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A tad over two years in gestation, but it looks to us like she is worth every moment of the wait. Less than a week ago, FPB 70-1 finally splashed!
It seems like forever ago that the pic above of Stan was taken with our skeletal calf. I know many of you have been waiting, too, for updates on her build. While we've had progress photos e-mailed from Circa with semi-regularity, and even taken a few ourselves on visits to the yard, the surfaces have been too covered in protective materials and evidence of industrious activity to be meaningful to the casual observer.
This latest round, taken immediately before and after her splashing, does offer a good initial perspective on her layout and some key features.
This is a long one, my peeps. 22 photos, (with many more to follow) and loads of blathering by Yours Truly.
The shot above gives a good view of the aft deck, with Circa's owner Bruce Farrand standing on the swim step. Her booms, unlike on the 64s, have gained a cradle for securing them in neutral position.
Following in the tradition of her sisters, the FPB 78s, Buffalo Nickel sports her make and model painted on the bow, in cryptic fashion just the way we like it.
I'm including this somewhat older photo to give some idea of just how cavernous our matrix deck seems, compared to the flying bridge on our 64 (which we adored.) And by the way, don't ask me why it's called the matrix deck on these boats. We have no earthly idea, only that the name landed during design of the first 78, and it stuck. Being a pair of veterinarians who insisted on referring to the aft crew quarters on our 64 as "the afterberth" we figure we are in no position to judge these things!
The view here is forward, from the aft settee. The overhead looks like a hardtop, but it isn't. It's an aluminum Bimini frame, as on the 64 but beefed up to support the added weight of our solar panels. The covering is Stamoid, lashed to the frame as on the 64s.
In this newer pic, you can appreciate the storage with counter and sink on the port side, the door for access to the forward house roof, and the enclosing glass. Some of the panels can open for ventilation, and the space has its own HVAC.
A peek at the matrix helm, though I will cover helm stuff in a future post… maybe after we get aboard, and remind ourselves what-all we ended up putting there? Perhaps even pretend to know how it all works? Yes, that does sound like the best plan.
Behold, 12 solar panels, 375 Watts each. I think I'm in luuuuuuv…
The house roof forward of the matrix deck received some consideration as a location for the solar panels, but it was decided that the benefit of avoiding shadows thrown by the matrix outweighed the disadvantage of pushing the weight of those panels a few feet higher.
But just look at that space! Excellent spot to cultivate one's melanoma. And Stan has claimed it as his drone launch pad. (That drone would be Buffalo Soldier the Younger – replacing the Elder, which proved largely useless from day one. A pox on its overpriced head.)
Moving to the aft deck, we see the BBQ area just aft of the house. This useful and generous space will be a game-changer for us I believe, much as we love to grill.
Another view of the area, taken from outside the entry door, captures the settee just aft of the house. The pair of portlights open to provide fresh air to the aft guest staterooms even in the rain. Outboard of the settee you can see the stairway up to the matrix deck.
Here's one last droolworthy shot of the foredeck, before we move indoors. The pair of black grilles on either side of the forward matrix entry door are intakes for some Big Ventilation to benefit the great room below.
Any guesses what that aluminum tube is for in the right lower corner of this pic, emerging from the deck like a comma on its side just aft of the stanchion base barely visible there? Because I have no idea. We had no such protuberance on the 64. The large open hatch forward is the entry to the forepeak, so that is the space involved. We'll know soon enough, I suppose. And like most mysterious appendages on boats, it will prove to serve an important purpose.
The general layout of the galley is identical to the 64. The rolltop opening to the above-counter locker there was our solution to my issue with the inconvenience of wanting to access something inside that locker while the counter space in front of it is occupied with slicing and dicing. And by "our solution" I mean "Sylvia's solution." Sylvia Bolton is a Seattle-based designer of yacht interiors whose ideas and assistance proved invaluable to us. Not to put too fine a point on it, but she is a goddess and I worship her.
At the top of the stairs is the entry door. Moving left (forward) we see the pantry lockers and then the under-counter lockers that house the full sized washer and dryer. I treasure those particular appliances, possibly more than life itself.
Another of Sylvia's recommendations was the horizontal orientation of the wood grain in the cabinetry. This might have sealed our label as "high maintenance" in the eyes of the chippies (wood workers for you non-Kiwis) at Circa, but apparently they were up to the challenge of delivering to us exactly the boat we wanted. We are very happy with the aesthetic results. Let it be known that it's entirely possible we worship them, too.
The flooring, leather upholstery, and dining table (NOT a work bench!) are protectively covered, but you can see that the overall layout of the great room in the 70 is remarkably similar to the 64.
Here are the makings of our main helm, to be explored in a future post. That metallic shiny thingy visible on the vertical wood face beneath the port side of the helm is a stainless steel pull-out bar, to keep a person standing to port of the helm seat from taking an unplanned tumble down the stairway. The open doorway at the bottom of that stairway leads forward to the master stateroom. Turning aft instead would take you through another doorway to the office area with standup desk, and the rest of the forward basement.
The master stateroom, viewed from the port side looking aft and starboard. The green striped wall covering on the bulkhead aft of the queen berth is made from strips of dyed hide. (Forgive me, solar panels, but I'm consciously uncoupling with you and marrying this wall covering. But we're still friends! Totally!) The door aft, outboard of the sleeping berth, leads to the starboard side of the forward basement, which includes additional hanging clothing space and drawers.
Looking forward from the stateroom is the master head. The same lovely stone was used for the dining table.
We'll give you a look at the two aft guest staterooms, one with double berth and one with 2 single bunks, each with ensuite head, in a later post.
Mounted on the bulkhead aft of the master sleeping berth are the black boxes for helm instrumentation and Maretron monitoring system. I can't wait to read every label, to learn where every single connection leads…
In the forward basement area against the port side hull, some of our electrical panels are in progress. Inverters are below them. The electrical system aboard a new (NEW-new, or new to you) yacht is like having a new business partner. Idiosyncrasies must be learned, mutual goals defined and pursued, personality conflicts identified and avoided, at the risk of ruination. As one is with any new business, we are excited and optimistic. Stand by for the deets pertaining to THIS yacht based on impending real-life cruising experience.
Tucked into a basement cubbyhole, we have a generous chest freezer, and a slightly smaller one to be used as an additional refrigerator. These will supplement the refrigerator and freezer in the galley. A collective TON of space (I know, weight, volume… don't @ me!), but I will use every cubic inch of it! We enjoy the ability to spend long stretches at anchor in remote areas, and features like this allow us to do just that.
If you're still awake by now, you might have noticed the absence of photos of two of the most fascinating spaces on this boat, which do NOT match the 64 in design. Those would be the engine room, and the workshop (which Steve Dashew has been affectionately calling the Executive Lounge.) This should rightfully make your hearts ache, as it does ours.
I blame Thomas! Master and Commander of all things engine-related at Circa Marine, he has been tinkering with final touches in these hallowed spaces. We get the feeling he wants to wait for our arrival on Sept 15 to unveil his oeuvre. But it's good to end on a cliffhanger, right?


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Antisemitism in countries in Europe and the antisemitism of Obama provides the cover for a great killing of the Jews in Israel.
This is a most serious warning to the world. It now emerges from this debka article that we have been concentrating on the wrong thing. We have been thinking of a rocket attacking Israel with a nuclear bomb on board.
But what debka has made clear here is that iran has the enriched uranium on hand, and that the trigger facility is on hand also. Hence Hizbullah on the border with Israel, essentially protected by UN forces, can explode dirty bombs against Israel.
But that would harm Arabs also, some antisemites may argue. The answer to that is the concept of suicide bombing. That specific concept makes that thought irrelevant.
Jew hatred is what drove Hitler and Jew hatred is what drove Hajj Amin el Husseini.
As Israeli leaders wrangle over Iran, a new US spy agency will deal with Tehran
DEBKAfileExclusive Report April 25, 2012, 5:38 PM (GMT+02:00)
Israeli leaders were harshly criticized on the eve of Israel's 64th Independence Day for too much speechifying and no real action against a nuclear Iran, whereas the US in contrast finally made a move by establishing a new Pentagon spy agency for gathering intelligence inside Iran. April 24 and 25, when Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak addressed memorial ceremonies for the fallen, they reiterated the same old "Israel will not permit Iran to acquire nuclear arms" – a remark which the Israeli street has stopped taking seriously. Many members of military and intelligence circles are quoted by debkafile as believing that Israel may have waited too long and, along with the US, lost the initiative.
Jerusalem and Washington are still at odds on Iran, but the theme of their dispute has shifted. It is no longer about Iran's timeline for building a bomb, but what kind. They agree that Tehran will not possess advanced nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles capable of penetrating the US and Israeli missile defenses any time soon. Israel is now worried about more primitive devices like the ones in the North Korean and Pakistani arsenals which Israeli believes are in the final stages of constructions.
The question in Israeli intelligence circles is this: Why is the impending North Korean nuclear test considered by the US, Japan and South Korea a major menace while no one seems to care about devices identical to the one Pyongyang plans to explode on the way to operational capability.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Strategic Affairs Moshe Ya'alon said publicly earlier this month that by the end of 2012, Iran would have a dirty bomb.
His disclosure drew no reactions, although it was a warning. A dirty bomb combines radioactive material with conventional explosives. Its chief danger is the spread of radioactive contamination. Cruder and cheaper to producer than a nuclear bomb, counter-terror agencies have long appreciated that it is easily transferred to terrorists. Ya'alon's warning therefore means that Iran may soon be able to transfer dirty bombs to the Lebanese Hizballah units sitting on Israel's northern border and the Palesinian Hamas and Jihad Islami in Gaza.
The Weekly Standard edition for publication on April 30 wrote the following sentence: "The supreme leader and his guards can have a nuclear weapon in their hands in as little as 43 days, provided Iran's nuclear scientists have mastered the manufacture of a nuclear trigger – technically much less difficult than enrichment."
The UN nuclear watchdog in Vienna and US intelligence officials have reported tests on nuclear materials conducted in recent weeks at the Parchin site near Tehran, to which access has been denied UN inspectors.
In Washington, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced was the formation of a new Pentagon spy agency called the Defense Clandestine Service. Defense Department sources said the new organization would expand the military's intelligence and secret war efforts outside war zones in areas insufficiently covered until now, indicating deep penetration inside hostile territory, primarily Iran.
Other sources point out that by creating a new in-house Pentagon spy agency, Panetta and President Obama demonstrated their opinion of the quality of intelligence they were receiving from the CIA, of which the defense secretary was director until recently.

subset: commoncrawl


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Every species protects its children. From the fierce lioness guarding her cubs to the hen sitting on her eggs, the instinct is wired into our being to keep our young safe until they fend for themselves.
Unfortunately, for the trans* community our young are usually someone else's children. If the child is lucky, when parents learn they have a transgender or gender variant child, they do careful research. They learn it's not necessarily something the child can help. They see the child's very nature driving the behavior, and they nurture the whole person and help reconcile the world's expectations with the demands of gender identity.
If the child is unlucky, however, they are born to a household is frightened of the changes. Such children face efforts to "fix" their gender and force them to conform to expectations. The outlook for them is bleak. Studies find their rate of suicide far higher than those lucky enough to be supported by their parents. Children whose parents do not accept their gender, struggle to find allies, and find themselves torn between their own reality and their family's demands.
It is up to the transgender community to reach these parents. Only we truly understand the damage. It's tempting to turn away. The task is daunting. We're dealing with parents not only whose knowledge of us are limited, but often whose cultural and religious background are openly hostile to our claiming our identities.
But we must try. It really is up to us. No one else will rescue these children. Others will avoid the issue, some from a desire to avoid friction and others from a lack of understanding of the destructiveness of forced denial of gender identity. We are these children's only hope.
It's possible. Anyone can be educated, especially motivated by love of their children. Here I suggest four steps we can and should take to try to reach parents who resist supporting their children's gender identity.
Gladd.org/Video The Whittington Family: Ryland's Story
Step 1: Align your interest with theirs.
Expect suspicion at the outset. Many people hear we are pushing a "gay agenda". That we "convert" people into our lifestyle. Or they've been told our lifestyle is evil and we are instruments of the devil.
It is critical to emphasize that our interests are exactly the same as theirs. We want only that their child makes it to adulthood without becoming a suicide statistic, and arrives there without scars that make them shudder to look back at their childhood or sever ties with their family. Also emphasize that they have nothing to lose by listening. If they do not like what we are suggesting, they can forget they ever met us. But if they learn something that will keep their child from ending their life or face unendurable trauma, it will be worthwhile.
Step 2: Ask what they would do differently
Invite them to imagine that their child has an identity that makes it exceedingly painful and traumatic to live under the gender expectations associated with their birth sex. That no amount of therapy or threats could make them happy or even comfortable living that way, because that's they way their child was built.
If they object that isn't true, don't argue. Simply invite them to imagine that were the case. Once again, remind them if necessary that they have nothing to lose by playing this little game. If they don't like where it goes, they can forget they ever saw you.
Once they understand what you're describing – that the child's gender identity is unchangeable and any attempt to change their gender would destroy them – ask them what they would do differently as parents if that were their child's reality. They're not committing themselves to that, just asking themselves a what-if question: What if their child's gender identity is not changeable and trying to change it would crush them, resulting in feeling rejected by the very people who can help the child learn to like themselves? What would they do differently?
Step 3: Ask whether there is a possibility that some children have unchangeable gender
Even if they're pretty sure that their own child's gender identity can be changed (the alternative is terrifying to many parents) ask whether it's possible that in the amazing variety among people in our world, that there are some for whom their gender identity is unchangeable. That somewhere among the billions of children in this world, live some whose brain wants them to be a gender that differs from their body, and that trying to change that would not only be unsuccessful, but would result in the child becoming despondent and possibly committing suicide.
If they persist in saying no, ask how they can be sure. Point out that there are traits that people don't generally change. If you're good at sports, or music, or art, you don't suddenly not become good. How can they be sure that for some people somewhere, gender identity is something about their brains that will not change.
Step 4: Work with them to find alternatives
This final step must be cooperative. We're simply not going to be able to find a solution that is palatable for someone who differs from us in culture, religion, and philosophy. During this step we invite them to suggest alternatives for how they can deal with their child. You can point out periodically that their child may be one whose gender identity is unchangeable, so whatever they decide should probably take that possibility into account. Encourage them to come up with a plan and, if possible, to write the plan down. Unless you're approaching them in an official capacity, you have no control over what they decide to do. The best you can do is open their eyes to the reality and consequences of their decision.
Will these work? It really depends on the emotional place where the parents start. If they start from a place of love, you have a good chance of success You should be able to appeal to their love for their child and their interest in learning what's best for them.
However if they are coming from a place of fear, the outlook is far more grim. In contrast to love, which motivates parents to seek ways to better support their child, fear motivates parents to protect. To lock the windows and doors of their minds and hunker down and pray for safety. If the parents are more afraid of their child becoming transgender than they are of the possibility of suicide, anxiety, depression, estrangement, trauma, or the other gruesome products of gender dysphoria, then unfortunately those parents may be beyond your help.
But you owe it to the child at least to try!


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Joint Procedures Prolong Active Lives
Research is demonstrating that joint replacement doesn't merely restore function to damaged joints. Restoring joint function now can prevent falls later, along with the complications and risks that accompany them.
As we mature, we want to maintain a healthy, active life. Advancements and improvements in joint replacements have made elective procedures more available, and more beneficial, for the people who want them. Recent research has confirmed the benefits of joint procedures. According to a study in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, as the number of major elective orthopedic procedures in the U.S. have increased, post-operative mortality and complication rates have fallen.
A joint replacement doesn't merely restore function to a damaged joint. Knee or hip replacement also helps to prevent falls. Hip fractures suffered as the result of a fall by people age 65 and older can have devastating consequences. Research published in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at the effect of hip fractures on people living in nursing homes. More than a third of patients died within six months of a fracture. At one year, the mortality rate for hip fracture patients was nearly 50 percent. Even among fracture patients who did survive, many experienced complete loss of independent motion.
A joint replacement now can reduce your risk of a fracture later, when you are more vulnerable to fracture complications. If you are among the rising number of patients considering an elective knee replacement, statistics support a positive outcome:
- 90 percent of knee replacement patients reported a significant reduction in pain.
- 85 percent of artificial knees are still functioning 20 years after the surgery.
- 60 percent of knee replacement patients are women.
- 10 percent of knee replacement patients require revision surgery 10 years later.
If you are experiencing joint problems that make you an appropriate candidate to consider joint replacement, the expertise of our specialists, supported by our state-of-the-art facilities, are here to consult with you to determine the best course for you to maintain the life you love.
When to seek treatment for your arthritis
Arthritis doesn't have to spell the end of an active life. If you are experiencing worrisome symptoms or persistent pain, the renowned arthritis specialists at Summit Orthopedics can help. We work with you to confirm a diagnosis and develop an appropriate conservative treatment plan. If nonsurgical treatments fail to support your lifestyle goals, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeons will consult with you and discuss appropriate surgical options. Summit is home to innovative joint replacement options. Our Vadnais Heights Surgery Center is one of only two surgery centers nationally to receive The Joint Commission's Advanced Certification for Total Hip and Total Knee Replacement.
Start your journey to healthier joints. Find your arthritis expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
More resources for you
Kristoffer Breien, M.D.
"I tend to be more conservative in my approach, reserving surgery as a last option. In essence, I strive to care for patients and their problems in the same manner my family and I expect to be treated when we seek medical attention."
Peter Daly, M.D.
"I understand the concern of athletes to get back to their sport. And I work in combination with our therapists to get them fully active."
Jack Drogt, M.D.
"As a hip and knee specialist, an orthopedic surgeon, and the President of Summit Orthopedics, I'm dedicated to providing patients with the highest level of care available. Our expertise extends beyond orthopedic care. We're enabling people to live the lives they love."
Jeffrey Furmanek, D.O.
"My training has taught me to understand that the human body is a complex sum of its parts with an innate ability to heal. My role as an orthopedic surgeon can be an important part of this natural process."
James Gannon, M.D.
"Leading an active lifestyle provides an additional motivation to provide orthopedic care that will allow patients to return to the activities they enjoy."
Mark Holm, M.D.
"Hand and arm injuries can change your life. Timely care done with a thoughtful plan can minimize the long term effect of an injury."
Eric Khetia, M.D.
"My goal is to lead an active, healthy life and to allow my patients to do the same. Restoring them to pre-injury levels of functioning and allowing them to pursue the activities they enjoy inspires me."
Jerome Perra, M.D.
"My goal is always to return the patient to his or her highest level of function, and to individualize post-operative
and rehabilitation expectations."
Tracy Rupke, M.D.
"I am dedicated to providing the best care possible for my patients. I love running and understand every patient's desire to return to their own life and activities."
Daren Wickum, M.D.
"Quality of life really boils down to remaining active. Keeping patients mobile keeps me on my toes. So does keeping up with my son."
Also see...
What Does Outpatient Joint Replacement Mean?
Orthopedic surgeon and hip and knee replacement specialist Kevin Lindgren, M.D., discusses the trend toward outpatient joint replacement and what patients can expect.
When Is the Right Time for Joint Replacement?
Orthopedic surgeon and hip and knee replacement specialist Kevin Lindgren, M.D., discusses how to know if it's time for a joint replacement.
Meet Dr. Kevin Lindgren
Get to know Summit hip and knee replacement specialist Kevin Lindgren, M.D., and learn about his approach to orthopedic surgery and patient care.


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Authoritative parenting
It is confidentially communicative style in which parents set boundaries and rules, but explain to the child about the importance of compliance and explain how and why the child should do so and not otherwise. The child followed the rules, he must understand why he needs it to do.
In this approach to education, children grow up confident, with his clear belief, they are independent and rarely vulnerable to influence. They calmly accept the conventions of society, are not inclined to aggression, they have high self esteem and they are just happy.
Self-discipline, independence and an aptitude for management, is positive aspects of parenting in this style.
The authoritarian parenting style
In this style parents set rules and responsibilities for the child but if the child does not perform them, for disobedience is followed by punishment, and, as a rule, without explanation.
In principle, children raised in such an atmosphere quite docile. But in adult life managers can not be, most artists, because of low self esteem and huge demands on yourself.
Here these children are very prone to aggression, voicing his displeasure to anything they do not understand and do not know or they just don't like.
Neglectful parenting style
This style has a bad influence on children. Here children are left to themselves, no one is watching them and does not send. There are no rules and regulations, which further leads to anti-social behavior of the child.
Hostility towards peers and adults, the main trait of their character. It is not excluded runaways, theft and other misdemeanours. Underachievement, lack of self-control, adversely affects their future life.
Permissiveness in parenting style
It is a liberal style in which parents allow a beloved child to do what he pleases. No penalties for misdemeanors and limitations in any way.These children do not have the authority among peers, they are dependent and are not organized. Underachievement for these children is not uncommon. As a rule, grow up to be aggressive egoists who are afraid of responsibility.


text: Betsy Maddox Photography Posted on May 22, 2014 by lrfranceschina Leave a comment The blue-gray Bardiglio Imperiale marble in the shower is from Italy. The floor is a carrara basket-weave mosaic. The white, subway tile is Daltile. Toilet, carrara marble vanity and Purist fixtures are all Kohler. The Asian ceramic garden stool is from Jayson Home. Like this:Like Loading... Previous Next Return to Selborne Road


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I love this clip, but I wish they'd turned the camera to point at the journo's when he said that..
Exactement !14 04 2009
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Categories : amusing, life, rugby
Sherriff Gets a Slap5 04 2009
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Categories : amusing, golf, life, rugby
Six Nations..6 02 2009
Anticipation. It is a word that I never truly grasped the full meaning of until Tim Curry's rendition of "Sweet Transvestite" in Rocky Horror Picture Show. In that single word Mr Curry poured all resonance of meaning; the delicious hint of expectation, on the tip of your tongue, your breath stilling until your heart beats behind silent lungs, the sole nervous butterfly in your stomach slowly stirring to life the swarm around it as your insides become slave to the external tyranny of time.
I have been too long without an English victory.
The everyday drudgery of life however now seems positively blissful compared to the torturous wait for the referees whistle to start England vs Italy and the start of 6N 2009.
But wait I shall, and while I wait I will wallow in the sweet embrace of antici…pation followed by a joyous victory over Wales on Valentines day, how ironic..
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Categories : general, rugby


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Attention all parents of music students: come to the Stoughton High School auditorium tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 7:00pm for a very important Mattress Fundraiser Informational Meeting! ALL parents are strongly urged to attend... this fundraiser may be the biggest one of the year and we NEED YOUR HELP!! See below for more information:
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March 2023


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The beginning
KAIPA's origins date back to the autumn of 1973, when three professional musicians from Uppsala in Sweden, namely Hans Lundin - keyboards, Tomas Eriksson - bass and Thomas Sjöberg – drums decided to form a group playing their own music. It was a very personal music with influences from pop, rock, classical music, and Swedish traditional folk melodies.
Hans met Tomas in the late 60's when he joined Hans in his band S:t Michael Sect (later San Michael's). This band issued an eponymous album with original material in 1971. Another album was recorded in 1972, but never released until 2009. The recordings were made at ULAB Studio in Uppsala, and they worked together with sound engineer Leif Mases. The band broke up in January 1973. Hans and Tomas continued to work together backing artists like Emile Ford, Umberto Marcato and Harpo.
After the split, Hans continued to write songs. By 1973 he had grown tired of backing other artists and wanted instead to try his new songs in a band. So he suggested that Tomas join him and form a band playing their own music. Thomas Sjöberg joined the band, and they started rehearsing intensively to find their own style as a trio. The name of the band was URA KAIPA. It referred to a Swedish Stone Age chieftain and came from the book "Svenskarna och deras hövdingar" by Werner von Heidenstam.
The group's style was built around the keyboard parts, particularly the sound of the Hammond organ, the Wurlitzer electric piano and the Davoli synthesizer. Tomas played a Rickenbacker bass guitar, a model with a distinctive tone, which was almost completely unknown in Sweden at the time. The vocals were sung in Swedish to better emphasise the poetic content of the lyrics to audiences. As the group had no international ambitions, singing in English seemed pointless.
Hans Lundin, Thomas Sjöberg, Tomas Eriksson
The band made three concerts in the spring of 1974. Sadly, Thomas Sjöberg was hit by cancer and couldn't rehearse regularly any more. He was forced to leave the band, and was replaced by Ingemar Bergman. The group rehearsed intensively with their new member, concentrated on new compositions and recorded several demo tapes. After a while they realized that the trio format was too limited to express all the dimensions in the compositions. So they decided to look around for a guitarist. They set up an audition with young Roine Stolt, then only seventeen years old. Roine was much impressed by the group's stamina, exhibited in their habit of day-long rehearsals. He didn't know at first whether he would actually join the group, as the other three band members wanted to give the new quartet format some kind of dry-run before making their minds up
In the summer of 1974 the group shortened the name and became simply KAIPA. The music and lyrics were essentially the responsibility of Hans Lundin, who also doubled lead vocals, with Tomas and Ingemar singing backing vocals. In spite of his major role as composer and lyricist, Hans didn't act as Kaipa's front man. The group always acted as a collective, with considerable freedom allotted to each member. Kaipa's early songs were based on a non-traditional song structure: after an intro of folk or classical flavour, the song generally developed a jazzier orientation, before ending with a solemn symphonic conclusion, restoring the classical element.
Roine Stolt, Ingemar Bergman, Tomas Eriksson, Hans Lundin
Kaipa's first live appearance was as a trio. It occurred at an open-air festival in Norrtälje in June 1974. In August the trio formally asked Roine to join as full-time member. They were now certain of his ability to develop a personal style to suit the group's evolution. The new line-up debuted in an open-air festival at "Gärdet" in Stockholm that same month. The group performed well and received a rapturous audience response. The band eschewed stage histrionics, preferring to rely on the quality of their music. They sometimes included circus music and humorous rock'n'roll pastiches in their repertoire and were also fond of lengthy improvisations.
On 21 October 1974 Kaipa performed its first radio broadcast, playing live in the programme "Tonkraft" on Swedish national radio, a show devoted entirely to the national and international progressive rock scene. Under these stressful circumstances, the band's showing was somewhat nervous and lacklustre, but this first broadcast proved a great opportunity to emerge from their relative isolation and get some national recognition.
Kaipa kept rehearsing busily to improve their cohesion and instrumental technique. Roine Stolt started contributing tunes and the entire group polished up some lengthy pieces of ten-minutes-plus duration.
The first album
Anxious to record their efforts and obtain wider recognition, the band decided to contact record companies. To that end, they sent a demo tape to the MNW and Silence labels, which reacted negatively, and then to their old friend Leif Mases, who now worked at Marcus Music Studios. Leif played the tape to Markus Österdahl, the studio's owner. He liked it very much and immediately offered the group the chance to record a professional demo on to 24 tracks. The numbers "På Färd", "Karavan", "Från det ena till det andra" and "Skogspromenad" were recorded on 3, 5, and 6 February 1975, and the last track was later included on the band's debut album.
Marcus knew Carl-Eric Hjelm from the Electra label, a Swedish company who distributed Decca, RCA and Philips nationally, and played him the tape. Charmed by the music, Hjelm told the band to record him an album, preferring to await the results before signing them officially. Eventually, Decca would sign Kaipa and issue their debut album.
The recording session was completed in nine days between 4 and 26 July 1975 at Marcus Music Studios in Stockholm, with Marcus himself acting as engineer. Only the recent, more sophisticated and symphonic songs were retained, as they were considered to be more representative of the group's development. Ingemar, Roine and Tomas didn't want to include the song "Skogspromenad" on the album, because they thought it was too simple and not representative of the band. Marcus considered this to be one of their best songs, and in the end it was included on the album. This proved to be good, as live and on radio this one was going to be the band's most requested song for a long time. Hans used a large array of keyboards, playing Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes electric piano, synthesizer, string ensemble and harpsichord as well as singing lead. The band produced the album themselves and without much studio experience. They were sometimes unable to reproduce perfectly their own characteristic sound, particularly in the more experimental sequences that sounded inferior to stage renditions.
Nevertheless, Kaipa's originality comes well to the fore on the album and on the whole the group was satisfied with the final result. A painting by Roine, depicting "an astral traveller floating freely above temples in the jungle", was chosen as the sleeve artwork for the eponymous album.
Kaipa performed subsequently at different open-air festivals in the summer of 1975 and embarked on a short tour in the autumn which included more radio broadcasts. The album was released in December 1975 to an enthusiastic public and critical response. Sales quickly reached 5,000 units, finally reaching 10,000, a definite success for a self-produced prog rock album, especially as distribution was limited to Scandinavia. Kaipa struck a chord with a great number of Swedish rock fans by their favouring musical exploration and melodic charm, not to mention their coupling the splendour of traditional religious and folk themes with the power of rock. Kaipa's success was built on the finesse of the band's music, and enhanced by poetry celebrating the power of love and the beauty of nature. This contrasted strongly with the political preoccupations inherent in the lyrics of most Swedish bands of Kaipa's generation.
Throughout their first album, Kaipa could certainly stake a claim as one of the leading Scandinavian progressive acts. The music is graceful and sophisticated, boasting arrangements and instrumental developments of great refinement. An album which, one could say with certainly, would equal the best productions of the "Anglo-Saxon" progressive school, but with its own unquestionably original touch in the successful use of Swedish folk material.
Following the release of their debut album in December 75, Kaipa embarked on an extensive tour in the spring of 1976 and quickly attracted a faithful crowd of fans. On stage Ingemar acted out the role of clown and showman as light relief to the serious and complex music of an almost Wagnerian grandeur. The band's repertory comprised of all the numbers from their debut album and two new compositions pencilled in for the second LP. These were "Skenet bedrar" and "Korståg", both augmented by some improvised sequences.
The musicians managed their business, investing most of the money in things like a new tour bus and more equipment. They resumed daily rehearsals, which enabled them to progress musically and enhance group cohesion. Writing new arrangements of existing numbers was as important as composing new pieces; none of the band members considered himself a virtuoso and thus Kaipa had to concentrate on playing a very carefully ´prepared´ music with elaborate orchestrations.
Inget nytt under solen
On 30 June 1976 Kaipa re-entered the Marcus Music Studio in Stockholm to record their second album. This was completed in just ten dates on 16 July. Leif Mases acted as sound engineer and co-producer of the album; he turned out to be a better technician than studio owner Marcus Österdahl who had worked on the band's first album. Leif managed to reproduce exactly the sound the group wanted, as close as possible to that of their live gigs with less reverb and more punch to the drum parts. Final overdubs and mixing were done in August.
The music had evolved more than ever towards complex arrangements; improvements were also visible in each musician's personal contribution to the completed themes. The album's opener, "Skenet Bedrar", almost 22 minutes long, couldn't be performed properly as a whole and so was recorded in several sections that were later reassembled in its final form. "Korståg", an audience favourite in concerts, was also a number with a complicated structure, so much so that the Swedish Institute of Musicology would later use it as an example of sophisticated rock composition. For the recording, Hans augmented his existing array of keyboards (Hammond organ, Yamaha synthesizer, string ensemble, grand piano, clavinet and Fender Rhodes) with a mellotron, a Korg synthesizer, and a mallet instrument. Apart from his Rickenbacker, Tomas used an old Fender Jazz bass and a synthesizer bass. Roine played his old Gibson guitar and Ingemar used his new Tama drum kit for the first time
For the introduction to "Skenet Bedrar", the band used some synthesizer ´pink noise´ processed through a stereo flanger with the addition of some Asian bells; this was recorded while Leif was turning the pitch knob on the 24-track tape recorder. Hans' overdubbed sequence-like arpeggios on his Yamaha synthesizer and Roine's guitar was treated through a phaser; these effects produced the cosmic sounds heard at the beginning of the album. Hans sang the first part of the theme, followed by Ingemar in the central section; Tomas spoke the bass parts in the finale, "Vilseledd". The mellotron is highlighted in "Korståg" and gives the song its imposing feel with a fusion of string and choir sounds. The instrument also crops up on "Skenet Bedrar" and "Inget nytt under solen.
The band decided the track order and chose the sleeve, a NASA photo depicting astronauts in a moon buggy. The group selected this photo from several provided by Electra. Roine and Hans wanted to use a painting by Roine similar to the one on the first album.
This would have been a logical continuation. But the other members reneged, and the group finally chose this photo, which had no connection to the title. The band's logo was changed, the original lacking originality. It was redesigned in a more personal style by Roine but was slightly distorted at the layout stage.
Among the people named in the credits is one Eugen Petren, cited by the band for his ´moral and spiritual support`. In fact Petren didn't exist, even though a ´photograph` of him appears in the inner sleeve! The credit was meant as a joke, a skit on rock stars dedicating their records to so-called spiritual masters such as the Maharishi. With similar satirical intent, this photo in fact shows Ingemar ´communing with the universe`!
The album title refers to a remark made by Electra's president Carl-Erik Hjelm who during a meeting with the band inquired "Inget nytt under solen?" which translates as "Nothing new under the sun". The band decided to use this saying as a title for their second album as it provided an ironic comment on their musical evolution. This they saw as a continuing line from composers like J.S.BACH through rock groups like YES, i.e. an elaborate symphonic music aiming at the expression of emotions and feelings in an aesthetic of formal beauty and melodic perfection. Kaipa, however, intended to differentiate themselves from past and present styles, producing a personal and original music taking its inspiration from the past yet looking to the future.
After recording the album, the band went back on the road. Throughout the following year, they performed over 100 dates, as they were by now very much in demand in Sweden. They toured throughout the autumn of 1976 and also through the winter of 1976-1977.
"Inget nytt under solen" was released in December 1976 to great critical acclaim. Kaipa's music was often compared to that of GENESIS and YES; this hardly came as a surprise to the band, accustomed as they were to the critical habit of judging records in comparison to others. Kaipa had nonetheless evolved their own distinctive style; if journalists still identified their music with YES' symphonic rock, it was merely due to a common source of inspiration- classical music. Kaipa's second album, however, proved that comparisons are odious; so genuinely original had their music become that one couldn't compare their work with their models. The album even reached the top-50 charts at number 49 for one week, which was very unusual for this type of music. 10,000 copies of this album were sold in Scandinavia, outside of which it wasn't exported. With their second album, Kaipa established itself as one of the essential Swedish progressive bands of the era, on par with the best international groups in this style of music.
The band played their first national TV broadcast around this time, performing their ´crowd-pleaser` "Korståg" to much favourable response; they also played live for Malmö and Stockholm radio stations. In spite of their increasingly tight schedule they still rehearsed daily. Tomas and Ingemar went to England to buy extra sound material, acquiring a new mixing desk and a double-neck bass guitar built for GENESIS' MIKE RUTHERFORD. The band also equipped themselves with a Moog Taurus pedal board and Roine tried out the very first guitar synthesizer, made by Hagstrom/Oberheim and used also by FRANK ZAPPA. Hans got a minimoog directly from Moog's U.S. factory, and also tested the new Polymoog.
Where's the limit?
In September 1977, the band, faced with their rising popularity in Sweden, began to hope for international recognition; yet they were fully aware of the fact that songs sung in Swedish couldn't help them any further and thus, they proposed Electra to record English versions of some of the tracks from their second album. The label accepted and the four selected songs were translated by Kevin Fickling, an American student living in Gothenburg, who worked as a roadie for the band. Lars Hoflund, a friend of the band's, who played bass in the backing group of the well-known Swedish singer TOMAS LEDIN, was chosen to sing three of the four vocal parts, as he coupled a strong voice with a correct English pronunciation. The vocals were overdubbed at Bastun Studio in Stockholm on 20 October 1977 by engineer Leif Mases, who also made a rough mix; this was sent to Electra's English subsidiary, which eventually rejected it, disbelieving in the band's commercial potential.
In October 1977 Tomas announced his decision to leave the band, citing ´musical differences` as the cause. Kaipa were thus reduced to a trio once again.
The band was now forced to do some serious thinking about the future; some songs from "Inget nytt" had just been recorded with English lyrics with the aim of breaking the band on the international market. Tomas' departure, however, had thrown the group into crisis.
In September 1977, the group discussed signing on a lead singer to allow Hans to concentrate more on his keyboard work. Additionally, they imagined that a singer would have a beneficial effect on the visual aspect of their show. They hoped to find someone with a different voice than Hans', one who would add new colours and dimensions to their music. But finding a singer would prove difficult, given the complex and primarily instrumental nature of their music. No auditions had been planned; the group just decided to go out and find a singer who was free.
They toyed with several different singers but in the end they plumped for Mats Löfgren, a member of the jazz-rock group RIO BRAZZAVILLE. After a few conclusive try-outs and demo recordings, Kaipa welcomed him into the fold in October 1977. Mats also had the advantage of being a guitarist and percussionist, and later on he played these instruments live with the band. Nor did Mats bother with visual gimmicks, make-up or costumes – rather like Kaipa themselves.
Hans, who up until then had handled vocals, had a very distinctive voice, but Mats had a deeper tone and a different timbre. The band's followers were suspicious of the change at first but soon grew to appreciate Mats' qualities as a singer. After a while the band's fans adopted him as they got used to the change in the look and sound of the group
After Tomas Eriksson left, the band had the opportunity to ask Lars Hoflund to join up, but he preferred playing blues, and could at the time earn much more playing with Tomas Ledin. Kaipa then called up Mats Lindberg, a schoolmate of Roine who was only 18 years old at that time. Roine and Ingemar knew of his qualities as a bassist, having jammed with him in their rehearsal room. He was also a nice guy and was equally at home playing guitar. He could play 12-string and was able to handle the double-neck guitar left by Tomas. He joined in November 1977.
Throughout the autumn of 1977, Kaipa worked on new songs and set about rehearsing and perfecting them. At this time Hans had some basic ideas for another epic song like "Skenet bedrar", but he needed the band to carry out his ideas like they had previously. Roine, on the other hand, had grown in his writing and arranging. He could present his new songs in plain terms and give clear instructions to the players, which produced an immediate result. This lead to a completely different way of working in the new band. The new members had almost no connection or relationship with the basic structure in the former Kaipa music. In fact the new band was subdividing into fractions at this time. Roine and Mats Lindberg formed one group, Ingemar and Mats Löfgren another leaving Hans alone in the background. Roine appreciated some of Hans' small pieces like "Tajgan" , "En igelkotts död" and " Visan i Sommaren". He persuaded the others to accept these songs. They relied on melodic traditions and needed no large arrangements. The basic idea of "the epic song" was presented in a simple version by Hans on the organ but the others quickly rejected it and so it fell into oblivion. It was a time of many new music styles including funk, fusion and jazz-rock and several members were leaning more towards that style and even the simpler style of bands like The Eagles, ABBA, Queen, Bad Company and Fleetwood Mac. There was much ambition in the pipeline at that time and the wish for more success of course propelled the members into dissension about how to achieve it. It turned out to be Roine's composing that got most of the interest when compiling the new album, maybe because the time was right or simply because he had more developed demos and ideas. This new way of working, with separate fractions asserting their own interests, disturbed the old balance that was so successful, and it was the beginning of an era that would split the main forces of the original Kaipa completely a year and a half later.
For the new album Kaipa utilised for the first time pre-production techniques, at that time a little-used process. Firstly the band laid down the tracks on demos on a cheap 4-track recorder in October and November 1977. A few of the songs originally had English lyrics but the band decided to rewrite them in Swedish. Their efforts to break the international market with an English language version of "Inget nytt under solen" hadn't succeeded, and so Kaipa reverted to their native language.
The recording of the album was set for December 1977 in Europa Film Studios in Stockholm, a famous studio complex that was regarded as one of the best in the country. Sessions lasted between 19 and 27 December, with the music recorded onto 24 tracks analogue tape under the eye of sound engineer Olle Ramm. Although Kaipa knew the studio well, it was some time before they could get the synth, drum or synth orchestration sounds they wanted, preferring to record a sound different from that produced by the band on stage. Roine tried to convince the other members of the band of the importance of using a mellotron on the new album. Hans managed to hire one, but it was in such poor condition it could only be used on one track, "Tajgan", and it broke down completely soon after the recording! The uncertain pitch produced by this instrument lends "Tajgan" a bizarre other-worldly atmosphere. Oddly, the band had never owned a mellotron; they'd always hired them.
Roine used some guitar effects, running it backwards, multilayering etc., as practised by players such BRIAN MAY of QUEEN. He used a Fender Stratocaster and a very rare Melody Maker as well as an Ovation acoustic in addition to his own instruments. All his guitar work was treated through a customized pedal-board and run through a new Roland Jazz Chorus Amp. He also resorted to the aforementioned guitar-synth with an Oberheim expander, a customised talk-box and an HH echoplex. Hans used a wide range of keyboards – mini and poly moogs, Korg String 2000, mellotron, Hohner Clavinet, grand piano, Hammond organ and Fender Rhodes electric piano. Mats Lindberg played a Fender Precision bass and a Danelectro fretless bass with Moog pedals and Sunn Amps.
Mixing took place between 3 and 5 January 1978. The album was produced by the band and Olle Ramm. It contained even fewer reverb effects than before and the guitar and drums were more to the fore on the soundstage of the record.
The album sleeve was designed by Lars Holm, an artist and friend of the group's who'd given him carte blanche as to the design. One of the characters in Lars' painting was later to be called "SOLO", just because the band decided to call the album that name after some serious brainstorming. The album came out in May 1978. It didn't enjoy the immediate success of "Inget nytt under solen" but gradually attained a sales figure of 10,000 copies. The press were highly laudatory, and the band's concerts were invariably sold out. Kaipa had clearly "arrived" as a major Swedish group.
Touring, tensions and disintegration
They had cult status in Sweden and they also toured Norway and Denmark. Some of their Copenhagen concerts were recorded for broadcast on Danish radio. The group was on a roll; they were playing many gigs and Finnish and British tours were on the point of being finalised. The group didn't have much in the way of management but many people were always on hand to sort out problems for them.
Kaipa had worked so hard and so intensively that they decided to take a break in December 1978. This was more than necessary; they were weary of touring and rehearsing and of the tensions that inevitably resulted from living together almost every day.
They met again in the beginning of 1979 with the intention to create some new music and bring the spirit back into the band, but without success. By this time the chemistry in the band reached the lowest possible level. At this point Roine and Mats Lindberg decided to leave the band and Roine started the recording of his solo album "Fantasia". But the band decided to fulfil all booked concerts together. The last concert with this constellation was given in Katrineholm on 13 May 1979.
Reconstruction part II
The band was now back to a trio and they needed to find a guitarist and a bassist. Ingemar and Mats had their side project Ingemar Bergman Troop playing simple pop songs without any of the progressive parts that was characteristic for Kaipa. Hans was at this time a guest musician in their band playing on records and touring with the band. Ingemar suggested a fusion of the two bands. Hans wanted Kaipa to keep their profile, playing a progressive music but adding a little more up tempo and rock feeling to the music, and he was not interested in this fusion of bands. Instead they asked an old friend and brilliant guitar player Thomas Arnesen to join the band. Thomas once played in the band Panta Rei and later in several local bands like Hirvi and Puls. He had also filled in for Mats Lindberg, while he was in hospital, playing bass in Kaipa on one tour in 1978. They started to rehearse but, due to Thomas' family affairs, had to cancel the idea. Instead they asked another unknown guitar player recommended to them, Max Åhman from Stockholm, to join the band. He was a brilliant technician but didn't have the same melodic vein in his playing as Roine. They also asked Mats Lindberg to return to the band as a guest musician for a limited period.
The band decided to leave Electra and was signed by POLAR, ABBA's label, for a new album. At this time interest in progressive music had decreased, and the band was a little confused about which musical direction they should choose for the future. The process of making new music was difficult and filled with compromises. Ingemar wanted to act as composer and had some ideas, but his lack of knowledge of chords and other basic musical elements that was the fertile ground of the musical garden of Kaipa turned this into a strange situation. His way of thinking and working in music served a useful purpose in Ingemar Bergman Troop, but it was difficult to incorporate and in distinct contrast to Hans' way of writing and the overall music of Kaipa. Mats Löfgren acted as lyricist and added most of the vocal melodies.
The making of "Händer"
The album "Händer" (Hands) was recorded late in the autumn of 1979 at Polar Studio in Stockholm with Leif Mases and Lennart Östlund acting as sound engineers. Hans used only two synthesizers (Yamaha CS-60 & Prophet 5) and a Grand Piano on the recordings. Like most keyboard players at the time he believed in the infinite possibilities of the polyphonic synthesizer and, therefore, sent his Hammond organ on a long vacation. Max was at this moment not completely incorporated in the bands music, which lead to a keyboard-oriented sound on this record. Three instrumental songs penned by Hans still had the characteristic Kaipa structure. Two of these, "El Grandi" and "Regn" (Rain), were included on the album. Another song, "Staden lever" (The City is Alive), was originally longer and contained some "symphonic" parts. These parts were in the songs final form deducted leaving only a short passage in the middle of the song. Most of the other songs on the album obviously proof the difficulties with the earlier mentioned compromise, showing different musical elements side-by-side, not integrated with each other, which was the purpose.
Good notices greeted "Händer" when it was released in the spring of 1980, but the album didn't attain the sales of its three predecessors.
The turbulent period
The band planned a tour to promote the new album in May 1980. They had found a new bass player in Torkel Thyrell, a veteran who played with Hans in S:t. Michael Sect in the 60's. However, the band was heading for serious trouble. Mats Löfgren felt unmotivated, worn out and generally bad this period. So the last days of rehearsal without excuse, Mats Löfgren just didn't turn up!! A fatal blow to the band who was about to do shows in a few days! The rest of the group gave up after futile attempts to solve the problem: it was simply impossible to get Mats to fulfil his part.
The band had to face the fact that they had to start the tour and take care of the vocal parts on their own without any rehearsal. The first concerts on this tour were improvised in many ways. The vocal parts of the songs were written and arranged for Mats' voice, but after a while the band transposed the songs to the right keys to fit Hans voice, which was not an altogether simple task while on tour.
The band started to look for a new singer. Anne Chaaban was singing in a local blues band. Hans was attracted by her style, filled with power and feeling. He invited her to rehearse with the band, thinking this could be a new start and direction. The intention was good, but the right chemistry never appeared. Anne's way of singing didn't fit in with the rich harmonies of Kaipas music. She didn't feel comfortable and had no experience in singing this type of music. Sometimes she went completely astray in their musical landscape. This constellation lasted only for one tour during November 1980. After that Anne and Torkel left the band.
Bringing joy back into the band
After all this adversity the three remaining members decided to continue in the original form as a quartet. Max knew a clever bass player and a very nice guy called Mats Lindberg from Stockholm. (Yes it's true, two different persons with the same name playing the same instrument and in the same band.) His nickname was "Microben" (Microbe).
This time the chemistry was much better. Hans took care of the vocals once again, and they made a lot of new arrangements of old Kaipa songs mixed with new compositions and improvisations. Now the band just wanted to play, touring and bring the joy back into their life and music. So they undertook several tours between April and December 1981 including a concert at "Huset" in Copenhagen broadcast by Danish Radio.
By the end of this year Ingemar decided to leave the band.
The last album and the end
There was no problem finding a new drummer. Olle Romö started to rehearse with the band early in 1982. But after just a few weeks he had to leave, after an invitation from The Euruthmics. So instead, Pelle Andersson took his place, and brought with his drumming a lot of new inspiration to the band.
They started to arrange a lot of new songs penned by Hans, but the other members also added songs and new ideas. The structure of the music was not clearly defined, the free hands ruled and they didn't know exactly what was going to come out of this. They took some inspiration from artists like Peter Gabriel and Talking Heads trying to do some new kind of progressive music. They wanted to continue the musical journey of Kaipa but they didn't want to stay in the 70's locked in their own history. This was a true progressive trip by all means. Everyone that saw this constellation of KAIPA live can confirm that they really enjoyed playing together. By this time Hans was the only member living in Uppsala, all the others lived in Stockholm.
The band had no record contract, but they wanted to record the new songs on an album. So they decided to make the recording by themselves on Hans' 8-track tape recorder in the rehearsal room in Uppsala. Of course this was a situation completely different by all means and very far away from the last recording at Polar Studio.
The record "Nattdjurstid" (Time of Nocturnal Animals) was recorded by the band with no outside help and released in the autumn 1982 on Piglet Records. It received lots of good revives, but that was unfortunately not enough. All the members in the band were professional musicians, but the work with the band didn't give them enough money to live by. So they decided to take a break after the last gig at Studion in Stockholm the 13th December 1982. This break was going to last for almost twenty years.
This band was on their way to develop something great with their music at this time. Four excellent musicians filled with new musical ideas to the limit of their capacity. But the opportunity to do this just blew away into the unknown history with this break.


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The Daily Astro for February 22, 2013
by Valerie Sylvester
We're doing the Void-of-Course dance for part of today as the Moon doesn't enter Leo until 5:12 PM EST. Since Mercury's also set to retrograde tomorrow, the best use of today's energy pattern is to catch up or finish things you started some time ago. Take another look, revise, reassess, or rethink plans and projects. Since the Moon's in Cancer for a while, it'd also be a good time to get a few things done around the house.
With the Moon marching into regal Leo, you'd think it might be a good day for matters of the heart, but today's aspects aren't all that hot. Venus is stressed out today in its connections to the Moon and Pluto. Major drama can ensue as Leo fire and flash is channeled into negative pathways. With Moon and Venus out of sync, people (especially the women in your life) may not feel comfortable in their own skin. That atomic Pluto connection can lead to some very strange behavior as people act out, mask their real motives, turn into control freaks, and/or try to manipulate their nearest and dearest. Inappropriate behavior abounds. People dredge up past gunk –it rises up like a vampire who only got nailed with a rubber stake. They either give you the cold shoulder or tear your head off (or both at once) because they're feeling unloved or insecure. Try and soothe those hurt feelings and injured pride–it will make the day flow more smoothly.
Later in the evening the Moon connects with Mars and Neptune in stress aspects, so there's not much of an improvement, as a thwarted Leo Moon is not a happy Leo Moon. Much drama ensues, but no one knows what it's really about and by the end of the day everyone's too tired to care. People are confused about what they want, but they know that whatever it is, they're not getting it. Divine discontent and projecting hopes/fears/bullshit onto others may result. Take the edge off tonight–run out and find an old-school potboiler of a film tonight, then sit back and watch other people's emotional pyrotechnics.
Sabian Symbol for today's Sun: "A church bazaar."
Kozminsky Symbol for today's Sun: "The interior of a tent of a Roman military commander, in which is a table set with abundance of food and drink in rich vessels of gold and silver."
The Keyword for the Sabian Symbol is: "BENEFIT".
The Keyword for the Kozminsky Symbol is: "ACCOMPLISHMENT".
In today's Symbols we see the Moon in action as it moves from Cancer to Leo. The Sabian Symbol, depicting a church bazaar, channels the energy of the Moon in Cancer. Church members gather to raise money for charitable purposes, seeking to help people in their own community. This reflects the Cancerian desire to protect and care for the needy or helpless. The community comes together to support a good cause, raise funds and maintain societal institutions. The bazaar is also a place for people to gather and talk, exchange ideas, and make connections with others. The down side to this Symbol is clannishness, only associating with the "in" group, being in a clique, or looking down at or being unwilling to help those who aren't part of your group.
The Kozminsky Symbol brings on the Leo. The main character is a military commander (Leo is the sign of kings and rulers) at his battle command post, getting ready to dig into a lavish spread complete with gold cups. Gold, the metal of the Sun, is associated with Leo. This Symbol highlights someone who has developed leadership capabilities and has a battle plan set and ready. They are rewarded for their efforts and know how to enjoy the good things in life, even under less-than-ideal circumstances (note that the commander is in a tent on the battlefield, during a break in the skirmish). There's a larger goal in mind here, a battle plan, a desire to emerge victorious.
Both Symbols have an underlying message of working as part of a group or organization in order to assist the entity to achieve its goals (the church group is raising money for charity, the commander supports the goals of the Roman Empire). Both remind us to think ahead, plan for the future and use our skills to support those we're allied with.
Knight of Cups / Empress
Here's our Venus energy. Honor the feminine today. This calls to mind the code of chivalry, with Knights going on quests for Queen and country. Again we see the Cancer/Leo tone of exalted love and a willingness to dedicate the life to a quest for something greater than ourselves. This is universal love, transcendence of personal desires, or an idealized love that inspires. It's the poet or musician who writes or performs sonnets or songs in honor of a woman. On a mundane level, this could be a younger man with a mature woman, intimacy problems due to over-idealizing women, or the archetypal "Mamma's boy" who cannot detach from his mother.
This combination also tells us it's time to open up to our female side, to give birth to something. It's about inspiration, creativity and the ability to manifest something that began as a dream or vision. The warning is that we have to do something; sitting around with pretty ideas but doing nothing or procrastinating leads nowhere. This is also a good combination for healing through the integration of the emotions and the physical body or helping others learn how to love themselves and their bodies.
–February 22, 2013


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The Highly Experienced Auto Technicians of Tempe
Scott is a 5th generation Arizona born and his family has been in the car business since 1919 so he grew up with Arizona car service needs. Scott is a proud graduate of Arizona State University where he earned a Business degree. After working at a marketing agency in Chicago he enrolled into UTI to follow his Porsche passion. After almost two years at UTI and receiving his degree Scott was one of 12 people nationwide to be accepted into the Porsche Technology Apprentice Program (PTAP) in Atlanta GA. Scott was trained full time for almost a year on all PORSCHE models. In 2012 Scott opened Mcilvain Motors in Tempe AZ. Scott also is the current Chief Driving Instructor for the Arizona region of the PCA. As a long time member at Inde Motorsports Ranch. Scott has done over 6,000 laps in the left and right seat. Scott is also the technical chair for the PCA and has written many articles for various PCA publications, most of those can be downloaded here. In his free time enjoys taking it easy with his wife Christina and their two dogs.


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Gospel singer, Busola Oke, aka Eleyele, is not pleased with secular artiste, Keshinro Ololade, popularly known as Lil Kesh, and she is not hesitant in making it known..
Oke has alleged that Ololade infringed on her copyright with the release of his song, Undertaker. Eleyele stated that elements of her 15-year-old eponymous single were used in Lil Kesh's song which was released on February 29.
In a chat with Sunday Scoop, Eleyele fumed that she would make a scapegoat of Lil Kesh. She said, "His manager called me and told me they wanted to use my song and I told them I didn't understand. I told them that they should discuss whatever they wanted with my lawyer. Later, my lawyer told me that they had called him and that he told them not to use the song. A week later, Lil Kesh's song was released. I think they had already used the song before they called us. We have been trying to reach him since then. My lawyer wrote to them stating that we were ready to go to court, but we couldn't find his office address; so, we had to post the letter on social media. Maybe he thinks I'm an illiterate that cannot do anything."


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All News Releases By Date
EPA Awards 45 Universities with Grants to Help Design Sustainable Technologies - University of Delaware
Release Date: 11/18/2011
Contact Information: Terri A. White, 215-814-5523 email@example.com
University of Delaware students to design project for the environment, economy
PHILADELPHIA (Nov. 18, 2011) - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the People, Prosperity and the Planet (P3) Phase I grants for the 2011-2012 school year. A team from University of Delaware in Newark is one of 45 teams of college and university students across the country that won funding to design creative solutions to sustainability challenges in the developed and developing world.
The University of Delaware students will use their $15,000 P3 grant to design and develop apparel and accessories using natural, renewable, and locally grown materials such as wool, mohair, chicken feather, and natural dyes. The apparel products will be made to appeal to the University's students. The team will produce most of the materials in the University's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and Department of Fashion and Apparel Studies.
Their project aims to show how the use of locally grown materials for manufacturing apparel can reduce environmental pollution, improve the health of industry employees and nearby community residents, and serve as a viable income source for local farmers.
"EPA's P3 grant to University of Delaware's team of students represents an investment in our nation's young innovators, the health of our communities, and the planet's health," said Shawn M. Garvin, EPA mid-Atlantic Regional Administrator. "I commend the students for their enthusiasm in designing a sustainable solution that has potential to support the growth and stability of our nation's future."
EPA's P3 grants challenge students, working together on interdisciplinary teams, to design and build sustainable technologies that improve quality of life, promote economic development and protect the environment. The annual competition begins with Phase I grant awards of $15,000 to student teams that then work on projects in a range of categories including water, energy, agriculture, built environment, and materials and chemicals.
After working on the project for eight months, the teams will bring their designs to the 8th Annual National Sustainable Design Expo on the National Mall in Washington, D.C around Earth Day. At the expo, the projects will be judged by a panel of experts. A few teams will be selected for Phase II grants up to $90,000 for students to improve their designs, implement them in the field, or move them to the marketplace.
Applications are being accepted through Dec. 22, 2011, for the next round of Phase I awards for the 2012-2013 school year. In addition to the categories above, teams can also propose innovative ideas for green infrastructure and designing clean cookstoves.
More information on the P3 Phase I grant awards: https://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/current.
More information on applying for a 2012-2013 Phase I P3 award: https://www.epa.gov/ncer/p3/apply.
Search this collection of releases | or search all news releases
View selected historical press releases from 1970 to 1998 in the EPA History website.


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NIVA-line projects
NIVA-line is a company tuned into the future.
Where we research, experience, and design.
Our mission is to shape metal according to the needs of architects and designers.
To redefine the concepts of personalization and custom-made furniture, stairs, as well as windows and doors so that we can bring them to the next level.
From the tiniest object to the facade of a building, we pour all our know-how and our passion, combining the artisan culture to the most innovative technologies.
To abolish the concept of "made in series".
"Just for you" is not just a saying, or a marketing promise. It is the summary
of our entrepreneurial vision, our deepest essence, which goes really deep inside, and NIVA-line becomes real, becomes tangible.
Because a project is always the projection of customers' wishes and the proving ground of the talent of their trusted architect.
We make all this simply possible.
NIVA-line is a factory.
Of ideas, solutions and exclusive objects.
Of dreams that come true.


text: Analytic Professionals — Please participate in the 2020 Data Science Survey.Please use and share these links:— Access Code: ZVWX3It is OK to share this Access Code with others: It can be used by multiple people— Our main Data Science Survey page also has more survey information & FREE downloads of the 2007-2017 Survey Summary ReportsRexer Analytics has been conducting the Data Science Survey since 2007. Each survey explores the analytic behaviors, views and preferences of data scientists and analytic professionals. Over 1100 people from around the globe participated in the 2015 and 2017 surveys. A report summarizing the 2020 Survey findings will be available free to everyone in 4Q-2020.The survey should take approximately 20 minutes to complete. Your responses are completely confidential.


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Take Advantage Of Google's Linking Algorithm To Maximize Links To Your Site.
Chris Ellington
Links to your site are one of the key components of Google's PageRank technology. With a high page rank, you get higher position on the search engine results page, resulting in more visitors to your site and improving your chances of earning a living online.
As the founder of articlemarketer.com, I would be remiss if I failed to mention that writing articles results in a ton of links to your site. Of course it does.
But there's a trick to it.
Many of the internet marketers who submit free reprint articles go about it all wrong. They fail to take advantage of Google's linking algorithm and they lose some of the power of their articles.
What is Google's linking algorithm? 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, the googlebots are spidering the web, seeking out content, classifying and indexing the billions of web pages available to web surfers.
This results in a standard "Bell Curve" of links to your article around the web. A few links begin to appear within a few days, rising to a peak at about 8-10 weeks, and then tapering off over time. That's the Google linking algorithm at work.
Over time, Google eliminates many of the links generated by a given article. Some call this the Google "Duplicate Link" penalty. I wouldn't call it a penalty. It's just the way things work on the web. And with a clever approach, you can take advantage of it.
You can keep your links high using the Article Marketer Bonanza approach. Our authors use it all the time. That isn't to say that you can only use it if you're an articlemarketer.com subscriber. I'm giving you the approach here and now, absolutely free. You can use the Article Marketer Bonanza approach if you use phantomwriters.com, Article Announcer, or even if you submit your articles manually.
What is the Article Marketer Bonanza approach?
The Article Marketer Bonanza approach keeps your links high by taking advantage of the Google linking algorithm. Google wants fresh content and they begin to "penalize" (although I still wouldn't call it a penalty) you when your content becomes stale. With the Article Marketer Bonanza approach, you never rely on stale links to drive new traffic.
Article marketing is just like every other form of advertising. Coca-Cola and McDonald's don't run just one television commercial and expect a continuing stream of customers to buy their products. Of course, they have the benefit of zillions of dollars and the resources at their disposal to continually buy new commercials.
Your resources are a bit more limited. You have less money and fewer people. Time is of the essence. That's what makes the Article Marketer Bonanza approach so successful.
Most internet marketers can produce a quality article in about an hour (it took me exactly 27 minutes to write this one.) That includes spell checking and everything. But let's say it'll take you more than twice as long to write 500-700 words on your favorite topic.
Write a few articles. How many? Let's say you write 3 articles. If you write them and submit them all today, Google's linking algorithm will give you a few links over the next couple of days, a lot of links over the next 8-10 weeks, and then they'll taper off. It's like turning off the faucet.
The Article Marketer Bonanza Approach – Step by Step:
Bonanza Step 1: Submit one of your articles today. This allows the algorithm to begin working. Watch your links increase.
Bonanza Step 2: Submit the second article next week. Google goes to work on that one. You just added several new links, and you're not near the peak yet. Now you've got two articles climbing the charts.
Bonanza Step 3: Submit the third article the following week. Again, Google gets busy. More links on top of the growing links from article two, which have been added to the large number of links that are already pointed at article one. You've set things in motion.
Bonanza Step 4: Ok, it's been three weeks, it's time to write a few more articles. Set aside a few hours and capture your wisdom on paper.
Bonanza Step 5: Submit your articles, one per week, over the next three weeks. You've now got six articles in the market place, and you haven't yet reached the peak. Your link count is going crazy.
Bonanza Step 6: It's now week 10. Your first article is dropping off the charts as Google "settles in" on the links it'll keep. That's ok because article 2 and 3 are holding your link count high, and you've got three more climbing the charts.
Bonanza Step 7: That's all there is to it. You keep submitting new content and Google rewards you with a permanently high link count. You can keep this going indefinitely. Your link count will never drop.
Depending on how prolific you are as an author, you could submit your articles faster – two or three per week. If you love writing and you write articles on several topics, you could submit new articles every day. You'll always have new fresh content bringing new links to your site
See, it's not always about resources. With the Article Marketer Bonanza approach, you'll be doing something Bill Gates wishes he could do – you'll be staying one step ahead of Google!
About the author:
Chris Ellington founded
Marketerto make article submission easier. He made the Article Marketer Bonanza approach easy because authors can submit unlimited articles for one low price (even free). "Auto Pilot" helps too.
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In the background check industry, Spokeo People Search is by far one of the most' well-mannered'. How so? Well, instead of selling their ability to help you uncover someone's criminal history, they focus on the fact that they can help you find your estranged relatives or close friends.
In a world that is full of negativity, it is comforting to find a company that focuses on giving hope to its potential customers. But this is not to say that it cannot do what other background check companies do – it can.
Now, just in case you are wondering if it's a scam – it's probably too good to be true, below is a quick guide of what it offers, its costs, and what you stand to benefit when you use it as your go-to background check company.
Table of Content
What is Spokeo?
Young minds are indeed brilliant and can achieve anything they focus on doing. This is true for several Standford graduates who set up a social network aggregator in 2006 in a basement in Silicon Valley. The social network aggregator has since morphed into one of the best tools to mend neglected social ties. Yes, the platform can also offer criminal information, but Spokeo focuses on bringing people together rather than driving a wedge between them.
Its results are from a thorough search of social media profiles and other websites. It goes through more than 100 social media platforms and compiles a comprehensive report on your person of interest.
What are the pros and cons of using Spokeo?
- Speed – the length of time that a background check company takes to provide search results will depend on the technology that powers the search engine. Spokeo has a powerful search algorithm that goes through billions of public records to find a match. So instead of a long and frustrating wait, it gives a detailed report in less than 5 minutes.
- Affordable – Spokeo has the lowest fees on the market. You can get the service for less than $20 a month when you prepay some months.
- Easy to use – all you need to do is enter the name of the person of interest, and the website will do the rest.
- It can search for persons living outside the U.S. – this is not a pro most background check companies can boast about. Many background check companies use public records in the U.S. as their primary source of data. But Spokeo takes advantage of data on social media platforms. This allows it to capture people who don't have a life in the U.S.
- Individuals can opt-out of the service
- Spokeo will appear on your billing statement
What can Spokeo offer?
This section details how you stand to benefit from using the platform.
Ease of Use
Spokeo has the edge over other background check companies because of the features it comes packing. No other background check company has managed to offer similar background check services like it does. By this, we refer to:
Spokeo's search algorithm. This algorithm allows the platform to search for data in real-time
- The ability of the platform to find information about people outside the U.S.
- A comprehensive social media network from which it collects data
- Below are details on what the above features look like
Real-time search
When you use a background check platform to search someone's details, the search engine goes through a long list of databases and compiles information relevant to your person of interest. The information comes from public records and, in a few cases, commercially available data.
But here's where Spokeo stomps other background check companies – the above searches aren't real-time. These companies access copies of records saved on different company servers. On the one hand, this method allows the companies to compile a report fast. This way, you aren't stuck waiting for a report for more than ten minutes. But on the other hand, for these companies to provide accurate information, they need these records to be updated regularly. If you search a name before an update, the report generated will be inaccurate or incomplete.
Spokeo has a different way of doing things. Instead of compiling information in its database, it searches records public and commercial) in real-time. It does this by accessing data points on online databases. With this new and improved method, you will receive correct information in your report at all times.
Comprehensive social media network
Spokeo was started in 2006 by fresh graduates as a social media aggregator. This means that it was built to collect information from different social media platforms and profiles and put them in one place for easier and manageable access.
But since its creation, it has evolved into a beast in the background check industry. It has built a name for itself through its effective social media search function.
When you run a search on Spokeo, the search algorithm goes through more than 100 social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook, and other lesser-known social platforms. Spokeo can identify an online profile and compile the information into a simple, easy to understand report. And if you need complete results, you can run a search using social media usernames (more on this later on). Currently, no background check company offers this kind of search.
National searches
When you search using Spokeo, it tries to find connections to your search on online profiles. As such, you can find information on any person that has left the U.S.
Reverse phone lookup
If you are always getting calls from unknown numbers, you know how frustrating it is. It feels like someone is stalking you and invading your privacy. You won't feel safe until you know who it is. Lucky for you, you can conduct a reverse phone lookup with Spokeo. Using this service, you get the name and address of the individual who owns the number.
Now, the information you'll get will depend on the number you search. If you search using a landline number, you will get a report that includes the name, address, and even relatives of the person of interest.
If you search a cell phone number, you'll get fewer but still useful data. Some of the information you'll get includes the state and city that is associated with the number. You'll also get details of the carrier. However, you will not get information on the owner or their exact location. This is because cell phone data falls under a premium type of data, which requires a lot of expensive processing and cleaning to identify the owner and relevant information, including location and data subscription.
Reverse Email Search
You cannot open an online account if you don't have an email address. Email addresses have become more like identifiers and passports on the online space. This means that email addresses are valuable to fraudsters and that there is a lot of information attached to the email address. With the right tool, you can extract and analyze data related to the email address of interest.
Spokeo allows you to search for a person's data using their email address. It searches through public records and social networks. And since it searches records and social platform databases in real-time, people feel it's one of the best companies. The information it offers includes the name of the user, the social networks it's connected to, and the domain name linked to the email address.
Criminal records
When someone is charged with a crime in a U.S. court, it is a public event. Therefore, the record of this event is, public record, and anyone can walk into the court and request a search for the files. The only exemptions to this rule are for minors who have been tried in juvenile courts and cases that judges seal records. An individual can request for their conviction to be sealed if the legislature has this option. But some requirements should be met for this to be done. They are as follow:
- It should be the defendant's first charge.
- It is a relatively minor charge like being caught in possession of drugs for personal use
- The individual finished his sentence
- Should not repeat the offense within a certain period
- Individuals who seal their criminal records should always say 'no' when someone asks if they have a criminal record.
How much does Spokeo cost?
Spokeo has a trial plan which costs $0.95 for a week. The unfortunate bit is that the trial offer appears when you try to leave the site without subscribing to any plan. However, the platform charges the full amount immediately after the trial period is complete. You have the option of paying $19.95, $4.95, $3.95 a month to access basic reports. If you want to conduct an extra search service, you'll pay extra.
You should note that the monthly subscriptions for premium members don't roll over for their unused searches. But there's an option of increasing the search limit by paying more.
They also have an Enterprise plan. This plan is for companies to help them know the identities of individuals before they complete online transactions. The enterprise plan accommodates multiple users on a single account, and the cost depends on the search you conduct every month past 200 searches.
What do Spokeo customers say about the service?
Spokeo customers are ecstatic about competitive pricing. Though some begin wondering if it was a scam, its legitimacy shines through with the first search and report. They love the comprehensive report and the fact that they can rely on real-time data.
How good is Spokeo's support?
Spokeo has three kinds of customer support: these include email, live chat, and phone.
The live chat potion is available on the weekdays from 8 am to 5 pm while the toll-free number is available at any time. However, if the whole idea of calling and talking to customer care freaks you out, there's an option of sending an email. This option is available all day long as well.
To top it all off, Spokeo has an FAQ section on their website. You can go through this section before contacting customer support. But this is only if you have the time to tinker and troubleshoot and solve the problem on your own. With that said, we should point out that their FAQ section is basic in comparison to some FAQ sections we've come across in the past. But on the bright side, the information is easy to understand, and the steps easy to follow.
If you are a techie, Spokeo's tech blog is perfect for you. The development team runs the blog and offer some great insight into the inner workings of the platform
Spokeo wows many with its speed and flexibility. And the fact that it can provide a full report on an individual outside of the U.S. is a big plus. The searches are done in real-time and hence always up to date.
But it's not all roses with Spokeo – they have a limit on their monthly searches. Luckily an average user rarely hits this search limit. And last but not least, Spokeo's plans are affordable and offer great value for money.
What can you use Spokeo for?
Spokeo can be used to search for unknown callers, learn more about a date you are excited to meet for the first time, research a potential business partner, and reconnect with close friends and family.
What can't you use Spokeo For?
There are restrictions on what you can use the platform for. Because of regulations in the background check industry, Spokeo cannot be used to perform credit checks, screen employees, lookup tenants, or insurance screening. Basically, you cannot use Spokeo search technology for anything contrary to the FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act).
Is it easy to cancel a subscription?
You can cancel your subscription by clicking on the cancel button on the website. Alternative, you can have customer support cancel it for you. After cancellation, you'll get a confirmation email.
Does Spokeo have an app?
The Spokeo app is available for Android devices. However, the company claims they are working on launching the app for the iOS platform. The primary use of their app is to prevent unwanted calls. For this, you can create a free Spokeo account. But if you want other features available on the desktop version, you'll have to go premium. Some individuals are happy with how the app works, but others complain that it gives little information. But this can be solved by paying for the premium option.


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Every year, in early December, my husband and I have the same conversation:
Him: Can we not overdo presents this year?
Me: Sure.
Him: But you say that every year.
Me: But this year will be different. I promise.
By middle December, I start to feel panic rising. "The most magical time of the year" pounds at the door of a cherished childhood memory. That memory of the morning, mid 1970's, when I walked downstairs to see my dream come true. There, under the tree, was Baby Alive in the flesh, the doll that could "eat, drink and wet." My life had reached a new euphoric high. For days afterward, I woke up with the sleepy awareness that something very good had happened. As my brain retrieved the information, happiness would wash over me in waves. I jumped out of bed with a tingly excitement for life. Regular tide did not ensue for weeks. It was a magical time indeed.
Fast forward twenty years and I became the parent with clear expectations of how a Christmas should feel, how the day should be. I struggled every December to perpetuate the dreaminess of that Baby Alive day. It became heavy on my shoulders. I was the creator and keeper of memories. The pressure was strong on the night before Christmas, a moment of reckoning. Had I fulfilled everyone's deepest wish? I bought extra things just in case. Dumb things they did not need. That damn plastic baby that wet itself was the reason I lost my way of reason every single time. I reneged on my promise and hid little things in the back of closets and in suitcases. By December 20th I was dizzy and overwhelmed, reworking little lists by my bedside table. Had I left something out?
Things did not improve as my boys got older and outgrew their belief in Santa. In fact, it became even more complex and expensive. Baby Alive, bicycles and Gameboys were memories for us all. There were no equivalent replacements. Plus, they had what they needed and two of them were in college, the brink of adulthood. Wasn't it time to let it go? I tried. I really tried. But still I googled "top ten gifts for teens."
Last year the landscape changed. We were hosting two girls from Nepal, raising the number of kids to make happy to six. A new challenge emerged. How could we thoughtfully make the holidays special for everyone without the embarrassment of over indulgence? The girls would not be able to bring much home because of weight limits for their suitcases. Baby Alive finally lost her pull on me as I considered, finally, the bigger thing that mattered.
I impulsively came up with a plan one morning after a big cup of coffee. It was a caffeine fueled confident plan.
I retired.
I retired from my post of alpha girl dream maker December gift buyer.
I let go.
And before the caffeine wore off I called my friend for help.
"Can you assign everyone a secret name from our family?" I asked. Send them an email. Don't even tell me. Just give me my name. Even though I could not see her I could feel her rolling her eyes at me. She is used to my ideas. But, good friend that she is, she didn't ask too many questions.
Here is what I told my family. (Actually I emailed everyone because I was not open for feedback. I was holiday tired.) We were to each keep our name secret. Our name was our one person for whom we would focus on for the holidays. I explained how much everyone could spend and encouraged them to think beyond traditional gifts. I provided the funds for my younger kids and our Nepali girls. And then I sat back and watched. I thought about my small list of one.
I breathed a sigh of relief. And then I felt the stirrings of holiday excitement back in the air.
I began to sense my plan was working well when one of my older kids realized that they would ultimately be responsible for the happiness of who they had picked for the entire holiday season. Funny conversations ensued at the dinner table and sometimes by text, "if anyone happens to have me, I could really use some headphones." They got creative with their ideas. They hunted around for clues of what their one person might need or want. They started to pay attention. It was not a new experience for my kids to buy each other things — they had done that for years, especially on birthdays. It was a new experience, however, for them to be the only one giving gifts for that one person. There was no back-up in case their giving or ways of showing thoughtfulness fell short- unlike the traditional Secret Santa game they sometimes played in school with random names and ubiquitous gifts.
It was the best December. I enjoyed the days leading up to Christmas (truly!) without calculating and assessing material lists of things. The wondering if I had done enough was gone. It was replaced by a different sort of surprise as I curiously watched my kids figure out how to truly consider the experience of someone else. They started to see their person anew. Ordinary details of daily lives became a source for ideas. There was a shift in the quality of attention and conversation and in their awareness of each other. They wanted to succeed in making their one family member happy, a want that superseded any care about what they received that day. Ultimately I had empowered them to have an impact on the experience of each other, an enduring gift that served us all. A new type of magic echoed all around, my Baby Alive was back.
2016 Christmas update:
We tried something that worked out just as well, maybe even better! Everyone got everyone one gift.