.diabet.2007.01.003] [ Links ]
9. Alberti KGMM, Zimmet P, Shaw J. Metabolic syndrome - a new world-wide definition. A consensus statement from the International Diabetes Federation. Diabetic Med 2006;23(5):469-480. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-5491.2006.01858.x] [ Links ]
10. Mackin P. Cardiac side effects of psychiatric drugs. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp 2008;23(S1):S3-S14. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hup.915] [ Links ]
11. Kang UG, Kwon JS, Ahn YM, et al. Electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients treated with clozapine. J Clin Psychiatry 2000;61:441-446. [ Links ]
12. Niehaus DJH, Koen L, Laurent C, et al. Positive and negative symptoms in affected sib pairs with schizophrenia: Implications for genetic studies in an African Xhosa sample. Schizophr Res 2005;79(2-3):239-249. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2005.04.026] [ Links ]
13. Izumi N, Mizuguchi H, Umehara H, et al. Evaluation of efficacy and sedative profiles of H1 antihistamines by large-scale surveillance using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Allergol Int 2008;57(3):257-263. [http://dx.doi.org/10.2332/allergolint.O-07-525] [ Links ]
14. Jongerius PH, Van Limbeek J, Rotteveel JJ. Assessment of salivary flow rate: Biologic variation and measure error. Laryngoscope 2004;114(10):1801-1804. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00005537-200410000-00023] [ Links ]
15. Sockalingam S, Shammi C, Remmington G. Treatment of clozapine-induced hypersalivation with ipratropium bromide: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. J Clin Psychiatry 2009;70(8):1114-1119. [http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.08m04495] [ Links ]
16. Chouinard G, Margolese HC. Manual for the extrapyramidal symptom rating scale (ESRS). Schizophr Res 2005;76(2-3):247-265. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.schres.2005.02.013] [ Links ]
17. Charbitt B, Samain E, Merckx P, et al. QT interval measurement: Evaluation of automatic QTc measurement and new simple method to calculate and interpret corrected QT interval. Anesthesiology 2006;104(2):255-260. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00000542-200602000-00009] [ Links ]
18. Tirupati S, Chua L. Body mass index as a screening test for metabolic syndrome in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders. Australas Psychiatry 2007;15(6):470-473. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10398560701636906] [ Links ]
19. Holt A, Peveler R. Association between antipsychotic drugs and diabetes. Diabetes Obes Metab 2006;8(2):125-135. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1463-1326.2005.00495.x] [ Links ]
20. Bai YM, Lin CC, Chen JY, et al. Association of weight gain and metabolic syndrome in patients taking clozapine: An 8-year cohort study. J Clin Psychiatry 2011;72(6):751-756. [http://dx.doi.org/10.4088/JCP.09m05402yel] [ Links ]
21. Schouten EG, Dekker JM, Meppelink P, et al. QT interval prolongation predicts cardiovascular mortality in an apparently healthy population. Circulation 1991;84(4):1516-1523. [ Links ]
22. De Bruyne MC, Hoes AW, Kors JA, et al. Prolonged QT interval predicts cardiac and all-cause mortality in the elderly. The Rotterdam Study. Eur Heart J 1999;20(4):278-284. [ Links ]
23. Mackin P, Young AH. QTc interval measurement and metabolic parameters in psychiatric patients taking typical or atypical antipsychotic drugs: A preliminary study. J Clin Psychiatry 2005;66(11):1386-1391. [ Links ]
D J HNiehaus


text:
As we've said before, we rarely get hate mail. But last night we received this moronic email from a liberal, which I will quote in its entirety: "Your blog sux. And Bush knew, and is responsible for thousands of deaths. So are you."
This really typifies the intellectual level to which contemporary liberalism has sunk. Bush knew what, for God's sake? What on earth are these morons talking about? Is this idiot suggesting that Bush is secretly a member of al Qaeda? Beats me.
And what "thousands of deaths" are those? September 11? Iraq? Something else? Could we have a little specificity here? And how about a little credit for the tens or hundreds of thousands of lives the administration has saved? No attacks in the U.S. since Sept. 11 due to the administration's vigorous prosecution of the war, and untold thousands of Iraqis saved from butchery at the hands of Baathist thugs.
And how about this: "So are you." Huh? "You," as in Power Line? I realize that some people believe the blogosphere is influential, but I think our reader is giving us a little too much credit.
That email pretty well sums it up: The Party of Hate. And stupidity.
DEACON adds: A good subtitle for this one would be "Rocket Man fisks twelve year-old."
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Badsey Society Enclosure Map Project
The Badsey Society Enclosure Map Project looks at the development of the parishes of Badsey and Aldington, Worcestershire since 1807, starting with the early 19th century enclosure maps.
The Badsey Society Enclosure Map Project was a joint winner of the Marsh Archaeology Award 2007∞.
See their own website www.badsey.net/enclosure∞ for further details.
The Badsey Society participates in heritage and cultural related activities in the parish of Badsey. Visit The Badsey Society∞ for more information.
| CBA, St Mary's House, 66 Bootham, York YO30 7BZ.
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Oh, I forgot to answer - yes, I was pretty impressed buy their teas.TokyoB wrote:On another topic, how are the teas from Imperial Tea? I've looked at their site a few times but haven't ordered from them as of yet.
All have been very good. But unsure if I will reorder.
Camellia Sinensis impressed me more, thank you, that was your
And then I have a whole bunch of oolong on the way, yay!


text:
Cloud computing refers to applications or data storage that is not local to us - meaning it is somewhere out on the Internet. Why is this called "Cloud" computing? Well, technical people know that for decades, in network diagrams, computers have been represented by icons, and networks by lines connecting the computer icons. This works well for documenting a building's computer network, but when you start diagramming many buildings or even the entire Internet, the connections get to be too complicated to diagram exactly.
In the case of the Internet itself, it gets more complicated in that the infrastructure of the Internet is designed to be flexible in the exact network paths data can take to get from you to your destination and back. This makes the Internet very robust as a delivery mechanism, in that it can (and is specifically designed to) route around a damaged or very slow section by using an alternate route, transparently. It makes diagramming very difficult, as paths can change rapidly, even many times per second. So, to represent that uncertain path, network diagrams have traditionally used a cloud-like symbol to signify the Internet.
|Cloud network diagram. Source: Wikipedia
So, Cloud computing or storage refers to applications or storage that resides "in the cloud" out on the Internet. Why would we want to do that? Well, "cloud" providers are able to set up large datacenters to host all of this, which allows them to offer services at very low cost due to economies of scale. Also, cloud storage is off-site, which is an appealing thing for backing up data in that if your location gets hit with a large-scale disaster such as a hurricane or earthquake, your data is still safe in a remote datacenter location, able to be restored. Also, these services have staff who can maintain your server or data storage, freeing you from the responsibility of doing so.
Okay, so this Cloud stuff sounds pretty good! Why doesn't everyone do this? Well, last week's Blogger outage is one example. If you hosted your blog on your own server at your house or office, you would never have known there was a problem blogging. If you own a Sony Playstation game console, you're probably aware that the Playstation Network has been down for nearly a month! Just because something is hosted in a datacenter does not mean it's immune to failure. Most have many redundancies built-in to try to minimize down-time, but nothing is foolproof, right? Major power outages have been known to take datacenters offline. Communications lines have been cut, both intentionally and unintentionally. Human error has also caused major problems as well.
Okay, so cloud services have issues, too. But right now, "Cloud Computing" is a hot buzzword in the IT industry. All of the consultants are pushing everyone to put their data and hosting in the cloud. In fact, they often encourage businesses to outsource their IT needs to the cloud. It's so much cheaper to host a company's IT needs in the cloud than to hire a staff of IT guys to build and maintain your own, they say. And they might be right, except that what happens when the cloud fails? Your business goes right along with it, and you have no way to operate until the cloud is back online. If you host your own servers on-site, you at least have access to immediately work on repairing or replacing the failed equipment. At the very least, you probably need a minimal IT staff on-site to maintain the local network infrastructure and computers. Cloud computing services don't deal with the equipment on your premises. In the cloud, you have to trust that the hosting provider will be diligent in getting you back online ASAP. Since their contracts usually specify some level of service guarantee, they usually try pretty hard to keep you online, or get you back up quickly, as their reputation and business live or die by that ability to keep you working.
There's another downside to Cloud Computing: bandwidth. If your storage is all out in the cloud, there has to be a way to get the data to and from that storage. That's your Internet connection. Is it fast enough to handle the load? Does your Internet Service Provider place a cap on the amount of data you can send and receive in a month? With the ever-increasing size of our data files these days, this is an important consideration. If your data is local, it's not an issue as your network is much faster than the Internet, and you have no imposed limit on how much you can use it.
Are these downsides enough to rule out cloud storage? For some, it might be. For the average blogger? Not really. Even many businesses find these negatives are more than offset by lowered costs of operation, or ability to get hosting by someone with the knowledge and staff to properly maintain it. It tends to work better for small businesses that can't afford an IT staff with the variety of knowledge needed in today's business world. Large corporations will tend to maintain their own network servers and storage in-house, as they prefer the immediacy of having the data on-site and have the staff to dedicate to keeping it running. Whether a cloud model works for your situation or not will depend on many factors which you will have to weigh carefully before committing to one method or the other, or even a combination. Just consider carefully, and don't be pushed into the cloud because some sales guy said it was all the rage and the perfect solution, because as recent events have shown, Cloud Computing isn't perfect!


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Sept. 12, 2005
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The women's cross country team made a valiant effort at the Smith College Invitational this weekend. MIT finished second of ten teams and 72 points behind the Wellesley squad that cruised to victory. Wellesley senior Tracy Bassett won the 5000 meter race with a time of 19:30.70.
Although MIT did not win the race, there was a sign of greatness for the Engineers. Freshman Elizabeth Finn from Winnetka, Illinois placed fifth in her first collegiate race. Finn's time of 19:57.80 was 1:02.40 faster than the next highest Engineer finish and only 27.1 seconds behind Tracy Basset.
The race, which annually has been called the Engineer's Cup and featured MIT, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute, this year was dubbed the Smith College Invitational and featured ten teams including RPI, WPI, Wellesley, Smith, Coast Guard, Mount Holyoke, Salve Regina, Clark and Lasell. Although MIT finished second out of the ten teams, the Engineers placed ahead of RPI (fifth) and WPI (seventh). For MIT, the victory over RPI and WPI marked the ninth time that the Engineers have been victorious in the Engineer's Cup, as well as the fourth consecutive year.
MIT travels to North Dartmouth, Massachusetts for the UMass-Dartmouth Invitational next weekend. Action will begin on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.


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Forecast looks like Saturday might be another good day at the Coast with NW winds (as of now, but who knows what will change).
If the forecast holds, anyone (perhaps more experienced OB riders...) want to do a downwinder on Saturday? I've never done one there but in poking around these boards it sounds like Cliff House to Sloat is the way to go.
[And to the beginners reading this getting geeked thinking about doing a downwinder... Sorry, OB (Ocean Beach) is not a great place to get your first taste of wave riding.]


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Courteous Neighbors
Courteous Neighbors
Mike Bartholomew / Senior Pastor
Mike Bartholomew grew up in Buffalo, NY and came to Northern, NY after receiving employment with the NYS government in 1972. During the ensuing months, he was dramatically converted to Christ and the entire direction of his life was changed and claimed by God. Saved with an immediate call for ministry, Mike began serving in various leadership capacities in local churches, while developing ministry gifts. After working for the state of NY for 10 years, he became an Assistant Pastor at Faith Fellowship (FF) in 1979, followed by a call to full-time pastor at a small church in Brier Hill, NY. Mike returned to FF in 1983 to serve as an Associate Pastor. Eventually, he became the Senior Pastor in 1991 and has pastored at FF ever since. Married to Connie Bartholomew since 1974, they have raised two children for the LORD. Jonathan and Nicole effectively serve the LORD JESUS today! Pastor Mike is committed to knowing Jesus and making Him known to everyone who comes among us. His passion is to build disciple-makers for Christ!
Latest Sermons from Faith Fellowship


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R&B star Frank Ocean, the Odd Future member whose solo debut "Channel Orange" topped many critics' lists of the best albums of 2012, capped the year in a less-than-celebratory way: He was pulled over for speeding and cited for pot possession in Northern California.
Ocean, whose given name is Christopher Breaux, was stopped by California Highway Patrol and Mono County sheriff's officers on New Year's Eve after they observed his black BMW speeding on U.S. Highway 395, according to Mono County Sheriff's public information officer Jennifer Hansen.
"As the deputy approached the vehicle, a strong odor of marijuana came from inside the car," said a sheriff's department statement released Thursday. "Christopher Breaux, aka Frank Ocean, age 25, of Beverly Hills, CA, had a small bag of marijuana on his person. Mr. Breaux was cited for possession of marijuana and released. This incident has been forwarded to the Mono County District Attorney's Office for review."
In addition to marijuana possession, Ocean was cited for speeding by the CHP deputy, and his driver's license, which previously had been suspended, was confiscated. Officers instructed Ocean to allow his passenger (who has not been identified) to take over driving duties.


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Wilfs Argue 'Anti-Wealth Bias' At Play In New Jersey Case
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Minnesota Vikings owner Zygi Wilf is fighting efforts to make his family reveal its net worth in a court proceeding, saying an "anti-wealth bias" is at play.
Court papers filed in a New Jersey case argue the Wilfs shouldn't have to publicly disclose their fortune. It stems from a civil case in which the Wilfs have been ordered to pay $84.5 million to a spurned business partner.
The Wilfs contend they aren't seeking special treatment but that forcing them to bare their finances for all to see is unfair. The court papers contend they could be targets of physical attack or extortion.
A judge has said the family should disclose its net worth, but offered the chance for appeal first.


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Hello there, how are you?, and thanks for stopping by to this site. A friend of mine asked me about the best Joggers product, so I dig into the internet and doing some little research. As the result, I found that BOB Sport Utility Duallie Stroller, Orange is the best of all. According to my research, this product has receive so many positive review among users. Most of them love what this product features, so it's should on your top list when you looking for a Joggers. There are so many Joggers products with various brands on the market. Each of them claims as the best. In fact, not all those products give the truth as their claimed. Most of them just low quality product with hype marketing tagline.
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Overall, great product, with a few minor drawbacks.
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The seat belts are great – they definitely cannot get out of them, so we know they're safe in there.
I also like that it's divided in the middle. We had another side-by-side, and there was no partition between the babies. They kept picking at each other, stealing toys, etc. This stroller prevents that.
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Because the front wheel doesn't swivel, it is a little more difficult to make turns (especially when going places where you…
READ All user review HERE!
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Eight MIT players recorded at least one point in an 11-2 victory over Wheaton College in a NEWMAC field hockey game on Tuesday night. Juniors Molly Duffy (New Providence, N.J.) and Maddy Wharton (Swarthmore, Pa.) along with sophomore Caitlin Mackey (San Diego, Calif.) and freshman Isabella DiDio (Jenkintown, Pa.) each scored twice for the Engineers who improved to 13-2 on the season and 6-1 in league play. Junior Jenna Rocha (Rehoboth, Mass.) accounted for both of the Lyons' goals as their ledger lowered to 3-11 overall and 0-6 in the NEWMAC.
Rocha put the first shot on goal after 1:26 elapsed but MIT countered with 16 shots, 12 of which were turned away by junior goalie Ellie Massengill (Amherst, Mass.), before Mackey knocked in the rebound of junior Erin Kenney's (Glen Ellyn, Ill.) shot in the 13th minute. Duffy followed with back-to-back goals, the second bouncing off a defender following a scramble in the arc in the 21st minute. Just over a minute later, Mackey sent a strike to the near post while Wharton added a penalty stroke to give the hosts a 5-0 advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the half.
A pair of fastbreaks resulted in goals by DiDio. The first was initiated by senior Molly McShane (Lake Bluff, Ill.) who sent a cross to DiDio for the score while the second was a solo effort that spanned at least half of the field. Sophomore Elizabeth Dethy (Morristown, N.J.) increased MIT's advantage to 8-0 with less than two minutes remaining before the intermission.
The Engineers carried the momentum into the second stanza as Wharton sent a blast from the near side to the near post after three minutes expired. The game became a back-and-forth affair until Wheaton was awarded its first penalty corner of the game in the 49th minute. Following the initial play, sophomore Sarah McNicholas (Boxboro, Mass.) collected the ball along the far endline and sent a cross to Rocha who redirected it to the top near corner to end the shutout.
MIT quickly responded with a solo effort by freshman Morgan Gulliver (Stamford, Conn.) which was matched by Rocha in the 65th minute. The Engineers capped the scoring on an unassisted marker by freshman Molly McNamara (Auburn, Mass.) with 51 seconds left to play.
In net, sophomore Jenna Klein (Parma, Ohio) collected two saves in the first half for MIT while freshmen Paige Kennedy (Eastchester, N.Y.) and Evie Kyritsis (Mount Lakes, N.J.) shared time in the cage during the second half. For the Lyons, Massengill finished the night with 19 saves.
Following a nine-day hiatus, MIT will host the University of New England on Thursday, Oct. 25. Wheaton, meanwhile, will continue NEWMAC play on Saturday, Oct. 20 with a home game against Babson College.


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IRVING, Texas — Former President George W. Bush says he's feeling "pretty good" after undergoing a heart procedure last month and is able to go mountain biking and play golf.
"I'm a little more risk averse on the mountain bike, but I'm exercising," Bush told The Associated Press on Friday after kicking off the competitive portion of his golf tournament for wounded military members.
"It's really important to stay fit and not vegetate," he said.
This is the third year that the George W. Bush Presidential Center has hosted the Warrior Open for military members wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. Twenty-four military members, many with prosthetic legs, were participating in the two-day tournament in the Dallas suburb of Irving. Participants include active and retired members of the military.
"I'm inspired every year to be in the midst of people who suffered significant injury and refuse to quit," Bush told the AP as the participants teed off.
"Golf is an unbelievably challenging sport and it's especially challenging, for example, if you are trying to drive with one leg — and yet they've overcome their difficulties and are really good golfers. The talent out here is pretty amazing," he said.
Bush had a procedure on Aug. 6 to have a stent inserted after a blockage was discovered in an artery during his annual physical. The 67-year-old who lives in Dallas is known as a fitness buff. While in the White House he ran about three miles four days a week, and cross-trained with swimming, free weights and an elliptical trainer. When doctors found his knees were getting damaged, he turned to mountain biking.
Bush said he was fortunate that the blockage was found, and was pragmatic about his recovery.
"I feel pretty good. I've learned that aging can be difficult if you let it be difficult," he said.
This year, the Warrior Open included an additional day of play on Thursday with its first Pro-Am, which featured professional golfers teaming up with the warriors.
View from Away: The nation needs Washington governor's green message
Stalemate stalls Midtown project while Portland's interest payments stack up
Life & Culture
Maine artist Ashley Bryan's extensive archive begins move to University of Pennsylvania
Mount Washington snow rangers working unpaid through shutdown
Gina Barreca: The surprising journey of aging


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After Florida sophomore Josh Tobias (Greensboro, N.C.) tied the game with a two-out, three-run homer in the ninth inning, redshirt sophomore Zack Powers (Seffner, Fla.) delivered a pinch-hit double to score freshman Harrison Bader (Bronxville, N.Y.) from first base with the winning run as the Gators (28-24/13-13 SEC) stunned Auburn (30-20/10-16 SEC), 5-4, to even the teams' weekend series on Saturday night at McKethan Stadium. The start of the game was delayed for one hour and 42 minutes due to heavy rains and unplayable field conditions.
With UF down to its final three outs and trailing 4-1, sophomore Casey Turgeon (Palm Harbor, Fla.) started things off by being hit by a pitch from Tiger junior starter Michael O'Neal but was erased at second base on a fielder's choice by sophomore Taylor Gushue (Boca Raton, Fla.). After sophomore Justin Shafer (Lake Wales, Fla.) went down swinging, senior Vickash Ramjit (Miami, Fla.) sliced a single into right field for two Gators aboard. Tobias launched O'Neal's next pitch into the left-field bleachers to knot the score at 4-4 with his third round-tripper of the campaign.
Junior Reid Carter (1-1) replaced O'Neal (8.2 IP, 6 H, 4 R) and issued a walk to Bader on a full count. Powers stepped to the dish and blooped a double into right field, with Bader sliding home ahead of the tag, to give the Gators their third walk-off victory of the season (also March 6 vs. Jacksonville & April 27 vs. Tennessee). Freshman Mike Vinson (Miami, Fla.) earned his first collegiate win after coming into the game in the top of the ninth.
"There's a lot to be said," Florida head coach Kevin O'Sullivan said. "Casey Turgeon gets hit by a pitch in the elbow, and it looks like it hurt a little bit but he stood in there. Vickash Ramjit had a really good approach with two strikes. Obviously, you know Josh Tobias did his thing at the end. He got a good pitch to hit. The three-run home run is obviously a swing that we won't forget. It was probably one of the biggest hits we have had all year long but that doesn't happen unless those guys in front of him get on base. Those at-bats were just as equally important. We've been waiting for a win like this all year long."
"[Auburn starter] Michael O'Neal threw great. He had 16 ground balls, walked no guys. The only walk they had was Harrison Bader in the bottom of the ninth. Auburn didn't give us anything and they played really good defense."
"There were a lot of things that happened throughout the game. It was one of those things where we were fortunate enough at the end. I'm not quite sure if we have anyone else other than [Harrison] Bader or [Richie] Martin that can score from first base on that short fly ball. Credit Harrison [Bader]; he came flying around third and didn't assume he was going to be held up at third. He kept flying and Craig [Bell] sent him. What a way to win the ballgame."
"I was just trying to put a good swing on the ball and give [Harrison] Bader a good chance to score," Powers said of his game-winning heroics.
The Tigers had broken the ice in the second inning on an RBI single by freshman Jordan Ebert (3-for-4) against sophomore right-hander Johnny Magliozzi (East Milton, Mass.), who was making his second SEC start. Junior Patrick Savage (4-for-4) had opened the frame with a double into right center field and scored on a one-out base-hit up the middle by Ebert, who took second on the relay throw to the plate. Magliozzi stranded the runner with back-to-back strikeouts to finish the frame with three punch-outs.
Savage extended Auburn's lead to 2-0 in the third stanza with a two-out RBI single through the right side of the infield. Junior Hunter Kelley (2-for-5, two runs) had reached on an infield single with one down and moved to second on a two-out free pass issued to senior Garrett Cooper. Savage collected his second hit of the night to bring home Kelley.
Freshman Brady Roberson (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) (2-for-3) cut the Gators' deficit in half with a two-out RBI double down the right-field line off of O'Neal in the fifth inning. Bader (1-for-3, two runs) had legged out an infield single with two out and had taken second on a throwing error by Cooper. Roberson's second hit of the game and third double of the season put the hosts on the scoreboard before O'Neal ended the inning by having senior Cody Dent (Boynton Beach, Fla.) ground out.
Savage laced a single into right center in the Tigers' sixth inning and Magliozzi had junior Dan Glevenyak hit into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.
In the home part of the inning, freshman Richie Martin (Brandon, Fla.) led off with a single up the middle to increase his hitting streak to five games and moved to second base on a grounder by Turgeon. Gushue pushed Martin to third base with a fly ball to the warning track and O'Neal had Shafer ground out to keep the score 2-1 in favor of the Tigers.
Kelley began the eighth inning with a homer to left field to give Auburn a 3-1 advantage and prompt a pitching change, as freshman Danny Young (Boca Raton, Fla.) took the hill for the Gators. Over a career-high seven innings, Magliozzi scattered seven hits and permitted three runs, with five strikeouts and one walk. Cooper and Savage had consecutive singles with one down and sophomore Ryan Harris (Jupiter, Fla.) replaced Young (0.2 IP). Although Ebert punched a single into center field, Cooper was thrown out at the plate on a relay from Martin to Gushue.
"We asked Johnny Magliozzi to step up tonight," O'Sullivan acknowledged. "I thought this was the most important game of the year up to this point. We've asked him one time before for this, against Mississippi State. He delivered then and he certainly did tonight."
Junior Daniel Gibson (Lutz, Fla.) recorded the first out of the ninth before Vinson came into the contest. The righty notched a strikeout but then yielded a solo shot to junior Blake Austin to left field that provided the Tigers with a 4-1 margin before the Gators' winning rally in the ninth.
Courtesy of UF Communications


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By Markus Lenhard
It has been about two years since I have rendered my last tattoo design on paper now, and I have gotten many requests to explain why I abandoned paper and how I went about it. Let me go off on a tangent for a bit to explain how and why I make decisions, though… Since I can remember I am suffering from strong Boredom Intolerance Disorder. Most people call this ADD. I call it that BID. It seems more appropriate…
It's because of this, that I flunked school and couldn't hold any other job down. Boring and un-challenging… I always start strong and with my best intentions, but as soon as I reach a peak or plateau in the learning curve, I will have to deal with my patience more than the task at hand. And that will lead to a fade off into boredom and depression. I know that this is a problem to a lot of people in this business and that many of us are here because there was nothing else that made as much sense as tattooing.
I am here because nothing else provided the kind of responsibility and thrill to scaffold my wobbly attention into focus. Something you really HAVE TO finish. Something you CAN NOT fuck up. Anything else this important would require a degree that I could never acquire to a system as stiff and reluctant to accept strange kids like public school.
I never drew or sketched a lot. I think I have filled two sketchbooks (with horrible half-assed stuff) in my first five years of tattooing. There is nothing more terrifying than a newly bought sketch book. Nothing more guilt-trip inducing than a sketch book full of half-assed shit. Of course I know that all this is bullshit, and this is not what sketching is about. But I set my own bar very high and it's emotionally taxing. Fighting emotions with reason is something I am doing a lot anyways so I try to pick my battles.
It is only when I have something specific to do for a client that I actually sit down and draw. And even then I will wait until the last possible moment to start to provide that extra pressure I seem to need to focus on my task and get my personal best results.
Often enough my clients have walked in on me sweating over a half-finished thing, and I was tired of looking unprofessional and making my clients doubt their decisions. It is extremely unfair to them to induce any doubt over something that they will have to live with forever. The amount of trust I expected was just unreasonably high, so I had to change something. Me.
Drawing on paper is a slow and tedious process. It also doesn't provide me with a way to do many things at the same time and so is therefore quite stiff to me. The same goes for painting in acrylics and oils. I had the most horrible guilt-trips when comparing my body of work to that of other artists I look up to. I never understood how they just sit down and paint something. Not because of my lack of inspiration but because with a canvas, there is no added pressure…
So, in my quest to become better at starting closer and closer to a deadline without losing any quality in my work or the experience of my clients, I started phasing Photoshop into my production pipeline. It just made sense.
I busied myself with photography years before I started tattooing, and when I went through a similar phase of "streamlining" those tedious steps, I replaced my dark room and chemicals with a digital SLR, a computer and Photoshop.
I first used Photoshop for this-and-that over the years, and then for putting together my portfolios. I also used it to mirror drawings or increase the contrast of my sketches for line drawings. Then I used it to turn my paper sketches into line drawings. Once I had that, I only needed a laser printer to be able to run these line drawings directly through a thermofax.
I got better and better at getting reasonable results with that. But mostly resorted to still making line drawings on tracing paper over a small printout, just so I can make line drawings quicker and scan them, where I can later print them as big as necessary. By doing this I diminished my hunger for unnecessary detail in line drawings and I learned a good deal about the art of not noodling a thing to death.
When I started using it for bigger stuff, it made sense to invest in better gear. So I bought my first small Wacom tablet to be quicker in repairing my paper sketches into line drawings where they weren't perfect and I could be more precise. I didn't realize what kind of monster I created… and I didn't care, this was awesome!
I watched a lot of Photoshop tutorials and committed the stuff I could use at the moment to memory. It built a good foundation for trying to do the actual tattoo sketches in Photoshop. All I needed to do was to measure the body parts and transfer those measurements into Photoshop so I knew what I was doing.
I got better at that quickly, and I was amazed at how much time I saved and yet I found that I had much better renderings to present to my clients… and all that WITH an interactive version of their tattoo to help them understand precisely what their tattoos will look like on the body. (I do bio-mech after all… not even I understand fully what I do until it looks like it's going to work…)
As thrilled as I was by being able to cut my production time in half while increasing the rendering quality from a colored pencil sketch on tracing paper to a full-color digital painting, I was always put off by the lack of hand-eye coordination that you get when you draw in your lap while looking at a screen in front of you.
Making line drawings like this just wasn't giving me results I could live with. So I made the jump and invested in a Cintiq tablet.
I have never looked back. I can finally draw the stuff in my head as fast as I can think. Good ideas can be very elusive. On paper I sometimes couldn't get something out as fast as it disappeared behind my eyes… and I could NEVER:
- try 10 totally different color schemes within five minutes to pick the perfect one.
- push the contrast and brightness to see with how much black I can get away with before the depth falls apart.
- just overlay a photo of the client to see if the colors I chose will actually work with the skin tone, complexion or hairiness of my client…
And so on…
Today I wouldn't have it any other way. It's great to know almost exactly what I am going to do. To have a full-color study of a full sleeve going into a three-day session with a client from overseas, it not only puts the client at ease, to have a good idea of what to get, it also helps me relax a lot. I can't imagine having to do this on paper anymore…or even free-handing that stuff. Just knowing that I could have explored a 100 different nichés in way less time would make me feel as though I were short-cutting my client.
Which brings me to the downside of this: It is virtually impossible to travel with a setup like this.
It has definitely raised my personal bar of what I am comfortable doing on people to a level that is hard (if not impossible) to maintain outside of my personal studio.
And yes, it still feels great to actually put down color on a piece of paper. A screen is simply not the same, I am not kidding myself. I would never advise anybody to skip learning to draw in traditional media. Because it is harder… And we just don't learn shit when something is easy.
I still never paint or draw in my free time. I don't find it liberating or relaxing to paint. For me it's mostly stress, self-loathing and struggling with losing and maintaining control from start to finish. All things that I have simply no time for when drawing or painting for a client.
Plus, bio-mech looks best on people… If I paint I would want to do way more conceptual stuff that actually makes sense on canvas. Bio-mech makes me happiest on moving skin. But I do paint for every single client now, and that makes me feels very good and content about the stuff I do. I don't have to second guess anything anymore because there is plenty of time to try all the variables, "off-skin."
Markus Lenhard can be found at his web site: http://www.luxaltera.com/de/


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Our Music ...
Time Ashore started off doing mainly sea songs and shanties but now cover the full range of English, Scottish and Irish folk music with some Amereican Old Time - including fiddle instrumentals and dance music. We quite often learn songs and tunes for particular events that we are asked to play at - for example songs by Robert Burns for a Burns Night. So the list of songs below is being added to all the time. The sound clips are from live recordings of gigs in Formby Village Hall in February 2007 and The Oaks Community Centre, Penketh in October 2007
Sea Songs & Shanties English Folk Songs Scottish Folk Songs
Irish Folk Songs Other Folk Songs Traditional Fiddle
American Old Time Christmas & New Year Folk Hymns
Contemporary Folk Fiddle
Sea Songs and Shanties
|Banks of Newfoundland
|John Kanacha
|Blow the man down
|Johnny come down to Hilo
|Sailors' prayer
|Can't you dance the polka?
|Larry Marr
|Do me ama
|Leave her Johnny leave her
|Shallow Brown
|Donegal Danny
|Leaving of Liverpool
|Drunken sailor
|Liverpool Packet
|Shoals of Herring
|Ellan Vannin Tragedy
|Maggie May
|South Australia
|Farewell shanty
|Three score and ten
|Four Strong Winds
|My dollar an' a half a day
|Time ashore
|Hard on the beach oar
|Pull down below
|Tommy's gone away
|Haul away Joe
|Randy Dandy
|Weigh the anchor
|Home boys home
|Rio Grande
|Whip Jamboree
|Irish Rover
|Roll the cotton down
|Windy old weather
Scottish Folk Songs
|Auld lang syne
|Gulls of Invergordon
|Skye boat song
|A man's a man for a' that
|Loch Lomond
|Tak a dram
|Card song
|Mingalay Boat Song
|Twa recruiting sergeants
|Ca' the yowes
|My love is but a lassie yet
|Whiskey you're the divil
|Da song o da Papa men
|Nancy Whiskey
|Will ye go lassie go
|Green grow the rashes O
|Over the sea to Skye
|Ye banks and braes
Christmas & New Year
|Blow your trumpet Gabriel
|Down in yonder forest
|Sing we the Virgin Mary
|Bright morning star
|Gloucestershire Wassail
|The king
|Christmas now is drawing near
|Gower wassail
English Folk Songs
|Banks of the roses
|Heres to the maiden
|Streets of London
|Dirty old town
|John Barleycorn
|Water is wide
|Green grows the laurel
|Liverpool Lou
|Whiskey on a Sunday
|Ramble away
|Who's the fool now?
|Hard times of old England
|Scarborough Fair
|Widdecombe fair
|Harvest home
|Wild Rover
Other Folk Songs
|Hard times come again no more
|Lakes of Pontchartrain
|Sloop John B
Traditional Fiddle
|Auld brig o'Don
|Harvest Home
|Bloomsbury market
|Lass of Gowrie
|Off to California
|Bonnie Kellswater
|Linnen Hall
|Paddy Cronin's reel
|Liverpool Hornpipe
|Planxty Irwin
|Burning of the piper's hut
|Maid who sold her barley
|Corn Riggs
|Mairi's wedding
|St Kilda wedding
|Da full rigged ship
|Mason's apron
|Sheebeg and Sheemore
|Da new rigged ship
|Morag of Dunvegan
|Sheffield Hornpipe
|East Neuk of Fife
|Mrs Jamieson's favourite
|Stack of Barley
|Farewell to whisky
|Music of Spey
|Swinging on a gate
|Frost is all over
|Neil Gow's brother
|Sweet is the lass
|Flowers of Edinburgh
|Neil Gow's wife
|Waterloo Hornpipe
Contemporary Folk Fiddle
Calum's Road Donald Shaw
Lady Ramsey Phil Cunningham
|The Pearl Phil Cunningham
|Eleanor of Usan Phil Cunningham
|Leaving Lerwick Willie Hunter
|Quendale Bay Phil Cunningham
Lady of Ardross Stuart Eaglesham
Leaving Stoer Ivan Drever
|Spring the summer long Phil Cunningham
Irish Folk Songs
|Black velvet band
|Hills of Connemara
|Spanish lady
|Parting Glass
|Star of County Down
|Easy and free
|Rare oul' times Pete St John
|Waxies Dargle
Fields of Athenry Pete St John
|Real old mountain dew
|Whiskey in the Jar
|Galway shawl
|Rosin the Beau
Folk Hymns
|Good old way
|Morning trumpet
|Sleep on beloved
|How firm a foundation
|Old Churchyard
|Who would true valour see
American Old Time
|Angeline the baker
|Going down the river
|Miss McLeods reel
|Arkansas traveller
|Hawks and eagles
|Ricketts hornpipe
|Jack Tar
|Shipping port
|Julie Girl
|Westphalia waltz
|Colored aristocracy
|Little Liza Jane
|Whisky before breakfast
|Fishers hornpipe
|Midnight on the water
|Young Jane


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Published: 9th November 2004
Number Of Pages: 160
May we exist like a lotus, / At home in the muddy water. / Thus we bow to life as it is.
This verse is an important reminder, says Ezra Bayda, of what the spiritual life is truly about: the willingness to open ourselves to whatever life presents—no matter how messy or complicated. And through that willingness to be open, we can discover wisdom, compassion, and the genuine life we all want. In At Home in the Muddy Water , Bayda applies this simple Zen teaching to a range of everyday concerns—including relationships, trust, sexuality, and money—showing that everything we need to practice is right here before us, and that peace and fulfillment is available to everyone, right here, right now, no matter what their circumstances.
"Ezra Bayda provides real, specific advice for extending our spiritual practice beyond the mediation cushion. This is a major contribution to contemporary dharma."--Larry Rosenberg, author of Breath by Breath and Living in the Light of Death
Audience: General
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 160
Published: 9th November 2004
Publisher: Shambhala Publications Inc
Country of Publication: US
Dimensions (cm): 21.4 x 13.9 x 1.1
Weight (kg): 0.19
Edition Number: 1
Edition Type: New edition


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OWASP Belgium
Welcome to the Belgium chapter homepage. The chapter leader is Sebastien Deleersnyder
Click here to join the local chapter mailing list.
OWASP Foundation (Overview Slides) is a professional association of global members and is open to anyone interested in learning more about software security. Local chapters are run independently and guided by the Chapter_Leader_Handbook. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit professional association your support and sponsorship of any meeting venue and/or refreshments is tax-deductible. Financial contributions should only be made online using the authorized online chapter donation button. To be a SPEAKER at ANY OWASP Chapter in the world simply review the speaker agreement and then contact the local chapter leader with details of what OWASP PROJECT, independent research or related software security topic you would like to present on.
to this chapter or become a local chapter supporter.
Or consider the value of Individual, Corporate, or Academic Supporter membership. Ready to become a member?
Stay updated
"BeNeLux Days 2012" is online: https://www.owasp.org/index.php/BeNeLux_OWASP_Day_2012.
If you want to be invited for the next OWASP Belgium Chapter meetings, please drop us your contact info.
You can also follow us on Twitter!
Structural Sponsors 2012/2013
OWASP Member affiliated to the Belgium chapter:
OWASP Belgium thanks its structural chapter supporters for 2012 and the OWASP BeNeLux Days 2012:
If you want to support our chapter, please contact Seba Deleersnyder
Next Meeting (5th of March 2013) in Leuven
5th of March 2013 (18h00 - 21h00)
This chapter meeting is co-organized with SecAppDev.
Both speakers are faculty of the Secure Application Development course which is held in Leuven from 4 March 2013 until 8 March 2013. OWASP Members get a 10% discount to attend the course.
Hosted by Distrinet Research Group (K.U.Leuven).
Department of Computer Science (meeting room 05.128 - fifth floor)
Celestijnenlaan 200 A
3001 Heverlee
Routemap: http://distrinet.cs.kuleuven.be/about/route/
The agenda:
- 18h00 - 18h30: Welcome & sandwiches
- 18h30 - 18h45: OWASP Update (by Lieven Desmet, OWASP Belgium Board)
- 18h45 - 19h45: 25 Years of Vulnerabilities (by Yves Younan, Senior Research Engineer at Sourcefire)
- This talk will take a look into the interesting world of vulnerability statistics. We have examined data for the last 25 years and used it to map out trends and general information on vulnerabilities in software. Some of the questions we look at are "What were the most popular vulnerabilities? Which had the most impact? Which vendors and products suffered from the most issues? Etc. While some of the statistics are predictable, others are surprising. This data was first introduced at RSA Conference San Francisco 2013.
- Dr. Yves Younan is a Senior Research Engineer in the Vulnerability Research Team (VRT) at Sourcefire where he works on vulnerabilities and mitigations. Prior to joining Sourcefire, he worked as a Security Researcher with BlackBerry Security at Research In Motion. Before joining RIM, he was an academic, founding the Native Code Security group within the DistriNet research group at the KU Leuven in Belgium. He received a Master's degree in Computer Science from the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and a PhD in Engineering: Computer Science from KU Leuven. His PhD focused on building efficient mitigations against vulnerability exploitation, several practical mitigations were published and presented at international conferences.
- 19h45 - 20h00: Break
- 20h00 - 21h00: Banking Security: Attacks and Defences (by Steven Murdoch, Senior Researcher at University of Cambridge)
- Designers of banking security systems are faced with a difficult challenge of developing technology within a tightly constrained budget, yet which must be capable of defeating attacks by determined, well-equipped criminals. This talk will summarise banking security technologies for protecting Chip and PIN/EMV card payments, online shopping, and online banking. The effectiveness of the security measures will be discussed, along with vulnerabilities discovered in them both by academics and by criminals. These vulnerabilities include cryptographic flaws, failures of tamper resistance, and poor implementation decisions, and have led not only to significant financial losses, but in some cases unfair allocation of liability. Proposed improvements will also be described, not only to the technical failures but also to the legal and regulatory regimes which are the underlying reason for some of these problems not being properly addressed.
- Dr. Steven J. Murdoch is a Royal Society University Research Fellow in the Security Group of the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, working on developing metrics for security and privacy. His research interests include covert channels, banking security, anonymous communications, and censorship resistance. Following his PhD studies on anonymous communications, he worked with the OpenNet Initiative, investigating Internet censorship. He then worked for the Tor Project, on improving the security and usability of the Tor anonymity system. Currently he is supported by the Royal Society on developing methods to understand complex system security. He is also working on analyzing the security of banking systems especially Chip & PIN/EMV, and is Chief Security Architect of Cronto, an online authentication technology provider.
Please register via https://owasp-belgium-2013-03-05.eventbrite.com
Past Events
The Belgium Chapter is supported by the following board:
- Erwin Geirnaert, Zion Security
- Philippe Bogaerts, F5
- André Mariën, Inno.com
- Lieven Desmet, K.U.Leuven
- Sebastien Deleersnyder, SAIT Zenitel
- Bart De Win, Ascure
- David Mathy, Focus ICT


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MediaInfo (64-bit) v0.7.59
Vista / Win10 / Win7 / Win8 / WinXP
Main features :
Read many video and audio file formats
Multiple means to view information (text, sheet, tree, HTML...)
You can customize theses views
Exporting possibilities : text, CSV, HTML...
Graphical Interface, or Command Line
Integration with MS-Windows shell
Localization capacities (but need volunteers)
Main available information :
General : title, author, director, album, track number, date, duration...
Video : codec, aspect, fps, bitrate...
Audio : codec, sample rate, channels, language, bitrate...
Text : language of subtitle
Chapters : count of chapters, list of chapters
Examples of supported formats :
Video : MKV, OGM, AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, DVD
Audio : OGG, MP3, WAV, RA, AC3, DTS, AAC, M4A, AU, AIFF
Other editions:
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tag info information video audio file mkv
1License and operating system information is based on latest version of the software.
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Mediainfo (64 bit) 0.7.64 in Win 8 (1 posts)Latest post: 11/09/2013
Forum room: Software, operating systems and more / Windows - General discussion
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Forum room: Digital video / Video - Everything else


text:
Sunday, February 19, 2012
It's a PURIM GIVEAWAY!!!
37 comments:
Froggy and I are going to illustrate our own meggillah this year using a paper towel roll as the scroll with a different scene on each paper taped together. I hope to do a scene a day until it is done and then have her "read" it to the littles on Purim.ReplyDelete
This is my favorite Hamentashen recipeReplyDelete
A fun easy costume that I like is felt Hamentashen. It works for any size person from infant to grownup.ReplyDelete
I liked Jewish Montessori!ReplyDelete
I shared your blog with a group of mommas on FB. So glad to pass on your ideas and this great giveaway!ReplyDelete
4 cup sifted all-purpose flourReplyDelete
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted margarine
1 ½ cup sugar
2 eggs
4 tsp milk/rice milk/water
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup of your favorite filling
Cream together margarine and sugar, then add the eggs and vanilla. Separately, mix flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to the egg mixture with the mixer on low, alternately with water or rice milk. Chill the dough for 1 hour to overnight, then roll out to ¼ inch thickness, and using a water glass or round cookie cutter, cut into 2'' rounds.
Fill with 1 heaping teaspoon of your favorite filling, and draw up sides for triangle. Seal edges with cold water. Bake at 375° for about 12 to 15 minutes.
fun Purim activity: I break out the face paint and let my kids and guests have a ball!ReplyDelete
already like you on FBReplyDelete
well, i don't know how fun this is but my girls are being Pilgrim girls because our last name is May and we'll be making our mishloa'ch manot to resemble a ship... Still thinking about how to tie that into Purim... any ideas?ReplyDelete
shared on FB.ReplyDelete
I like you on fbReplyDelete
fun Purim activity: make noise maker out of dry beans and a paper plate by placing the beans inside 2 plates and stapling around the edges, remember to tape over the staples for smaller students.ReplyDelete
LIKE Jewish Montessori on FacebookReplyDelete
Leave a comment with a fun Purim costume idea: go to burger king and get a crown to help dress up as the king ;)ReplyDelete
Just shared your link on my facebook account, Messianic Judaica. We love your blog!ReplyDelete
Just liked Jewish Montessori on my Messianic Judaica facebook account. Thanks!ReplyDelete
Just shared on my personal facebook account. Thanks.ReplyDelete
Just liked Jewish Montessori with my personal Facebook account. Thanks.ReplyDelete
My three year old is really excited about puppets this year, so we will make puppets with the characters in the Purim story.ReplyDelete
Being the chocolate lovers that we are, we like to make ours with chocolate chips inside.ReplyDelete
I LIKE Jewish Montessori on Facebook as Tanya Rubezhov.ReplyDelete
Just shared on Facebook.ReplyDelete
I just blogged about this giveaway.ReplyDelete
We love to act out the Purim Story. The kids love it and look forward to it every year. Then we have a carnival at our synagogue.ReplyDelete
I "liked" Jewish Montessori on FacebookReplyDelete
Shared this page on my Facebook page .ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 25, 2012 at 9:54 PM
Liked you FB!ReplyDelete
What a great giveaway! I shared this on my FB page, LIKED your page adn tweeted this giveaway!ReplyDelete
My favorite activity is have the kids dress up as the characters and let them make a play!ReplyDelete
I think the best recipe is the one you posted! HAHA! It's so easy and I'll be trying that this year!ReplyDelete
Sent you a request on facebook!ReplyDelete
Shared your post on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/permalink.php?story_fbid=311456138912661&id=100001548202753ReplyDelete
tweeted the giveaway https://twitter.com/#!/KBWhiskey/status/174059507016663040ReplyDelete
Our fun costume idea would be to make our own masks and have a masquerade party!ReplyDelete
Blogged about the giveaway http://ourwhiskeylullaby.blogspot.com/2012/02/adorable-purim-giveaway.htmlReplyDelete
Just wanted to let you know I also follow your blog, subscribe via feedburner, and put your button on my "blogs I follow" page!ReplyDelete


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ALBION, Mich. – Albion College head coach Craig Rundle was not about to apologize for his team's 28-24 victory over Alma College Saturday, but he knew the result was improbable based on the number of mistakes his team made.
Albion overcame two fumbled punt returns, an onside kick, a fake punt, a bad snap on a punt, and a running into the punter penalty. Alma came up empty on two trips to the red zone in the final six minutes, and the Scots final possession started at the Albion 48. Chris Jakubik intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart Alma's first trip inside the 20 in the fourth quarter, and the defense stopped Alma on four plays later in the quarter.
"The defensive guys showed a lot of character," Rundle said. "Their job is to get the ball back regardless of where the other team gets it.
"We're lucky special teams didn't cost us the game," Rundle added.
Rundle credited the defense for forcing Alma to pass more than it would have liked. Albion yielded just 83 rushing yards so Alma quarterback Jarrett Leister went 20 of 43 for 218 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Linebacker Brett McCarty led the defense with nine solo and four assisted tackles. Defensive back Terron Bridgeman was credited with breaking up five passes in addition to wrapping up seven tackles.
Albion did all of its scoring through the air as Dominic Bona went 24 of 39 for 240 yards. He threw a 22-yard scoring strike to Cody Crawford in the first quarter, found Zach Brewer for a 12-yard touchdown in the second quarter, got the ball to Sage Alward for a 3-yard score with six seconds left in the first half, and tacked on a 21-yard touchdown pass to Zach Brigham early in the fourth quarter.
"The drive before halftime was huge," Rundle said. "We faced a lot of long yardage situations in the second half because of penalties."
Briton running back Darrin Williams finished with 119 rushing yards on 27 carries for a 4.4-yard average.
"Alma has one of the best defensive units against the run in the league," Rundle said.
Albion, winners of three straight to improve to 5-2 overall and 3-0 against Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association rivals, will play at home for the final time this season Nov. 2 when it tackles Olivet College. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on the Schmidt-Fraser Field inside Sprankle-Sprandel Stadium.


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Make It Work: 10 Desks for Small Spaces
My husband and I have been looking for an unobtrusive desk to create a dedicated workspace for him in our small sitting room. Multi-tasking rooms such as ours call for something that makes smart use of limited space. After the jump, find 10 space-saving options in a range of prices.
Depending on your style, room, and budget, there are many ways you can make an added-in workspace work. For a minimal and modern look, consider something clear and streamlined, such as this acrylic console (Image 2). If you can go wider or taller than you can deep, consider a wall-mounted shelf desk (Images 1, 6, and 10). To truly multitask, consider a piece than can double as a side or entry table or nightstand.
1. Quello Table by Phil Procter, £800 (approximately $1,250)
2. Peekaboo Clear Console from CB2, $379
3. Alameda Laptop Table from World Market, $79.99
4. Micke desk from Ikea, $49
5. Manchester Wood Shaker Secretary Desk from Wayfair, $272.99
6. Mash Studios Writing Desk from 2Modern, $720
7. Parsons Mini Desk from West Elm, $249
8. Rattan Desk from Pottery Barn, $299
9. Modern Industrial Small Desk by Etsy seller Urban Wood Goods, $425
10. Helix Wall-Mounted Desk from CB2, $249
(Images: As linked above)


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I S:C D Player
I S:Computer, Macintosh
I S:Document Camera
I S:Projection Screen(2)
I S:Projector, L C D
I S:Projector, Slide
I S:Projector, Transparency
I S:V C R, U.S.A. Only
SCI-274 Equipment Instructions
I S:C D Player
AV Controls
On the instructor desk, the Extron Switcher Panel has several active buttons for selecting source inputs. Press the respective button for the source you intend to use.
Locate the Extron Switcher. Press and hold for 5 seconds the Display Power button to turn on the projector. The Display Power button will illuminate and the projector will take approximately 45 seconds to reach full brightness.
Projection Screen
The projection screen must be pulled down manually.
Projecting from the Mac
Confirm the Mac is on. Select the Mac button on the Extron Switcher.
Projecting from a Laptop
- Locate the VGA/audio cables on the instructor desk and connect to the laptop.
- Press the Front Panel Input button on the Extron switcher to display the laptop screen.
Projecting from the VCR
Insert the videotape into the VCR. Press the VCR button on the Extron Switcher. Use the VCR's remote or onboard controls to play, pause, stop, etc.
Projecting from the DVD/CD player
Insert the disc. Press the DVD button on the Extron Switcher. Use the DVD remote or the onboard controls to play the disc.
Projecting from the Document Camera
- Press the DOC button on the Extron Switcher.
- Unfold and raise the light arms on the document camera as far as they will go. Firmly press the lever on the camera arm downward and raise the camera head so the arm is at a 45' angle and the camera points straight down.
- Press the Lamp button on the document camera to turn on the lights on either side of the document camera.
- Turn on the document camera by pressing the Green Power Button on the left of its control panel.
- The projector should display documents and objects that are placed on the bed of the document camera.
- When switching documents/objects, you can press the Freeze button on the document camera to freeze an image on the projection screen. Press the Freeze button again to exit the freeze mode.
- To display transparencies, press the Lamp button on the document camera once. The panel underneath the bed will light up and the arm lights will turn off. To turn the lights off entirely, press the Lamp button again.
- You can zoom in and out with the Zoom buttons. If the image becomes unfocused, adjust the focus with the focus buttons.
- When you are finished, turn the document camera off with the power button.


text:
Save and Track Your Favourite Properties
** All fields required
Please enter the following information:
If you've just moved here, and you're looking for the best summer day camps in the area for your children, we've gathered the most popular ones here for you. Some have been taking registrations since March, so you may need to act quickly to register your children while there are still spots available.
If you are part of the English-speaking community of Rivière-des-Prairies, ...


text:
GiveChange brauchte ein neues Logo Design und hat einen Wettbewerb auf 99designs gestartet.
Aus 85 Designs von 30 Designern wurde eine Gewinner gewählt.
GiveChange is a San Francisco-based nonprofit and online platform that raises funds on behalf of top-performing charities. GiveChange incentivizes donations by 1) procuring benefits at local venues (bars / clubs / museums / sporting venues / etc.) for GiveChange members and 2) creating a platform of social media tools for charities to engage with donors online. Please help us as we try to alleviate some of the pain that great charities are having trying to pay the bills.
Primary target: men and woman; 21-40 yrs old; educated; middle to middle-upper class; peer guided.
What does Joe Donor currently think?: "Giving is good but it's not worth the hassle... I'd like to help but I don't really know how or what's the best way. What do I get out of this?"
What do we want Joe Donor to think?: "Giving is easy, rewarding, and fun!"
Personality and tone: exciting, trustworthy, modern & innovative.
Ideally a simple & creative logo that can be easily adapted into a small button.
We'd like to convey philanthropy and stay away from any money symbols like dollars or cent signs.
Finden Sie heraus, wie ein Designwettbewerb funktioniert, oder lernen Sie mehr über unsere Logo-Design-Angebote.


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A marketing plan workshop will be sponsored by the Texas A&M International University Small Business Development Center (TAMIU-SBDC) Thursday, June 19, 2008.
The "Think like a Marketing Guru Workshop" is scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon at the TAMIU Student Center room 120. Workshop fee is $20.
What is a marketing plan and why is it so essential to the success of your business?
Director of the TAMIU-SBDC, Richard Pérez, explained that the marketing plan defines all of the components of your marketing strategy.
"When you write your marketing plan, you will address the details of your market analysis, sales, advertising, and public relations campaigns. The right product or service at the right price is only the beginning. You must identify your audience, promote your product and find the best distribution method," Pérez said.
He noted that the essence of marketing is to understand your customers' needs and develop a plan that surrounds those needs.
"Let's face it, anyone that has a business has a desire to grow their business. The most effective way to grow and expand your business is by focusing on the marketing plan," Pérez concluded.
To register, call the TAMIU SBDC office at 956.326.2827, or e-mail firstname.lastname@example.com.
Register online at sbdc.tamiu.edu
Journalists who need additional information or help with media requests
and interviews should contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information
Services at email@example.com
Texas A&M International University
5201 University Boulevard
Laredo, TX 78041
© 2019


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How To Roast and Freeze Green Chiles
I'm visiting family in Texas this summer, and I did a triple-take upon seeing the price of green Hatch chiles from neighboring New Mexico: three pounds for a mere dollar! There are only so many chile peppers one can eat in a sitting, but that didn't stop me from buying them in bulk and roasting them to put up in my family's freezer. Like most good preserving projects, this one takes takes advantage of produce at its peak of freshness, is economical, and provides a fantastic ingredient one can use long after the season has passed.
Harvested before they turn red, green chiles typically come into season in late summer. Some varieties include Anaheim, California, Poblano, and Pasilla. Those grown in the area near Hatch, New Mexico, are the most celebrated due to their short season and excellent flavor — a result of the region's hot days and cool nights. If you live someplace where chiles are abundant, you might get to attend annual festivals where the peppers are roasted in big drums. Roasting is a must before freezing the chiles, giving them a deep, smoky aroma and making them a snap to peel.
However, even if you aren't attending a roasting event, green chiles are easy to roast at home no matter what kind of heat source you have. In addition to the simple broiler method I'm highlighting here, you can use a barbecue grill, a gas or electric stove, or a torch (see Recipe Notes). Store the roasted peppers in the freezer and use them throughout the year to flavor stews, chilis, casseroles, salsas, and more. I especially like adding chopped green chiles to corn bread. See these posts for more ideas and recipes:
How To Roast and Freeze Green Chiles
Green chiles
Towel for drying
Oven broiler
Baking sheet(s)
Aluminum foil
Paper bag, food-safe plastic bag, or heat-safe covered bowl
Freezer bag(s) or shallow, freezer-safe container(s)
Cutting board (optional)
Knife (optional)
Spoon (optional)
Gloves to protect your hands (optional)
Select chiles: Choose fresh chiles that are heavy, smooth, and crisp. Straight and flat chiles, as opposed to curled ones, roast more evenly. Plan to roast the chiles within a few days of picking or purchasing them.
Preheat the broiler: Position a rack 4 to 6 inches below the heating element of your broiler and preheat to high or 400° to 450°F.
Wash and dry the chiles: Rinse the chiles and dry them with a towel.
Place the chiles on a baking sheet: Arrange the chiles in a single layer on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet(s).
Roast the chiles on one side: Place the chiles under the broiler and roast until the skin is charred and blistered, about 3 to 5 minutes. Avoid completely blackening the chiles; you're looking for them to be about 60% to 70% charred.
Turn them over and roast the other side: Using tongs, flip the chiles over and broil on the other side until the skin is charred and blistered, about 3 to 5 minutes. Again, avoid completely blackening the chiles; you're looking for them to be about 60% to 70% charred.
Steam the peppers to loosen the peel: Remove the chiles from the broiler and place them in a paper bag, food-safe plastic bag, or heat-safe bowl. Close the bag or cover the bowl, and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes. The steam will help loosen the peel from the chiles.
Peel, seed, chop (optional): The chiles may be peeled and seeded prior to freezing or later, as needed. You may wish to wear gloves to protect your hands, especially if you are processing a large quantity of chiles. To peel, pull the skin off the chile; it should come off fairly easily, but you can use a knife to cut away any stubborn bits. Seeds and membranes are most easily scraped out with a spoon. If you want, you can also chop the chiles into smaller pieces.
Cool the chiles: Chiles should be completely cool before freezing them. For food safety, whole chiles can be cooled at room temperature for up to 2 hours after roasting them, or refrigerated for up to 3 days. Seeded or chopped chiles are generally cool enough by the time you finish processing them.
Place the chiles in freezer containers: Use plastic freezer bags or shallow containers, which help prevent freezer burn. Arrange whole chiles in a single, flat layer to ensure even freezing and to prevent them from sticking together. If using bags, press as much air out as possible. Alternatively, you can freeze the chiles in a single layer on a tray, then transfer them to a container once frozen solid. Chopped chiles may be frozen in ice cube trays and then transferred to a container.
Freeze for up to a year. Store the chiles in the freezer for up to a year and thaw in the refrigerator before using.
Recipe Notes
Alternative Roasting Methods:
- Outdoor grill: Roast chiles directly on the grill, watching them closely and turning over as needed.
- Electric or gas burner: Cover the burner with wire mesh and roast chiles on top, turning over as needed.
- Cast iron skillet: Roast chiles in a skillet over medium-high heat, turning over as needed.
- Open flame: Holding a chile pepper with tongs, carefully char it over an open gas flame or using a culinary torch.
Want more smart tutorials for getting things done around the home?
See more How To posts
We're looking for great examples of your own household intelligence too!
Submit your own tutorials or ideas here!
(Images: Emily Han)


text:
And if you've been paying attention to the 49ers this offseason, you know Baalke cited "philosophical" reasons for the team using a small rotation along its defensive line. Perhaps the comment was innocent. For me, it recalled Fangio's tenure as defensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts in the early 2000s. Back then, the Colts were going with younger, less accomplished players on defense. Fangio was known to favor veterans such as the ones San Francisco has used extensively on its defensive line. Bill Polian, then the Colts' president, fired coach Jim Mora when Mora refused to fire Fangio.
So.... their defense is moving to more of a rotation. Gone already are the classic massive nose tackles for both San Francisco and Arizona. I think we are going see a little more in the way of similarities among defenses in the NFC West.
So .... brace yourselves Seahawk fans. We are destined to see a rash of 49er posts about how the Seahawks are copying the 49ers defense in the near future. LOL
Link >>> http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/101182/implications-for-eric-manginis-hiring


text:
And the winners from yesterday's daily giveaway are…
– Susan S. (Massachusetts)
– Laurie E. (Missouri)
Congratulations on winning a $50 allheart Gift Certificate! For your chance to win, head over to allheart.com to enter. We have some great deals going on too, so be sure to check those out while you're there!


text:
Time Travelling Mantle:)
Added Oct 2, 2013
Mykolayv, Ukraine
It's hard to say either the cape warms me or I warm the cape but anyway I'm ready to wear it all days and nights:-)
I needed a new raincoat this year, selected several patterns but as I couldn't choose the only one, I decided to make a cape:-)
In fact, I was thinking of making a cape quite a long time and looked through many models and projects but yet I chose this practical pattern. It can be made of any length, doesn't constrain movements, lets me use my hands without having them cold and I can wear underneath as many warm sweaters as I want and still look slim:-))
I processed the cape with the lining fully both for warmth and for better look and fit. I left the holes for hands – 12 cm from shoulder seams and prolonged the side seams for 40 cm not to give a chance to the wind to play with my outfit:); top-stitches are made along the side and bottom edge for 2.5 cm; I also added one more button in front and omitted the one on the collar: to keep the neck in warmth I crocheted a short cowl of the matching colour ( the pattern was taken here http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90438AD.html)
I guess the self-crocheted hat completes the outfit well:)
The pattern is from Burda11/2005, #106A.
Material Notes
Thin wool for the cape and viscose for lining.
- Season
- Spring, Fall
- For
- Women
- Garment Type
- Coat/Capes
- Style
- Ethnic, Romantic, Victorian, Vintage
- Material
- Cashmere, Corduroy, Flannel, Knits/Jersey, Velvet, Wool
7 Comments Sign in to add a post
Oct 3, 2013, 09.52 AMby liliv-1
Very nice and practical project! But most of all I love your cute hat, it's very sweet and girly, really adorable!
1 Reply
Oct 3, 2013, 05.23 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Thank you, liliv! The hat is really cute – not any knitted or crocheted hat suits me but this one is a good choice, indeed:-)
Oct 3, 2013, 06.42 AMby thewallinna
You are woman of many talents: look at your beautiful cowl and hat! This cape is fantastic cape! Ви на фонi квiтiв сама вигладаэте, як квiточка :)
1 Reply
Oct 3, 2013, 05.21 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Дякую, так приємно почуватися квіточкою – осінні квіти досить вишукані:-)
Oct 2, 2013, 10.02 PMby Ellen Hatteland
WOW! Nice Cape – you look wonderful in this color and I like it very much :) The hat suits you too! I have to wish one for X-mas :)
1 Reply
Oct 3, 2013, 05.20 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Thank you, Ellen, very much:-) Hope you'll be lucky with your Christamas wish:-)
Oct 2, 2013, 09.03 PMby Mary Athey
Oh wow!! This is one fabulous cape, the colour's lovely and it is so well made oksana. I'm starting mine to.morrow yikes!!! Lol. I'm not doing stripes as its to much work and to much of a headachr. I love how you styled your cape and the hats fab. Love this x
1 Reply
Oct 3, 2013, 05.18 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Thank you, Mary, I'm glad you like it and I'm sure your cape will be very special as all of the clothes you make:-)
Oct 2, 2013, 05.24 PMby rita61
I like your whole 'outdoor' outfit. The pockets are awesome, just the right placement to keep hands warm. The hat is great. The fabric looks so comfortable.
1 Reply
Oct 2, 2013, 05.38 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Thank you very much for a nice comment and yes, the fabric is very soft although it's quite thin for cold days but I hope our this year abnormal cold autumn is just an exeption:)
Oct 2, 2013, 04.40 PMby kisses
Love the colour and the shape of the coat…it reminds me of ponch tops which are very fitting for autumn/winter days
1 Reply
Oct 2, 2013, 04.47 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Thank you, kisses, and yes, it reminds a poncho to some degree. I actually was going to knit a poncho at first but then something inspired me to make this cape or a mantle or what it is:)
Oct 2, 2013, 04.23 PMby The Tropical Sewist
I love it's cute shape! The colour is gorgeous too and I love your knitted cowl detail.
1 Reply
Oct 2, 2013, 04.51 PMby Oksana Starzhynska
Thank you very much:)
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