text:
The name Domenico Vacca is synonymous with two things: luxury fashion and A-list clientele. Costume designers love to style Hollywood stars in his clothes and Al Pacino, Ron Perelman, Diddy, 50 Cent, Lebron James, Usher and Scarlett Johansson are among the celebrities that are his loyal customers.
The designer known as the official clothier of the red carpet will be using his superior craftsmanship to create a line of high end denim. The men's collection launches fall 2010 and the women's collection will follow in spring 2011.
Last Friday male models from Models International helped to display the luxury jeans at a private party held at Domenico Vacca's West Broadway location. Guests sipped cocktails, ate Bellinis courtesy of Cipriani Downtown and received a 30% discount off select merchandise.
The jeans superbly exhibited by the models were the epitome of quality and style. They are constructed with Italian Candiani selvedge denim and lined with the same fine fabrics used in Domenico Vacca's dress shirts. Domenico Vacca Denim also uses hand construction to create the wash and destruction of every pair of jeans. A far cry from the work trousers created in 1873, a pair of jeans has become a must have item in every one's wardrobe. Domenico Vacca Denim is sure to raise the bar yet again.


text:
Cabinet Coatings & Restoration in Milwaukee, WI
Lime Services
LIME Does More Than Paint
Cabinets are a feature that drastically change a kitchen space. They are either outdated or hip and current, but in either case they make a huge impression.
LIME is prepared and capable of switching a painted cabinet face to stain and vice versa. In a matter of steps, LIME can take a solid white cabinet, sand it down to its original wood finish, stain it, and then seal it with a gloss finish. If a custom finish is desired, LIME can glaze and distress the freshly stained cabinets as well.
Project Rundown:
Cabinet restoration and coatings can be intrusive projects because they are undertaken in the kitchen or living spaces and require sanding and spraying. Thus, speed without compromising quality is our main objective. LIME will tape off and protect the outer space from the cabinet area, making for a clean and accessible workstation while the transformation is underway.
Custom Finishes
Whether LIME applies stains or solid paints, custom finishes such as glazing, distressing, and crackling make for an appealing custom result. LIME's designers are a great resource for determining what would be the best combination in your space.
Quality Prep. Quality Products. Custom Results. Lasting Impressions.®
LIME Difference
Vetting and understanding the best products, equipment, and applicators for fine finish applications is LIME's specialty. Our teams have exhaustively tested and built custom packages for desired cabinet outcomes. These packages result in a finish that performs with high integrity and leave an impressive custom finish.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Add the ASEAN Basketball League to ABS-CBN Sports' growing portfolio.
Beginning this Sunday, November 27, games of the upcoming ABL season will air on S+A channel 23 and on ABS-CBN Sports' official website. The broadcasts will include all home games of the Alab Pilipinas team, as well as a select number of contests.
The ASEAN Basketball League will enter its seventh season of operation. While the league traditionally consists of teams based in Southeast Asian countries, two East Asia-based clubs will join the ABL this season.
The two clubs in question are the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions and the Kaohsiung Truth. They will join the aforementioned Alab Pilipinas club, along with holdovers Saigon Heat, Westports Malaysia Dragons and the Singapore Slingers.
The history of the ABL in the Philippines has been influential and controversial, with one season featuring no Filipino representative. Twice a Filipino club won the ABL championship (2009-10 Philippine Patriots and 2013 San Miguel Beermen), while one other team (2015-16 Pilipinas MX3 Kings) managed to survive only one season due to mismanagement.
The league also saw some Filipino and Fil-foreign players suit up as imports for other teams, mainly to influence and guide local talent. And last season, current Phoenix Fuel Masters head coach Ariel Vanguardia won the ABL championship with the Westports Malaysia Dragons.
Despite that, the ABL remains a league that is not necessarily known to the average Filipino. Local television coverage of the league has been spotty, with networks such as ESPN Star Sports (later FOX Sports Asia), PTV-4, TV5 and Solar Sports providing only a season's worth of ABL broadcasts.
That said, the deal with ABS-CBN Sports should give the ABL even greater exposure than before. With the former's vast broadcast range and up-to-date facilities, it should help the ABL reach out further to every Filipino household.
Let's just hope that the relationship between the ABL and ABS-CBN Sports will last longer than one season, provided that the Philippines will continue its representation. As for Alab Pilipinas, good luck.


text:
In a comment on my previous post about Ralph Hawtrey's discussion of the explosive, but short-lived, recovery triggered by FDR's 1933 suspension of the gold standard and devaluation of the dollar, Greg Ransom queried me as follows:
Is this supposed to be a lesson in international monetary economics . . . or a lesson in closed economy macroeconomics?
To which I responded:
I don't understand your question. The two are not mutually exclusive; it could be a lesson in either.
To which Greg replied:
I'm pushing you David to make a clearer and cleaner claim about what sort of monetary disequilibrium you are asserting existed in the 1929-1933 period, is this a domestic disequilibrium or an international disequilibrium — or are these temprary effects any nation could achieve via competitive devaluations of the currency, i.e. improving the terms of international trade via unsustainable temporary monetary policy.
Or are a ping pong of competitive devaluations among nations a pure free lunch?
And if so, why?
You can read my response to Greg in the comment section of my post, but I also mentioned that Hawtrey had addressed the issue of competitive devaluation in Trade Depression and the Way Out, hinting that another post discussing Hawtrey's views on the subject might be in the offing. So let me turn the floor over to Mr. R. G. Hawtrey.
When Great Britain left the gold standard, deflationary measure were everywhere resorted to. Not only did the Bank of England raise its rate, but the tremendous withdrawals of gold from the United States involved an increase of rediscounts and a rise of rates there, and the gold that reached Europe was immobilized or hoarded. . . .
The consequence was that the fall in the price level continued. The British price level rose in the first few weeks after the suspension of the gold standard, but then accompanied the gold price level in its downward trend. This fall of prices calls for no other explanation than the deflationary measures which had been imposed. Indeed what does demand explanation is the moderation of the fall, which was on the whole not so steep after September 1931 as before.
Yet when the commercial and financial world saw that gold prices were falling rather than sterling prices rising, they evolved the purely empirical conclusion that a depreciation of the pound had no effect in raising the price level, but that it caused the price level in terms of gold and of those currencies in relation to which the pound depreciated to fall.
For any such conclusion there was no foundation. Whenever the gold price level tended to fall, the tendency would make itself felt in a fall in the pound concurrently with the fall in commodities. But it would be quite unwarrantable to infer that the fall in the pound was the cause of the fall in commodities.
On the other hand, there is no doubt that the depreciation of any currency, by reducing the cost of manufacture in the country concerned in terms of gold, tends to lower the gold prices of manufactured goods. . . .
But that is quite a different thing from lowering the price level. For the fall in manufacturing costs results in a greater demand for manufactured goods, and therefore the derivative demand for primary products is increased. While the prices of finished goods fall, the prices of primary products rise. Whether the price level as a whole would rise or fall it is not possible to say a priori, but the tendency is toward correcting the disparity between the price levels of finished products and primary products. That is a step towards equilibrium. And there is on the whole an increase of productive activity. The competition of the country which depreciates its currency will result in some reduction of output from the manufacturing industry of other countries. But this reduction will be less than the increase in the country's output, for if there were no net increase in the world's output there would be no fall of prices.
In consequence of the competitive advantage gained by a country's manufacturers from a depreciation of its currency, any such depreciation is only too likely to meet with recriminations and even retaliation from its competitors. . . . Fears are even expressed that if one country starts depreciation, and others follow suit, there may result "a competitive depreciation" to which no end can be seen.
This competitive depreciation is an entirely imaginary danger. The benefit that a country derives from the depreciation of its currency is in the rise of its price level relative to its wage level, and does not depend on its competitive advantage. If other countries depreciate their currencies, its competitive advantage is destroyed, but the advantage of the price level remains both to it and to them. They in turn may carry the depreciation further, and gain a competitive advantage. But this race in depreciation reaches a natural limit when the fall in wages and in the prices of manufactured goods in terms of gold has gone so far in all the countries concerned as to regain the normal relation with the prices of primary products. When that occurs, the depression is over, and industry is everywhere remunerative and fully employed. Any countries that lag behind in the race will suffer from unemployment in their manufacturing industry. But the remedy lies in their own hands; all they have to do is to depreciate their currencies to the extent necessary to make the price level remunerative to their industry. Their tardiness does not benefit their competitors, once these latter are employed up to capacity. Indeed, if the countries that hang back are an important part of the world's economic system, the result must be to leave the disparity of price levels partly uncorrected, with undesirable consequences to everybody. . . .
The picture of an endless competition in currency depreciation is completely misleading. The race of depreciation is towards a definite goal; it is a competitive return to equilibrium. The situation is like that of a fishing fleet threatened with a storm; no harm is done if their return to a harbor of refuge is "competitive." Let them race; the sooner they get there the better. (pp. 154-57)
So yes, Greg, competitive devaluation is a free lunch. Bring it on.


text:
A Cruise Ship Heading Out to Sea
An aerial of a Royal Caribbean cruise ship heading out to see along the cruise channel between South Beach and Fisher Island. By the sound of EDM and the disco lights, the boat certainly was rocking and the party bumping!
Tiny Bat Planet
A tiny planet over Congress Ave Bridge in Downtown Austin, TX. This image is a spherical rendering of a 360 degree panoramic shot.
Dawn on a vibrant night along I-35 & Riverside
After weeks of heavy storms in Central Texas in June of 2016, I caught this 6-image panoramic of downtown Austin with my Phantom 4.
f/2.8 ISO 400 @ 1"
Dawn at the Texas State Capitol, 2015
Dawn at the Texas State Capitol
The Tower of Americas
This sunrise aerial shot (400ft) is of the Tower of the Americas, a 750-foot observation tower/restaurant located at HemisFair Park in Downtown San Antonio, TX. My Dad was part of the O'Neil Ford architecture team that designed the tower which was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World's Fair (HemisFair '68). The Tower was the tallest observation tower in the United States from 1968 until 1996, when the Las Vegas Stratosphere Tower was completed. It is the tallest building in San Antonio, the 27th tallest building in Texas, and the tallest building in Texas outside of Dallas or Houston.
The Frost Bank Tower in Downtown Austin
The Frost Bank Tower is a skyscraper in Austin, Texas, United States. Standing 515 feet tall with 33 floors, it is the third tallest building in Austin, behind The Austonian and the 360 Condominiums.
Doug Sahm Hill from Above
Doug Sahm Hill in Butler Park honors the memory of a musical Texas giant. Doug Sahm was a founding member of the Texas Tornados and contributed much to the Texas sound. He single handedly put Austin on the map and help make it the "Live Music Capital of the World"!
I particularly enjoyed the shadows cast by the sun and the people laying down on the grass looking at my drone hovering at 400ft.
The 360 Bridge
The 360 Bridge (aka the Pennybacker Bridge) spans Lake Austin on the Capital of Texas Highway, considered one of the most scenic drives in Texas. The bridge is 1,150 feet (351 m) long with a 600-foot (183 m) central arched span.
The Dawn of New Era
This sunrise aerial image of the UT Tower with the DKR stadium behind commemorates the hiring on new UT Longhorn football coach Tom Herman. Hook 'Em!
Game of Tetris Anyone?
FLying above the JW Marriott in Downtown Austin.
City Hall @ S. 1st Bridge
Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge @ Lamar Bridge
Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge @ Lamar Bridge
Springtime in Zilker Park
"I sure love the smell of" freshly cut grass "in the morning". This was a nice bright morning to be out flying over Zilker Park. I really enjoyed the lines the lawnmower was making in the grass.
Shadows Greeting a Lonely Boater
As the sun was beginning to set on a cold winter day, the long shadows cast by the trees along the banks of the Colorado River reached out to greet this lonely boater.
The Salt Mines of Maras, Peru
(Full pic here: https://flic.kr/p/CYLDym) I captured this aerial dronie 360° panoramic (8-image stitch) shortly after some storms rolled through the vast planes near Maras, a town located 40 kilometers north of Cuzco in Peru in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Needless to say I was pleasantly surprised to see a rainbow photo-bombed us way off in the distance!
Maras is well known for its nearby salt evaporation ponds (seen in the lower left side) that's been in use since Inca times. Though this photo does it no justice, thousands of uneven square-shaped ponds dot the slopes of the hillside less than a kilometer west of the town.
These pre-Inca salt pools were constructed during the Chanapata culture between AD 200 and AD 900. Highly salty water emerging from the Qoripujio spring, close to the head of the valley, is directed into an intricate network of tiny channels constructed so that the water runs gradually down onto the several hundred ancient terraced ponds. Almost all the ponds are less than four meters square in area, and none exceeds thirty centimeters in depth. The flow of water is carefully controlled and monitored by the workers. The altitude of the ponds slowly decreases, so that the water may flow through the myriad branches of the water-supply channels and be introduced slowly through a notch in one sidewall of each pond.
360 Bridge Overlook
This golden hour shot of the 360 Bridge Overlook was taken over this first weekend of December. The trees were really beginning to show their fall colors and the weather couldn't have been better! There was a good crowd (pictured lower center) soaking in the stunning views of Lake Austin, the Pennybaker Bridge and Austin, TX in the distance.
Cranes and Trains
Austin is a booming city! This was captured over the summer of 2015 and was a great night to be out on Lady Bird Lake.
Cruising Downtown Austin
A gorgeous Austin night for a riverboat cruise down Lady Bird Lake!
The Texas State Capitol
This is an aerial panoramic of the Texas State Capitol facing south with downtown Austin in the background.
360 Bridge ( 360° Aerial Panoramic)
The Pennybacker Bridge (or more commonly the 360 Bridge) in Austin, Texas, is a through-arch bridge across Lake Austin which connects the northern and southern sections of the Loop 360 highway, also known as the "Capital of Texas Highway." The road is widely considered one of the most scenic urban drives in Texas, in large part due to this arched weathering-steel bridge and the rolling hills that flank the road. In 2001, 48,000 vehicles crossed the bridge daily. Ten years prior to this, 22,000 vehicles had crossed the bridge daily.
Hook Em'!! - The UT Tower ( 360° Aerial Panoramic)
This 360° aerial panoramic of 'The Tower' was shot looking west on the UT campus. The 307-foot tall tower designed by Paul Cret of Philadelphia, was completed in 1937. Through the years, the Tower has served as the University's most distinguishing landmark and as a symbol of academic excellence and personal opportunity. It's infamous in that on August 1, 1966, Charles Joseph Whitman, an architectural engineering student at the university, barricaded himself in the observation deck of the tower of the Main Building with a scoped Remington 700 deer rifle and various other weapons. In a 96-minute standoff, Whitman killed 14 Austin residents and wounded many more. Police and armed citizens climbed up the Tower to the observation deck and shot Whitman to death.
Hot Air Balloon Over Steamboat Springs, CO
A low-aerial capture of a hot air balloon in Steamboat Springs, CO.


text:
Attention Lafayette, Baton Rouge & Hattiesburg – we're coming your way this weekend! Dig it:
~ 12/06 Lafayette, LA @ The Blue Moon Saloon
~ 12/07 Baton Rouge, LA @ Chelsea's Cafe
~ 12/08 Hattiesburg, MS @ Bennie's Boom Boom Room
All shows start at 10pm. Bring a friend or two or three. Hope to see you there!


text:
If the International Criminal Court (ICC) ever opens an investigation into Syria, it will almost assuredly become an irresistible trope to claim that the Court's involvement caused President Bashar al-Assad to "dig his heals in" and "fight to the death". It is an intuitive and persuasive claim to make. But there seems to be little support it.
It has long been argued, in the so-called "peace versus justice" debate that ICC investigations and prosecutions, when targeted against government or rebel leaders, remove the incentive of such leaders to negotiate a peaceful settlement and complicate their plans to go into exile or seek asylum. We witnessed this line of reasoning, most recently, in the case of Libya. Muammar Gaddafi was given numerous offers of exile as an incentive to end the conflict through a political, rather than military, solution. Initially, some offers were from ICC states parties, such as Uganda. As the conflict progressed, however, the intervening states exploring exile for Gaddafi made it clear they were looking for non-ICC member states could accept him. Of course, such offers ignored a rather simple but critical fact: Gaddafi had no intention to leave Libya. He said he would stay and fight until his death and he held his word. Little to no evidence suggests that he intended to do otherwise.
More broadly, there is little reason to believe that a leader like Gaddafi or Assad could trust an offer of exile. Offers of asylum or exile for leaders with blood on their hands are increasingly temporary gestures. For proof, look no farther than the case of Charles Taylor as evidence of this fact.
As many readers will already know, Taylor, a Liberian, was a key perpetrator in the notoriously brutal conflict in Sierra Leone. Taylor, however, was also the President of Liberia. During peace negotiations in Ghana to end the civil war in Liberia, the Special Court for Sierra Leone (SCSL) issued an indictment for Taylor. He immediately returned to Liberia, agreed to resign his presidency and fled to Nigeria, which granted him asylum and immunity from prosecution and extradition. After about two years, following requests by the new President of Liberia, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, and under pressure from the United States and others, Nigeria finally agreed to send Taylor back to Liberia. In response, Taylor tried to flee to Cameroon but was arrested at the border, sent to Liberia and was eventually flown to The Hague to be tried and convicted by the SCSL. Gaddafi, as an important supporter of Taylor, knew this story well.
So what will happen to Assad if the ICC intervenes?
Here's a snippet from a recent and insightful piece on the subject by Carol Williams and her interview with Andrew Tabler and his take on whether Assad could seek exile:
Tabler, [a] Syria expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, dismisses the notion that Assad would be safe in foreign exile from assassination by angry countrymen, with the possible exception of Iran. He holds out the prospect that Assad could live up to his promise never to abandon his Syrian homeland, especially if the civil war is ended by breaking the country into sectarian components. Assad is of the minority Alawite population, a Shiite Muslim-aligned sect concentrated in the mountainous coastal region of Latakia.
Assad's fall would be a blow to Russia, no matter how Syria's chief ally scrambles in the civil war's 11th hour to put itself on the right side of history, Tabler said. Opposition forces will dominate any post-Assad leadership, and many will hold a grudge against the country that propped up their nemesis through the long bloodletting.
"The Russians don't want him. Anyone who takes him in is going to be the target of a lot of anger," Tabler said.
Moscow wants to avoid becoming the object of bitter resentment, Tabler said, as the United States did by sheltering the shah of Iran after the Islamic Revolution, setting in motion an adversarial relationship that persists more than three decades later.
It seems clear that Assad's fate will be determined in Syria. He is unlikely to give up, even if it does appear that he is losing ground to Syrian rebels. It also seems unlikely he would go into exile. He wouldn't be safe from groups seeking revenge and he would find it difficult to trust exile as anything more than a temporary gesture.
Other than Russia, some states might consider giving Assad refuge and protection from vengeance or prosecution. There are enough governments that view sticking a finger in the eye of the 'West' as a matter of good policy. But how long would that last – until the next government sees protecting Assad as too costly or until a shifting of international allegiances?
Importantly, offers of exile and asylum remain legally feasible. As much as human rights groups might wish it otherwise, there is no international law that prohibits ICC indictees from going into exile or non-member states from accepting indicted individuals. Nevertheless, the nature of international politics has changed dramatically since the days when the likes of Uganda's Idi Amin could live out the rest of their days in relative peace in exile. Brutal leaders seem more likely today to stick it out to the end than they did just a few short decades ago.
Offers of exile, asylum and immunity continue to be granted to vicious dictators and despots. But they just don't seem interested in accepting them. Critically, however, it isn't clear that this is the case because of the existence of the ICC or any changes in the international community's respect for international justice. So if and when the ICC comes knocking on Damascus, Assad will almost surely remain in Syria. Despite what observers might say, however, it won't be because of the Court.


text:
All Items : Artists : Ceramics : Pottery : Sculptural : Pre 1990 item #587572 (stock #0128)
Japanese Art Site
Please see the recent Ceramic Monthly cover story on Michael Gustavson, at gustavsonstudios.com Collectors of Gustavson know that his early pieces, like this one, "Wedges" from 1986, are some of his best work, and are all the more valuable because they are hard to find. This is likely the finest example of his early work that is available today. This extraordinary raku vessel has had only a single owner from the day it was created over 20 years ago. Height: 26.5 inches (67.5 cm), Width: 22 inches (56 cm)
Japanese Art Site
Suzuki Goro, winner of a long list of prizes, including Japan's top prize for ceramic artists, the Japan Ceramic Society Prize, and the subject of many feature articles in numerous international publications, is one of the most widely exhibited and renowned living Japanese artists, and is recognized as one of the greatest living ceramic artists in the world, and the foremost Oribe artist. These extraordinary cups are a great example of the vivacious, unrestrained creativity that has made him famous, and his work so highly prized. Height: 4.5 inches (11.5 cm), Diameter: 3.3 inches, 8.7 cm.


text:
You are currently browsing the monthly archive for July 2013.
A strange thing happened as I grew into adulthood: I became progressively less alone.
In many respects this is a wonderful thing: I have fantastic children, my wife and I share our lives in ways that I could never have imagined, I am respected and welcomed in my professional and social circles. This is all great stuff. However, for me, it is also an unexpected and significant challenge.
A key plank of many psychological theories of personality is the axis stretching between introversion and extroversion. The neatest way of describing this axis is in terms of energy. A person who tends to be introverted finds it tiring to be around other people. It sucks out their energies and can leave them progressively more exhausted until they take time to themselves and are able to recharge. By contrast, a more extroverted person does not find it tiring to be around other people. In fact, it charges them up. They tire more quickly if left alone.
A couple of real life examples: one colleague of mine was so gregarious that she preferred to work late into the evening rather than risk getting home earlier than her husband. She said that she hated hanging around in her apartment on her own. By contrast, another friend is notorious for taking himself out of circulation for many hours every weekend in order to engage in solitary DIY projects.
My tendency is strongly towards the introverted end of the spectrum. However, it is only in recent years that I have really appreciated the consequences of this tendency. Although I grew up with two younger brothers, even when I was as young as six I remember my father taking steps to make me a room of my own. He divided off a portion of the large room we were all sharing so that I could have space away from my brothers. Later I had the attic room after we moved house. I had my own room at boarding school and university. Eventually I had my own flat. At the same time, I also had my own time: at school and as a student I spent time hidden away in libraries or pursuing my own interests; starting out as a professional I spent time buried in documents and case-law. Until I was around thirty, having my own personal space, my own personal time, was a given.
Over the last five years or so the tide has rushed back in. As I became more senior professionally, more and more of my time is spent face to face with colleagues and clients. Rather than being buried in documents, I have a steady stream of juniors coming to me throughout the day. A few months ago at a conference I managed to cram in upwards of thirty client meetings and events over a four day period. I spend a huge amount of my professional time being friendly, accessible, responsive and supportive.
At home the shift is in the same direction. I spend my weekends with children scrambling around on my head (not a figure of speech). Most evenings I hang out with my wife or I spend time trying to get the aforesaid children to go back to sleep. I no longer have a room of my own. I am writing this post on a commuter train.
All of the above is great and I wouldn't have it any other way. However, it is a challenge. Company – even with people I love – is still tiring, professional face-time even more so. However, satisfying and rewarding that time may be. I know that burnout is a very real possibility and not uncommon in the City.
Games have come to fill an important role for me as I adapt to that challenge: my computers have become my virtual personal space. Playing a game is an opportunity to step into an space where I am alone.
Jesper Juul, in his book Half-Real, discusses the unique conjunction in videogames between real rules and fictional worlds. I think that this conjunction is fundamental to my relationship with games and their role in permitting me "a feeling of privacy and enclosure at regular intervals", to quote Howling Dogs, that I do not have easy access to elsewhere in my life.
Unlike the simple escapism of science fiction and fantasy literature, although I love that as well, playing a game is an exercise of my own agency. The rules of the game are real and my engagement with them, the decisions and performances afforded to me by those rules, is equally real. However, the fictional world presented by the game, the other half of Juul's 'half-real' formulation, is virtual. It is separated from the real-life spaces of my social, family and professional life. In this way the game creates a private space for me to exercise my real agency which is not dependent upon carving out physical space from the real estate I share with family and colleagues. I do not have justify that space to anyone or – to put it at its bluntest – fight my family members for exclusive territory.
That the rules and presentation of the game are managed by the computer, without the involvement of other people, means that the playspace can be mine alone and – more critically – that the time involved in playing games is entirely mine to manage. I do not need to fit in with the timetables or opening hours of clubs or workshops as would be the case for other hobbies. I don't need to be out of circulation and unavailable to my family on a Saturday afternoon. The personal space and time provided by a game can, quite literally in the case of mobile games, be folded up and put in my pocket. It is the Tardis of hobbies.
I worry about games as anaesthesia. Do I play games because I can't cope with a very busy and demanding real life? Am I a 'man-child' trying to regress to a juvenile, demand-free state? Many professional contemporaries claim 'not to have time' for games any more. By making time for games, albeit in the interstices of my life, am I shirking some other aspects of adulthood?
I don't think so. Part of growing up is adapting to the changes in your life circumstances, your relationships, your own personality. For me an important adaptation has been shifting my need for private space out of the physical and towards the virtual. Games provide a vital personal space and time for me to play alone.
In addition to helping me balance the challenges presented by familial and professional maturity, that space also has its own rewards. I have come to appreciate far more deeply the underexplored possibilities of the medium. I have been inspired to read widely in the field and to articulate my own thoughts. I have encountered games that opened my my eyes to aspects of my own life and other people's lives to which I would have been blind a few years ago. I have even learned to make some games of my own – another personal and private hobby that can be done on a netbook on a train. If this is being a 'man-child' then I'm cool with it.


text:
I say this every month but honestly where is this year going and how is it already October?! I'm so excited for autumn and winter though, because as much as I love the warmer weather, I hate it in the UK! People just don't know how to deal with it, including myself. I never have any decent summer clothes for the UK either and I was baking at work and home. URGH!
September really did fly by and I honestly do not know where the month went. Well to be fair I had a week off work so that fly by, which is always the way it works! 😛 That is definitely my last bit of holiday until April now. 😛
So with a busy month, I have SO MANY FAVOURITES TO SHARE! I sometimes struggle to be honest with you, but not this month. 😛 I hope you like this months favourites post anyhoo!
- SBC Collagen Bath & Shower Creme.
This was a shower creme my mom recently gave to me. She loves SBC and when I lived at home I used to use the brand quite a lot. Since moving out a few years ago I've not touched it since, not until she recently gave me this MASSIVE bottle of collagen bath and shower creme! I use this daily now and it only takes a little bit of this and it goes such a long way. It smells floral yet sweet, I can't quite put my finger on the scent but I really do like it, it's different. This makes my skin feel so moisturised and fresh after use. I really do love it and so happy my mom gave it to me.
- Barry M All in One Nail Paint.
This has been one of my favourite base and top coats for years, YEARS! My old bottle of this went out of date and was unusable, which sucks. I finally remembered to pick up a new bottle and this helped my nail polishes last SO DAMN LONG, which in turn made me so happy. I've been struggling to get my polishes to last longer than a day but thanks to using this it's caused them to last just under a week. I love it and I don't think I'll use my nail polishes without it ever again.
- The Body Shop Coconut Bubble Bar (review here).
If there is a new bath product I love to the moon and back, it's definitely the coconut bubble bar from The Body Shop. I feel like I've spoken loads about The Body Shop on my blog lately and I do apologise for that, but meh I love the brand so much and it's thanks to me rediscovering it that has helped me start to look after my skin properly once again. These bubble bars are a real treat but I've used them quite a few times throughout September. It's just made me realise how excited I am for the colder weather and coming home to a nice hot bath after a long day. I really hope The Body Shop release some limited edition scents for Christmas! I've linked it where the name of the product is, but I recently reviewed this, so you can check it out.
- Barry M Molten Metal Celestial Silver Nail Paint.
When I picked up the Barry M all in one nail paint I picked up a few other bits and pieces too. It turned out I qualified for a 3 for 2 offer so I quickly ran back to the Barry M stand and picked up this gorgeous nail paint! This is part of the molten metal collection, which I own a couple of nail paints from already (you can check out the review for the holographic one here) and they're pretty awesome. I'd seen pictures of this shade on Instagram and it is so damn pretty! I wore it during my week off work and it was so lovely to wear. I got so many compliments on it. I really need to paint my nails with it again, as well as review it. 😛
- Carex Unicorn Magic Hand Wash.
I picked this up at the start of September as I found it in Savers. I remember hearing about this scent from Carex for AGES but could never find it anywhere! So when I found both the hand wash and the shower and bath I picked a couple of each up. I was going to mention the shower and bath but I feel like the hand wash has been used so much more. It's such a lovely scent, which is of palma violets! I've never been a massive fan of the sweets, but I do really like the scent. I don't know if this hand wash is drying my skin out of not, as I've always been hit and miss with Carex hand washes. I don't care though, I love it so damn much and it's going to be a part of my bathroom from now on!
So now my beauty favourites are done, time to talk about the miscellaneous favourites of the month!
Favourite TV Show – American Horror Story Season 7 Cult.
Before and during our week off I made sure that me and Dane finished catching up on American Horror Story. I would have mentioned season 6 too, but that was such a bag of shit I couldn't even believe people enjoyed it. Season 7 which is Cult was AMAZING though and I loved it so much! I loved Evan Peter's character, even if he was a psycho! I also loved his sister Winter too and especially loved what she wore throughout the show. It was just a great season, even if it was a little bat shit crazy… But which season of AHS ISN'T bat shit crazy? 😛 I need to start watching the new season as it's currently airing, but it's trying to find it to be honest.
Favourite Film – Christoper Robin.
Oh man I was so happy to have a date evening with Dane and this film was definitely that. I cried so many times throughout this and as soon as it comes out on DVD and Bluray I'll be picking it up! It was such a lovely film and definitely one that I thought was made for adults over children. Pooh was adorable and definitely one of my favourite characters alongside Eeyore. The humour was just so dry and hilarious all at the same time! If I wasn't crying, I was laughing. At one point I was sad for Pooh and turned to Dane to say, "Oh poor Pooh" and my voice broke as I said it was I was trying not to cry. It was hilarious! If you haven't seen this film yet and get the chance to, honestly go and see it.
Favourite Book – Himouto! Umaru-Chan.
New month, new manga to read! I've not read loads of this, but enough for me to mention it here this month. I LOVED the anime so as soon as I found out the manga was FINALLY coming out in the UK I decided to order both volume 1 and 2 so I could read it. There are so many volumes coming out over a short period of time too which is pretty awesome and I love it! It's a pretty cool manga and what you'd expect if you've watched the anime. It's definitely made me chuckle when I've read it before going to work.
Favourite Song/Artist/Album – Myth & Roid – Voracity.
Me and Dane discovered this song thanks to the anime Overlord and we love it so damn much! We listen to it almost daily and it's so damn catchy. I can't remember where we were or what we were doing but I kept humming it whilst we were out and it was starting to bug me after a while. 😛 I need to find more music from this band as their sound is pretty awesome. Definitely give it a listen!
Favourite Game – Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies.
I hate that I go into phases when it comes to playing games and this is definitely a game I've played on and off for God knows how long! I do really love playing it but sometimes I just don't have time and then other times I'll have LOADS of time to play it! It's so bizarre. Anyway, I've finally sort of got into this game and I really do love playing it. I feel like a mini detective/solicitor and it's pretty cool. I only paid about £7.00 for it too when I picked it up, which is pretty good. Now I'm talking about it, I actually really want to go and play it.
So those were my favourites from September. I'm pretty excited for October as I plan to start my Christmas shopping and of course we have Halloween and Bonfire Night coming up, which is always good. 😛
Do you have plans for both of those things yet? What were your favourites from September too? Make sure to let me know in the comments down below!
Until next time, take care all and I hope you had a lovely weekend.


text:
I remembered how my Old Testament professor used to greet us at the start of class with something like "Hello, comrades" or "Hello, fellow scholars." This occurred back in the time when I was studying towards my MTS degree. Many of us just laughed at the remark, some of us somehow looked perplexed, but for me, I felt very undeserving to be called a scholar. My idea of a scholar then was someone who is an expert in a particular field of study, and someone who has a PhD, a teaching post, a long list of publications, and an established name and track record in the scholarly world. At the time, I thought that, by that definition, I would never be considered or called a scholar, since only a small percentage of the multitude of scholars in every field of discipline will fit into that category.
This old (and wrong) perception of mine, however, has changed in the course of seemingly endless and sophisticated schoolwork and education in graduate school that I have done. And reflecting on what I have learned through all my years in education, particularly during my PhD studies, I offer some ideas of what it means to be a scholar.
First, my old notion of a scholar, the one I mentioned above, is only one of the many dictionary definitions of the term "scholar." According to a number of dictionary definitions, a "scholar" can be any "learned person" or "student or pupil." The important thing to note here is that anyone who devotes their time and energy in graduate school to mastering a particular subject matter like the New Testament or sociolinguistics or linguistics, for example, can legitimately be called a scholar. In other words, the term "scholar" would more appropriately refer to what a person does (i.e., one's job or vocation) than to one's notoriety (i.e., one's reputation or acclamations). The former conceptualization helps us understand the real deal (so Luke 17:10); the latter tempts us to become all puffed up. To be sure, because our life circumstances, priorities, background, etc., differ from one another, we cannot define scholarship based on what others think of us, although of course we can determine the stage of our scholarship based on our achievements as we progress—hence the nomenclature "beginning scholar," "junior scholar," "senior scholar," etc.
Secondly, because I take the term "scholar" to refer to one's job or vocation, it is inevitable for us not to talk about the idea of a good scholar and a bad scholar. I am not trying to pinpoint here who the good and the bad scholars are, and I am certainly not referring to their character or personality. But good scholarship requires a basic set of criteria for it to be considered as of high standard and good quality. Of course these criteria are only my own, and I certainly do not expect everyone to agree with me. I consider it bad scholarship when these essential criteria of good scholarship are not met in one's scholarship. I will state these in terms of what good scholarship looks like.
- Good scholarship does not simply reuse or revise an old or existing idea, either by rehashing what has already been said or by arguing for what has already been argued, without introducing something new to supplement an old idea or a new methodology to support an old argument.
- Good scholarship makes arguments on the basis of a defined theoretical framework or methodological procedure and not simply on the basis of personal opinion or preference, or simply logical deduction and what might at first appear to be straightforward interpretation of the available facts or information.
- Good scholarship suspends judgment when new arguments, facts, information, and evidence on a particular issue or subject matter are presented, and will re-evaluate its own view and position in light of them.
- Good scholarship gives credit when credit is due and will not claim the credit for itself. This criterion naturally forces good scholars to think and assess critically a particular issue or subject they are interested in.
- Good scholarship always feels a sense of inadequacy, understanding that scholars do not and cannot know everything, and will thus strive for continual progress and improvement.
Thirdly and lastly, I wish to share briefly from my experience in the last four or so years as a graduate student to say why I think of myself as a good scholar. I recently graduated (May 2015) with a PhD in Christian Theology (New Testament), and I therefore see myself as a beginning scholar. I love what I do (i.e., research and writing, editing, and teaching), and this is the reason why I was able to publish articles, essays, and reviews in various venues while working as a graduate assistant, teaching in an adjunct capacity, being involved in a number of extra-curricular academic activities, and completing my degree program (my publications are posted on our blog site to validate what I say here). Now that I have a teaching and editing job, I continue to love what I do. I believe that if we love what we do, this will always be (and may only be, sad to say) the chief motivation that will keep us going as a scholar—but perhaps this should be enough.
— Hughson T. Ong


text:
Once while watching Masterchef Australia, I noted the emphasis on keeping the bench clean while recreating complex recipes. It was mentioned that our work-station reflected our mind space and having it cluttered and messy greatly affects our productivity.
At the time, I couldn't realize the importance of this principle, but over time, this learning made better sense to me and has now become a practice I religiously follow.
Once while baking a chocolate sponge cake, I had the recipe before my eyes, all ingredients laid out, all tools, bake-ware prepared and the oven set to preheating. One look at the kitchen bench would give the onlooker an idea that a major experiment was on its way. Perhaps a recipe being invented that the human race was yet to introduce to its taste buds. Every possible baking tool was on the kitchen counter besides the usual staples and much more.
Soon enough there was flour everywhere, egg shells, butter paper strips, grains of sugar and of course cocoa powder and baking powder too added to the mess painting the bench in shades of white and brown.
As I put my cake to bake in the oven, I darted out of the kitchen, relieved that all was done. Leaving the messy kitchen bench to be dealt with later. It was only later that I realized that had I cleaned the kitchen bench right away, I would have noted having missed on adding the Vanilla extract (a key ingredient to mask the odor of the eggs added) to my cake, a key ingredient in this simple 6 ingredient recipe.
Minutes ticked away and though I could smell something cooking, there was no sign of the heartwarming aroma of the vanilla essence in the air. Still, no alarm bells rang in my head. At the specified time, when I took the cake out of the oven, I still couldn't smell anything I usually do.
As I set the cake to cool down and started cleaning up the bench, I realized the blunder I had committed but it was too late to correct it anyway.That was the day, my life changed.
Food, especially baking is very close to my heart. Stuffing up a well-rehearsed recipe didn't go down well with me and the ruined cake haunted me for a very long time.
From that moment (a few years ago) on I make it a point to clear up as soon as I am done with a task. Be it the kitchen bench or my writing desk. I strive to keep it as less cluttered as I can make it.
Though I didn't notice any significant results right away, but in the long run my productivity has improved manifolds. My mind feels clearer and better focused and I have been able to recreate recipes with over 35 ingredients with inspiring results every single time. And stress fails to get the better of me because I feel in better control all the time.
While being organised is the key, the impact of keeping the workstation clutter-free represents a clear mind space that is open to relaxed, happier outlook, helping you see through the problem right away and is definitely provides a needed push to perform better free from distraction.
What is the usual state of your kitchen bench/ workstation?


text:
I'm Mary Gardiner. It's also the name I am best known by in geekland: I go by lots of names online and can't commit to any of them.
If asked about my geekdom I tend to talk about Free Software, which I occasionally write and generally am steeped in in various ways. Eventually I will also remember that I'm a PhD student in a computer science program. If asked about my feminism, I guess the most constant thing is that the question about not calling myself a feminist never made a lot of sense. Maybe it's a literalist geek thing: if there's a label for supporting ending of oppression of and discrimination against women, and I believe in so doing, doesn't the label apply?
I currently like to count myself as two people whenever a vote is or might conceivably be called for: in four months or a bit longer I will be a geek feminist mother for the first time. Otherwise, the most immediate thing that I'm thinking about is intersectionality, and the fact that this is a recent thing and not a core part of my self should tell you how privileged I am: white, young, able-bodied, tertiary educated, heterosexual, among other things. I even have a slightly rare trait which is privileged because it's more common in male bodies: I'm very tall (tall enough that I'd still be quite a tall man, tall enough that I know what its like to be the tallest person in a medium-sized room) and the things in the world that are built for average men to reach, lift, manipulate and control are right there in arm's reach for me too.
I hope to learn a lot here about geekdom, feminism, and other things.


text:
We are very sad to learn that skateboarding icon Eric Swenson was the one who ended his life in front of the Mission police station Monday morning. Eric was one of the people responsible for the creation of Thrasher Magazine, Independent trucks, and Spitfire wheels to name just a few brands.
While working at Thrasher Magazine I never had the chance to speak with Eric in person, but highly respected him for helping to create the industry we all so dearly loved and love today. In a time when other businesses ran from skateboarding, Eric stuck it out doing what he loved most and giving back along the way. Sincere condolences to his family and friends.
Eric Swenson, Craig Stecyk, & Fausto Vitello, at the Independent foundry in San Francisco, CA, 1983. Photo by MoFo ~via Thrasher Magazine


text:
Kai Sonder (CIMMYT) wrote:
China has released a new global 30m resolution landcover data set for ca 2010. From the first glimpse looks better than Globcover, even CIMMYT's research station in Sonora is properly classified as artificial surface and towns that were absent in Globcover. User registration and login work well but still waiting for the download links for the the actual tiles.
Hope enough of you can try this out so we can see if its worth using broadly but seems promising.


text:
[This post originally appeared on the UK Constitutional Law Group Blog]
If all goes to plan, this week the wording of a new amendment to the Irish Constitution will be finalised. The amendment is designed to permit reductions to the pay of judges and will be voted on in a referendum on 27th October. The reason for the amendment is well known: the Irish government has no money. In the midst of a general financial crisis, the pay of other state employees has been significantly reduced through levies. Thus far judges have been exempt because of Article 35.5 of the Constitution, which is unambiguous: 'The remuneration of a judge shall not be reduced during his continuance in office.' The exemption of judges from a general pay cut was never going to be politically palatable and so a halfway house solution was arrived at two years ago. A scheme was set up whereby judges could voluntarily forego a portion of their salary in line with the cuts to salaries of other public servants. Uptake of this scheme was, not surprisingly, quite slow although by January of this year a significant majority (125 out of 147 judges http://www.rte.ie/news/2011/0106/judges.html) had signed up to the scheme. When it came into office earlier this year, the new government promised to proceed with a referendum to facilitate formal reductions to judges' pay. This pledge was popular and the amendment is virtually certain to be approved in the referendum.
The core of the new provision (assuming no further amendments) will be Article 35.5.3:
"Where, before or after the enactment into law of this section, reductions have been or are made by law to the remuneration of persons belonging to classes of persons whose remuneration is paid out of public money and such law states that those reductions are in the public interest, provision may also be made by law to make reductions to the remuneration of judges."
If passed, the government proposes to reduce the salary of senior judges by 31%. The judiciary are, by all accounts, unhappy about this proposal and let this be known by a memorandum released in July (much to the annoyance of the Minister for Justice, who insisted that it be removed from the Court Service website – an interesting incident for what it suggests about relations between politicians and judges). The judges' document, available here: http://www.irishtimes.com/focus/2011/judicialpay/index.pdf, was at pains to point out that the judges did not oppose a pay cut as such, but pointed (amongst other things) to the threat to judicial independence created by the possibility of a reduction to judicial pay.
From the way the new Article 35.5.3 is constructed we can surmise that the drafters are trying to manage a difficult juggling act. They want on the one hand to achieve a legitimate mechanism by which reductions in judicial remuneration may be achieved. On the other hand, they want to avoid the challenge to judicial independence that arises if judges' remuneration can be used as a means of influencing their decision-making. This is a sensible way to approach the problem. If judicial independence is about anything at its core, it is about protecting judges from the kind of very personal worries – around personal pay and conditions, threats to the person and to family, etc – that might create a risk that they would be afraid to make unpopular decisions.
The drafters' chosen solution is that a reduction in judicial pay must be coupled to a reduction in public sector pay more generally done 'in the public interest'. Unfortunately because the wording of Article 35.5.3 is rather loose it is not clear that this is what it actually does. The phrase 'persons belonging to classes of persons whose remuneration is paid out of public money' seems unnecessarily vague and obtuse. It could mean almost anything. The putative 'public interest' test is also too vague. One would hope that most actions taken by the state should be done in the public interest, but the 'public interest' concerns that apply to reducing the pay of a civil servant, for example, are not likely to be the same kind of public interest concerns that apply to a judge. Yet as the wording stands it seems that it is the former standard that must be engaged when reducing the pay of judges.
What else could have been done? Three suggestions:
- Nothing. In the O'Byrne case ([1959] IR 1) the Supreme Court applied a purposive interpretation to the meaning of Article 35.5, concluding that a requirement that judges pay income tax was not an attack on judicial independence. It might have been something of a stretch for a court that has become more literalist in recent decades, but it could reasonably be argued that a general reduction in the pay of everyone (not just judges) in emergency conditions is not a reduction to the pay of a judge for the purposes of Article 35.5.
- A 'One-Shot' amendment. The amendment could simply provide for a once-off reduction to judicial pay, leaving the existing Article 35.5 in place.
- Just Word it Better. Why not simply state that judges are not exempt from general pay cuts affecting all public servants but nor may they be specially selected for pay cuts, either individidually or as a group? Why not create an independent means for determining what judicial pay should be?
As it stands, the amendment is a classic example of hard cases making bad law. The new Article 35.5 closely addresses a very specific situation but has uncertain application outside of it. It is a shame that a threat to judicial independence in Ireland, even a minor one, should be created just because of bad drafting.


text:
Lorelle VanFossen provides training programs and is a popular keynote speaker and workshop leader specializing in web publishing, WordPress, blogging, social media, analytics, and having your say on the web. A long-time leader in web technology and development, since 1994 she has provided training programs and consulting on multimedia web publishing, delighting audiences with her quick wit and hysterical approach to what could be a dry subject. Her passion and enthusiasm for helping people have their say is contagious, and your group would benefit from a "Lorelle encounter" as many groups will testify.
Charles McKeever – Open Source Marketer – on Lorelle VanFossen at WordCamp Dallas 2009:
"Damn it Jim. I'm a blogger not a star ship captain!" That should have been the tagline for the talk that Lorelle VanFossen gave at WordCamp Dallas 2009. Lorelle gave another information packed, personality driven, WordPress ninja performance when she took the stage and played a Star Trek laden video intro for her USS WordPress Tags and Tribbulations talk.
If you don't know, Lorelle is the resident WordPress mascot blogger. Last year she gave a fantastic talk on power blogging. This year she showed us how important it is to categorize the posts in your blog.
Lorelle has been the keynote and program leader to more than 40 WordCamps around the world, popular annual WordPress regional and national events, since 2007. She was the keynote for the very first international WordCamp in Tel Aviv, Israel. In Portland, Oregon, she put on the WordPress Fairy Blog Mother persona to present WordCamp Portland: How WordPress Changes Lives in 2008, the first Portland WordPress event. She has "evangelized" WordPress and blogging in more than a dozen countries at WordCamps and WordPress meetups and special events.
Her training programs on web publishing and social web interaction and marketing include a wide range of businesses, associations, non-profits, and government agencies. A typical year finds her 5-7 months on the road with speaking and training sessions and book tours.
Mark Ghosh of Weblog Tools Collection says:
Be kind, educate.
I adore Lorelle. To me, she is the embodiment of our community in everything she does and in every action she performs. She is supportive and critical at the same time. She embraces and challenges in the same breath. She sticks her tongue out and throws her arms wide open all in one swoop. I believe what makes her approach so nice is that she is kind to the people that can enact change and she loves to teach other people to do the things she does so well. She is a WordPress enabler.
I wanna be like her. So I pledge to be as kind as I can be and I promise to educate everyone that cares to listen. While I am at it, I hope to learn a thing or two along the way. Will you help me do that?
In addition to more than 5,000 articles, podcasts, and interviews on WordPress, blogging, and web publishing, she is the author of the first book on blogging tips and techniques, Blogging Tips: What Bloggers Won't Tell You About Blogging, and the popular, Social Media for Crafters: Covering the Basics of the Social Web, for artists and crafters.
She is a founding member of Successful Online Business Conference (SOBCon), the successful business conference held in Chicago and Portland, Oregon. She is also the official "disruptive thinker" for the Bitwire Media network of sites including WordCast, Making My Life Network, Stories of Our Journeys, Life on the Road, WordCast Conversations, and the very popular WordCast Podcast.
Presentation topic examples include:
- WordPress-specific
- Tags and Categories: Understanding Website Organization and Structure
- Mind Blowing WordPress Plugins: Showcasing Plugin Development that Breaks Rules
- How WordPress Changes Lives: The Power of Putting Publishing in Your Hands
- Managing Multiple Authors in WordPress
- 260 Ways to Break WordPress: Encouraging Creative Thinking
- WordPress.com Versus WordPress.org: Which One To Choose?
- WordPress Power Blogging Tips
- User Experience: Creating a Powerful User Experience in WordPress
- Web Publishing:
- Your Blog as a Business Card
- By the Numbers: Understanding the Basics of Web Analytics
- Integrating Social Media with Web Publishing
- Blog Clutter: Tackling the Garbage on Our Websites
- Web Accessibility: Meeting the US Federal Standards for 2012
- Understanding Web Accessibility and the Benefits to Your Business
- Podcasting: Making Your Passion Seen and Heard
- Podcasting from a Storyteller's Perspective
- Photoblogging: The Art of Visual Expression
- The Ignored Footer: Putting Life Back Into Your Bottom Line
- Web Writing:
- Kicking Ass Content Creation
- Speed Blogging: Getting Your Message Out There Fast
- Having Your Say Online: Tips, Techniques, and Don'ts
- Memoirs and Personal Blogs: How to Tell Your Story
- Web Writing: The Art of Conveying Your Message in the Online Social Web World
- Content Connections: How to Create Content that Builds a Community
- Blogging Your Passion: How to Share Your Natural Talents
- When Having Your Say is Your Passion
- Online Business and User Experience:
- User Experience: Tracing the Customer Journey
- User Experience Versus Usability: Making Both Matter
- Community Building in the Era of the Social Web
- F2F: The New Way of Doing Business Online – Face to Face Virtually
- Creating an Online Persona
Charles McKeever – The Open Source Marketer says:
Lorelle is "The" WordPress evangelist. Her blog is a wealth of information and she continually works hard to make sure it offers real value all the time. She is fun and outgoing. She treats everyone she meets like they've been her best friend for years, and when you talk with Lorelle you feel like you're the only person in the room. Lorelle is colorful without being crass, and engaging without being overbearing. She wears life like a favorite sweater with holes in the elbows and when she talks, you can hear all the places she's been. She's one of my favorite people.
- Introduction to WordPress
- Integrating WordPress into Your Business and Work
- One to Four Day WordPress Training Workshops
- WordPress Design and Development
- Web Writing Tips and Techniques
- Multimedia Web Publishing
- Podcasting Introduction and Training (video/audio)
- Social Media Integration with Web Publishing
- Creating an Online Persona for Web Marketing
- Website Development, Structure, and Organization
- Web Analytics: The Basics and Beyond
- The Customer Journey: Tracing the User Experience for Your Company
- Introduction to the Web Browser and Web Publishing
For information on bringing Lorelle VanFossen to your business, group, or event, contact us.
WordPress Events and WordCamps
If you are looking for a WordPress-related event, go to WordCamp Central and WordPress Meetups on Meetup.com.


text: Jacqueline established The Snuggery because she believes in the healing power of touch. The Snuggery is a place to take a break from the hustle and bustle of life and focus on the simple restorative pleasure of touch. Though science has unquestionably supported the psychological and physical benefits of non-sexual touch, Americans distinctly lack it. It's time for change. At The Snuggery, Jacqueline provides individuals with private snuggling sessions. She aims to make the world a gentler place, one snuggle at a time.


text:
President Obama included several tax proposals to help low- and middle-income families in his 2015 budget proposal on Tuesday.
They're designed to help the working poor, to make child care and college more affordable, and to make it easier to save for retirement.
The cost of the proposals would be paid for by closing what the White House calls tax loopholes that affect the richest among us.
Among those provisions is the preferential tax treatment for carried interest paid to managers of private equity funds, including venture capital. Carried interest represents a share of profits from the fund and is taxed at the capital gains rate of 20%. Obama proposes, as he has many times before, taxing it as ordinary income.
Now, for a dose of budget reality: In most years, the House and Senate don't adopt much, if anything, from presidential budget proposals. And this time could be even worse in that regard since, among other things, it's a mid-term election year and no one expects much to happen legislatively, least of all tax reform.
Nevertheless, Obama's proposed changes do offer a window into the president's thinking should lawmakers choose to make any tax changes.
Expand tax credit for the childless working poor: Obama proposed to double the Earned Income Tax Credit for childless workers.
The EITC is an antipoverty program designed to encourage and reward work. But the credit primarily benefits workers who have children and does little to help very low-income childless workers or noncustodial parents. Their maximum credit is worth less than a tenth of what they could get if they had two or three children.
In fact, a childless person making the minimum wage and working full time would earn too much to qualify for the EITC, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a left-leaning think tank.
Today, the maximum credit a childless worker can receive is $496. But once their income tops $8,110 the credit would get progressively smaller and would be phased out entirely once they made $14,590.
Obama would double the maximum credit to close to $1,000. He would also raise the top of the income threshold for eligibility from just under $15,000 today to about $18,000 next year.
The credit would also be made available to workers between the ages of 21 and 24. Today, childless workers under 25 are not allowed to claim it.
The change would help an estimated 13.5 million workers and lift about half a million of them above the poverty line, the administration said. That's on top of the roughly 6.5 million people lifted out of poverty in 2011.
Obama's budget also calls for recent expansions of the EITC for workers with children to be made permanent.
While there's not much that Obama and Republicans agree on publicly when it comes to the safety net, the EITC has gotten relatively high marks from both parties as a poverty-fighting measure.
Related: Obama drops controversial Social Security proposal
Create Auto IRAs: Not for the first time, Obama called on Congress to authorize automatic IRAs to make saving for retirement easier for workers who don't have access to a 401(k) or other qualified retirement plan at their job.
Obama's proposal would require that companies that have been in business at least 2 years and have at least 10 employees set up auto IRA accounts for their workers if the company doesn't otherwise sponsor a retirement plan.
Employers would not be obligated to make matching contributions, but they would have to automatically deposit a portion of workers' paychecks into auto IRAs.
Employees would be given a choice of how much to deduct from their paychecks and would be able to opt out of the program.
Expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit: The president's budget would make it less expensive for parents of very young children to hold a job or go back to school.
Currently the child and dependent care tax credit is worth 35% of child care expenses up to $3,000 per child, for a maximum of $6,000 per family. The credit applies to any child under the age of 13 and to disabled dependents of any age.
Under Obama's plan, parents of very young kids would get an even bigger credit. It would be worth up to 65% of the first $3,000 in child care expenses for one child under 5, and up to 65% of the first $6,000 for two children under 5. In addition, they could claim a credit of up to 30% on the next $1,000 per very young child, up to two kids.
The White House estimated the expansion would result in an average tax cut of more than $600 for 1.7 million families in 2015.
Make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent: A college tuition tax credit worth up to $2,500 a year is set to shrink in a few years unless Congress chooses to extend it.
Obama wants to make the American Opportunity Tax Credit permanent.
Such a move would benefit 11.5 million families and students, the White House estimates.


text:
The DC Metro Area got hit by some nasty storms today. Here are some shots.
Hope everyone stays safe and sound!
I went to Awesome Con DC this past weekend and had a blast!
Link: http://awesomecondc.com/
I met some amazing actors there!
Ernie Hudson was a gentleman and I really enjoyed talking with him. 🙂
Theodus Crane was a teddy bear. Very gentle and kind.
Phil LaMarr was fantastic. Was able to talk to him about comics, cons, and Samurai Jack. I really had a blast talking with him. I'm sure the people waiting in line were not too happy though for me holding up the line but hey, this could be the last time I get to meet him.
Nicholas Brendon has a great personality and made me laugh pretty hard.
Billy West was awesome. I was so happy I got to meet him. So kind!


text:
I haven't looked into the 2008 Presidential season yet, it's too early. Hillary makes me shudder, Obama doesn't have any experience, and no republicans have really stepped forward.
Afterwards, while answering a question from a viewer on the program YOUR SHOW about why he chose not to run, Kerry said he had decided it wasn't the right time.
"Could that change?" Kerry said. "It might. It may change over years. It may change over months. I can't tell you, but I've said very clearly I don't consider myself out of it forever."
But today, John Kerry, who earlier ruled out a Presidential run, this weekend said he might change his mind. That's too funny. Can you imagine all the "I decided not to run for President before I decided to run for President" jokes? I can't imagine Kerry capturing the hearts of the Democrats who will see his reputation for flip-flopping on issues and previous Presidential loss as a liability. And then to "flip-flop" or waffle on whether even to run for President? That's just going to be fun fodder for his opponents.


text:
A Senate report on the CIA's interrogation and detention practices after the 9/11 attacks concludes that the agency initially kept the secretary of state and some US ambassadors in the dark about harsh techniques and secret prisons, according to a document circulating among White House staff.
The still-classified report also says some ambassadors who were informed about interrogations of al-Qaida detainees at so-called black sites in their countries were instructed not to tell their superiors at the State Department, the document says.
The 6,300-page Senate report on the CIA's interrogation program has been years in the making. The findings are expected to reveal additional details about the CIA's program and renew criticisms that the US engaged in torture as it questioned terrorism suspects after the 2001 attacks.
A congressional official who has read the Senate report confirmed that it makes the findings outlined in the document. A former senior CIA official said the secretary of state at the time, Colin Powell, eventually was informed about the program and sat in meetings in which harsh interrogation techniques were discussed. But Powell may not have been informed when the techniques were first used in 2002, the official said. A spokeswoman Wednesday said Powell would not comment.
The former CIA official said it would be standard practice for ambassadors informed about a covert operation to be instructed not to share it with others who did not have a "need to know," as determined by the National Security Agency. Ambassadors in countries in which the CIA set up black sites to interrogate prisoners were usually told about it, said the official, who, like others interviewed for this story, would not be quoted by name because some of the information remains classified.
It's not entirely clear exactly which US officials knew about the practices at the time they began.
The four-page White House document contains the State Department's proposed talking points in response to the Senate report. It's not clear who wrote it or how influential it will be in tailoring the Obama administration's ultimate response to an investigation that has been the subject of bitter disputes.
It is common practice for the White House to solicit talking points from key agencies involved in responding to a major news event, which the release of the Senate report will be. This document is significant because it also reveals some of the report's conclusions as well as the State Department's concerns about how the program will be portrayed around the world.
The Senate report, a summary of which is expected to be made public in the coming weeks, concludes that the CIA used brutal techniques on detainees that failed to produce life-saving intelligence, and then misled Congress and the Justice Department about the interrogation program.
Current and former CIA officials hotly dispute the conclusion that the techniques – which included waterboarding – failed to produce crucial information, as do some Senate Republicans. The fight over the report has poisoned the relationship between the CIA and Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and left the White House in a delicate position. President Barack Obama has branded some CIA techniques torture and ordered them stopped, but he also relies heavily on the spy agency, which still employs hundreds of people who were involved in some way in the interrogation program.
The report does not draw the legal conclusion that the CIA's actions constituted torture, though it makes clear that in some cases they amounted to torture by a common definition, two people who have read the report said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the still-classified document.
The State Department wants to embrace the conclusions of the Senate report and blast the CIA's past practices, according to the document.
"This report tells a story of which no American is proud," the document says in a section entitled "Topline Messages (as proposed by State)."
"But it is also part of another story of which we can be proud," the document adds. "America's democratic system worked just as it was designed to work in bringing an end to actions inconsistent with our democratic values."
The Senate report, the State Department proposes to say, "leaves no doubt that the methods used to extract information from some terrorist suspects caused profound pain, suffering and humiliation. It also leaves no doubt that the harm caused by the use of these techniques outweighed any potential benefit."
Those methods included slapping, humiliation, exposure to cold, sleep deprivation and the near-drowning technique known as waterboarding.
The document then lists a series of questions that appear to be designed to gauge what reporters, members of Congress and others might ask about the Obama administration's response to the Senate report.
One questioned whether it was wise to release such a report during a time of unrest in the Middle East.
Another question asked, "Doesn't the report make clear that at least some who authorized or participated in the RDI program committed crimes?" the document asks, referring to the program's formal internal name, the Rendition, Detention and Interrogation program. "Will the Justice Department revisit its decision not to prosecute anyone?"
And: "Until now the (US government) has avoided conceding that the techniques used in the RDI program constituted torture. Now that the report is released is the White House prepared to concede that people were tortured?"
The document also says, "Isn't it clear that the CIA engaged in torture as defined in the Torture Convention?"


text:
Online Ordering by Chinese Menu Online
Ming's Bistro - Orlando PRIVACY POLICY
Last Updated: May 31, 2021
This website and online ordering system is managed by Chinese Menu Online, which facilitates online order processing on behalf of Ming's Bistro - Orlando. Chinese Menu Online is not the restaurant and is not responsible for any actions by Ming's Bistro - Orlando, its directors, officers, members, managers, employees, service providers, affiliates, successors, contractors, vendors and assignees. You can view Chinese Menu Online's Privacy Policy at this link, which applies only to data collected and processed by Chinese Menu Online as part of the website and online ordering system. You are strongly encouraged to contact Ming's Bistro - Orlando directly if you have questions about the restaurant's practices for collecting and handling personal information.
Chinese Menu Online's Privacy Policy: https://www.chinesemenuonline.com/privacy-policy/
You've just changed your payment type to Pay with cash. Please confirm that to proceed.
This address doesn't start with a street number. Please confirm the address is correct.
Ming's Bistro - Orlando
1212 Woodward St #6Orlando, FL 32803


text:
But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man. He is the hero, he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man. He must be, to use a rather weathered phrase, a man of honor, by instinct, by inevitability, without thought of it, and certainly without saying it. He must be the best man in his world and a good enough man for any world. I do not care much about his private life; he is neither a eunuch nor a satyr; I think he might seduce a duchess and I am quite sure he would not spoil a virgin; if he is a man of honor in one thing, he is that in all things. (Raymond Chandler, The Simple Art of Murder, 1950)
That quote from Chandler is a distillation of what he felt were the characteristics of the fictional private eye, and it's a view that continues to endure. The reason for the popularity of this particular representation is understandable enough: not only does it portray the detective as the classical hero, it also allows the audience to identify with him, to see in him the kind of man they'd probably like to be themselves. Chandler's knight errant Philip Marlowe has appeared on screen a number of times with varying degrees of success, but the incarnation that I, and I guess a lot of other people too, have the highest regard for is Humphrey Bogart's take in Howard Hawks' The Big Sleep (1946).
Some aspects of the plotting of The Big Sleep are notoriously complicated – the story goes that screenwriters William Faulkner and Leigh Brackett, along with director Hawks, were so confused about who committed one of the murders that they contacted Chandler for clarification. Apparently, the author found himself similarly stumped. The thing is that the murders, motives and twists of the plot pile up so relentlessly that it does take a fair bit of concentration on the part of the viewer to keep up with it all. However, that's not really the point of the movie and the basic thrust of the narrative is easy enough to follow in itself. Philip Marlowe (Humphrey Bogart) is the private detective engaged by the ailing General Sternwood (Charles Waldron) to take care of a blackmailer who is putting the squeeze on Carmen (Martha Vickers), the younger and wilder of his two daughters. In the course of his investigation, which rapidly descends into a murder case, Marlowe finds that the elder sister, Vivian (Lauren Bacall), appears to be tangled up in things too. Vivian's a cooler, more composed customer than her sister, yet her involvement with a shady gambler, Eddie Mars (John Ridgely), indicates that she too is keeping dangerous company. I'm not going to go into the labyrinthine twists and turns of the plot here, firstly to avoid spoilers, and secondly because it will likely serve to do nothing more than confuse readers. Suffice to say the stories of General Sternwood's two girls eventually dovetail and all the various plot strands are drawn together satisfactorily. Yet, as I said before, you don't watch The Big Sleep just to find out who did what to whom, when and for what reason. This is truly one of those movies where the journey is far more important than the destination. As we follow Marlowe around a moody and threatening Los Angeles, we go on a tour of the seedy underbelly of the city. Even though the time is spent in the company of high rollers and the glamorous set, it's all merely a glittering veneer for a world of pornography, drugs, deviance, betrayal and violence.
Vivian: I don't like your manners.
Marlowe: And I'm not crazy about yours. I didn't ask to see you. I don't mind if you don't like my manners, I don't like them myself. They are pretty bad. I grieve over them on long winter evenings. I don't mind your ritzing me or drinking your lunch out of a bottle. But don't waste your time trying to cross-examine me.
One of the great pleasures of The Big Sleep is the dialogue. Most of the memorable lines and passages, such as the little sample above, are lifted almost directly from the pages of Chandler's novel. However, Brackett, Faulkner and Jules Furthman did have to make some alterations to turn in a workable script, both for storytelling reasons and to ensure the finished product was going to get past the Hays Office. Therefore, the more overt references to the unsavory nature of the blackmailer's racket had to be toned down for example. The infamous production code is often criticized, and with good reason, for imposing draconian and logic-defying restrictions on what could be shown on the screen. The thing is though, a good deal could be implied if not directly stated, and clever writers could exploit this loophole. In a sort of perverse way, the very restrictiveness of the code meant that filmmakers were forced to be more creative in their efforts to circumvent it; I think The Big Sleep stands as an excellent example of this apparent paradox. The two houses in which much of the tale plays out are the Sternwood mansion and the home of Geiger, the blackmailer. Hawks and his crew succeed in bathing both locations in such an atmosphere of decadence and iniquity that it needs little imagination to appreciate the depravity lurking beneath the surface. Perhaps Hawks' greatest triumph in the picture is the way he manages to ensure that style rises above substance throughout and he creates a crime story where the crimes and their resolution become secondary to our enjoyment of the ride through Chandler's twilight world.
While The Big Sleep benefits enormously from a snappy script, strong source material and a first class director, what helps elevate it to true classic status is the casting. The second collaboration of Bogart and Bacall builds beautifully on the foundations already laid in To Have and Have Not. The movie took their on and off-screen courtship to new and more sophisticated levels, and the air fairly crackles whenever they share a scene. I think Bogart was born to play Marlowe, he perfectly encapsulates the weary nobility of Chandler's creation like no other actor before or since. The part can be seen as an extension or refinement of Hammett's Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon, but there's a greater sense of honour and less aggressive smugness this time. I already mentioned this in an earlier post, but Bogart's delivery of his lines is perfect, so much so that it's very hard to read the novel and not hear him saying the words. On the receiving end of much of Bogart's wise-cracking, and pitching back every bit as good as she got, was Bacall. Watching her performance today, it's hard to believe that Bacall wasn't much past twenty years old when the movie was shot. There's an air of assurance and worldliness about her that belies her years, the hard-boiled dialogue flowing smoothly as though from a woman who'd been around a long time and had seen all there was to see. In truth, the whole cast does excellent work, but the women in particular stand out. Martha Vickers is all coy treachery, and there are fine and memorable bit parts for Dorothy Malone and Sonia Darrin. Of the men, I feel Elisha Cook Jr deserves a mention for another of his characteristic turns as an unfortunate fall guy. I guess the only real weakness was John Ridgely, it's not that he gives a poor performance but he never fully convinces as a dangerous mobster – having said that, he does get one fantastic send off.
The US R1 DVD of The Big Sleep contains two versions of the movie (as far as I know the R2 doesn't offer this choice) – the preview version and the theatrical cut. I mention this mainly because there are some notable differences in the two cuts. I'm not going to laboriously list all the changes here, that information is readily available elsewhere online, but I will say that they change the feel of the movie significantly. In short, the preview cut is an altogether blander affair, although it helps to make the plot more comprehensible. The theatrical version is much more stylish, placing more emphasis on the Bogart/Bacall dynamic while sacrificing some of the narrative coherence. Personally, I far prefer the theatrical cut, and not just because it's the more familiar of the two. While the preview version does offer more exposition, it throws the pacing off balance and fails to fully capitalize on the chemistry of the star pairing. It's nice to have it available for comparison purposes but that's about it for me. The transfer is reasonable enough, maybe not up there with the best that Warner Brothers have done in the past but it's certainly not poor. The disc also offers a short feature on the differences between the versions of the movie, and is useful in giving an overview if you don't feel inclined to watch both cuts all the way through. This movie and The Maltese Falcon helped cement Bogart's image as the archetypical private eye. Others have played the part of Marlowe, and others have taken on the role of various private detectives, but Bogart nailed it. The film as a whole, can be viewed as a film noir (although of the lighter variety), a crime/detective story, or simply as an outstandingly well-crafted piece of classic Hollywood filmmaking. It comes most highly recommended.


text:
A few days ago a Kenyan judge ordered the government to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he ever sets foot in Kenya. Mr. Bashir has an outstanding arrest warrant against him from the ICC for crimes against humanity committed since 2003 in Darfur.
The ruling has since metastasized into a full blown diplomatic row; Khartoum expelled the Kenyan ambassador before rescinding the expulsion, and is now threatening to cut all trade ties with Kenya, expel Kenyans living in Sudan and deny any planes leaving or going to Kenya from flying in its airspace – if the government does not take back the ruling in two weeks.
The diplomatic row aside, the case has implications for the reform process in Kenya. The case is a test of the depth of the Kenyan judiciary's new found independence from the executive.
According to Khartoum:
"al-Bashir expects Nairobi to scrap the arrest warrant within the next two weeks and not simply file an appeal."
That is not how the judicial process works in a democracy. The executive cannot just scrap a judicial ruling. Within Kenya, for the sake of precedence the government must be seen to be complying with court rulings. The Chief Justice has already warned the executive against ignoring the court ruling saying that
"If a country chooses to live by anarchy, it must be ready to face the consequences of disregarding the law."
It remains unclear what the executive will do given Khartoum's two week ultimatum. Disregarding the court ruling will come with consequences for the individuals involved – in particular the Foreign Minister and the Commissioner of Police.


text:
Harbor ToursMap it!
- Date January 19 - May 26, 2019
- Time Start Time: 12:00 PM End Time: 4:40 PM
Join Ventura Boat Rentals for a 40 minute narrated harbor tour on Saturdays and Sundays for a peaceful way to see and enjoy Ventura Harbor.
Come See the Beautiful Ventura Harbor from the water, and possibly, get close up and personal with some of our local sea life
Harbor Tours will begin at NOON, 2pm & 4pm and a minimum of 10 people are required for each departure time.
Tickets may be purchased the day of departure. The ticket booth is located at the bottom of the main ramp in front of Coastal Cone Ice Cream.
All Tours are weather pending.
For more details visit: http://venturaboatrentals.com/publicharbortours.htm
- Date January 19 - May 26, 2019
- Time Start Time: 12:00 PM End Time: 4:40 PM


text:
Because the lighting is so lousy in the Temple, we usually photograph our one-sheets outside in natural light. Unfortunately, there's 2 feet of snow on the ground, with no thaw in sight, so we're going to have to do something different with our "One-Sheet of the Week" feature. The way we got around the bad weather bullshit last year: we picked out the sheet we wanted to spotlight from our collection, and then we right-clicked the scan of it from the Wrong Side of the Art. Well, we don't want to do that again this year. We'd rather put up something that can't be found anyplace else on the 'Net, 'cause blowin' your mind with goodies from the archives is what we're all about. So until the weather gets better and we can take our toys outside again, this column will be renamed "Movie Ad of the Week." Cool? We'll put up one or two or a few ads and try to write a couple of sentences about the movies represented. Here goes...
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
One-Sheet of the Week: MISSION KISS AND KILL (1980)
Posted by Temple of Schlock at 1:00 PM 2 comments:
Labels: ONE-SHEET OF THE WEEK, WORLD NORTHAL
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Jean Rollin drive-in double feature - August 1977
Posted by Temple of Schlock at 3:00 PM 1 comment:
Labels: JEAN ROLLIN
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
This Week on 42nd Street -- 1974
Rialto I: Schedule unavailable
Rialto II: Schedule unavailable
Victory: Schedule unavailable
Lyric: THE KLANSMAN / BLACK BELT
Times Square: MANDARIN MAGICIAN / BAMBOO BROTHERHOOD / CHINESE MECHANIC
Apollo: COMMUTER HUSBANDS / SUBURBAN WIVES
Selwyn: SUPERSTOOGES VS. WONDER WOMEN / BAMBOO GODS AND IRON MEN
New Amsterdam: AMAZING GRACE / I ESCAPED FROM DEVIL'S ISLAND
Cine 42: DEATH WISH / HELL UP IN HARLEM
Harris: THE MODELS / THE RUNAWAY
Liberty: BLADE / THE NARCO MEN
Empire: Schedule unavailable
Anco: KATO AND THE GREEN HORNET / KARATE KILLERS
Posted by Temple of Schlock at 9:00 AM No comments:
Labels: THIS WEEK ON 42ND STREET
Sunday, December 12, 2010
One-Sheet of the Week: SLAVES IN CAGES (1971)
Advertised as being "New from Denmark," this legendary B&D/S&M roughie is actually one of three micro budgeted, non-sync-sound softcore quickies that director Lee Frost and producer Armand Atamian made using short-end scraps of film and then passed off as Danish productions through their Phoenix International Films. Go HERE for more info.
Posted by Temple of Schlock at 9:00 AM No comments:
Sunday, December 05, 2010
One-Sheet of the Week: WILD WHEELS (1969)
Rated X by the MPAA, then edited for re-rating of R
World premiere held at the Berlin Drive-In, Hartford, CT on July 2nd, 1969 with the stars and the director in attendance
Posted by Temple of Schlock at 6:25 AM 5 comments:
Thursday, December 02, 2010
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
TRAFFIC ADVISORY: Rose Quarter bicycle, bus traffic detour extends through Fri. June 14
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Bureau of Transportation advises the traveling public that a road closure on a heavily traveled bicycle route through the Rose Quarter will be extended through Friday, June 14.
Street maintenance on NE Wheeler Avenue started on Monday and was expected to be completed by today, but weather and other factors have extended the time needed for the work.
A one-block section of NE Wheeler Avenue is closed between the MAX light rail tracks and N Interstate Avenue. The closure blocks all bus and bicycle traffic on the street. Automobile traffic is not allowed on the one-block section.
Though short, the site is on one of the busiest bike routes in Portland, carrying thousands of bicyclists a day. Cyclists are advised to expect delays and use alternate routes if possible, including the Broadway Bridge. Signs at the site direct cyclists to use nearby sidewalks to get around the work area.
The public is also advised to travel cautiously, observe all lane closures and directions by flaggers, and use alternate routes if possible.
This work is weather-dependent, and the schedule may change.


text:
Laughter Lifts the Heart
Several years into it, and this blog still refuses to be categorized. It's eclectic and includes everything from writing posts to snippets from my ordinary life.
Welcome to this crazy place. You're bound to find something you like.
"Now, may the Lord of peace give you peace always, in every way."
Good enough to share? Do it here~~~
Join 5,798 other subscribers
Give the Lady a Ride
The Final Ride
Ride to the Altar
Circle Bar Ranch Coloring Book
The Cowboys
A Southern Season
Skydiving to Love: a Novella
The Cat Lady's Secret
Writing in Obedience
Tag Archives: Liz Johnson
August Titles from ACFW Authors!
August 2019 New Releases More in-depth descriptions of these books can be found on the ACFW Fiction Finder website. Oh–and don't miss my new release in the collection listed in Historical Romance: The Cowboys! Contemporary Romance: The Butterfly Recluse by … Continue reading
Posted in ACFW Releases Tagged Annette O'Hare, Betty Thomason Owens, C.L. Wells, Christine Dillon, Cindy Ervin Huff, Crystal L. Barnes, Jacques R. Pye, Janet Sketchley, Jennifer Slattery, Jennifer Uhlarik, Jill Stengl, Joanna Davidson Politano, Kathleen Y'barbo, Kelly Eileen Hake, Kimberly Rose Johnson, L.K. Simonds, Linda Shenton Matchett, Linda W. Yezak, Liz Johnson, Luana Ehrlich, Mary Davis, Naomi Musch, Sandra Merville Hart, Stacy Monson, Susan May Warren, Susan Miura, Tamara Lynn Kraft, Terese Heckenkamp, Tracie J. Peterson, Vickie McDonough 2 Comments


text:
Join Now
Join ePHOTOzine, the friendliest photography community.
Upload photos, chat with photographers, win prizes and much more for free!
Rating:Tamron are developing the SP 24-70mm F/2.8 Di VC USD (Model A007), a full-size high-speed standard zoom lens equipped with VC (Vibration Compensation) image stabilization and USD (Ultrasonic Silent Drive), with resolution at the top of its class.
Are we missing a specification? Suggest a Specification


text:
If you have a spare million lying around, here's a list of ridiculously expensive supercars that could be yours.
Meggan Bailey of CNBC's "The Car Chasers" says bad paperwork is one of many mistakes people can make after buying a car.
Things get a bit hot under the collar for the Roundman when the sale starts and the response is less than resounding.
This year's show displayed fun and functionality, as well as excess and efficiency.
It's Jeff vs Roundman, literally. The two decide to race against each other for pink slips to prove who the better driver is.
Meg notices something is wrong with the vinyl stripes on the '73 Camaro.
Will Jeff have a different opinion about this black '69 Camaro after he takes it for a test drive?
Roundman brings a very unusual negotiation tool with him, to work out a deal with Jeff.
Meggan Bailey, star of CNBC Prime's "The Car Chasers," tells you how to properly market your car so it's sure to sell.
Jeff Allen, the owner of Flat 12 Gallery in Lubbock, Texas, will find any excuse to find, fix, and flip a classic car. If it's got an engine, Jeff has a plan.
Perry Brandt is definitely Jeff's right hand man at Flat 12. His expertise ranges all the way from delivering complex body work and custom detailing, to dazzling Jeff with his skillful engine modification abilities.
Not only is Meg Jeff's partner she's also been his longstanding financial advisor, but she is far from the typical moneyman: her abundance of car wisdom sometimes, even outshines the guys.
Don't let his awkward demeanor fool you, Eric Ables knows what he's talking about when it comes to the inner workings of a car.