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"Boiling The American Frog".
I have studied the decline of our American society and culture for nearly 30 years. I have long wanted to share my findings with the general public and now the time has come.
In all that follows, I will promise you–as I promise my therapy clients– "I will never lie to you: I will always tell you the truth, as best I can know it". It is the truth, and what is done with it, that provides the only hope for a good life with individuals and families. The truth, and what is done with it, also determines the survival of nations and their cultures.
My dear brother, Mark, once told me that an author should make his or her biases clear at the start of their book. He thought it was appropriate to warn the reader of my biases straightforwardly, so the reader could guard against manipulation. This was great advice and in the interest of honest communication, I will follow it.
As a behavioral psychologist I naturally value good behavior. Race, color, creed, and age, etc., are irrelevant to this bedrock value. By "good behavior", I mean behavior patterns within the individuals of a population that help the population and its culture to survive long and to prosper. Except in rare instances of self-defense against lethal or damaging attack, I despise violence. I also despise hostility, intimidation, lying, cheating, stealing, aggression, rape, child abuse, child sexual molestation/exploitation, and murder, etc.
In short, I despise those things that have always destroyed the lives of people who wish to live long together in peace and harmony. I despise those things that are destroying our historically marvelous society and culture.
I will not be inhibited about addressing other issues involved in my value system. It is now common for almost any identifiable organized group to accuse others of some sort of "ism" (racism, sexism, ageism, or hate against someone's lifestyle). This dirty and stigmatizing accusation is increasingly used when someone says something that is not in support of the accuser's political agenda. I vow to myself and to everything that I know to be right and good, that I will not be intimidated by such brutal forces of self-interest. I will not withdraw ideas that must live, if we are to live.
In 1984 the phone rang and my physician informed me, "we have a problem". At 45 years of age, I was told that I had cancer of the colon. Of course, this was very bad news! But this bad news, along with immediate effective action, saved my life.
What I will now tell you about our beloved American culture is no more "fun" than having to tell someone that they suffer a cancer. Or, as in my own field of psychology, having to tell one of my clients that they have debilitating emotional and behavioral problems that will destroy their lives without swift and effective corrective action on their part.
What I must tell you is that our culture's sad fate will be sealed if we continue to imbue our children and young adults with troubled and destructive beliefs, thoughts and behavior patterns. We have been doing this, with increasing power, without most of our citizens and politicians even knowing it.
It is particularly ironic that our hard-earned tax resources have supported very productive scientific research into how to avoid such outcomes, but this information is ignored and buried in the remote bowels of our libraries, and now cyberspace. All the while, each generation produces a next generation which is more psychologically disturbed and self-damaging than it was. The only possible salvation from this relentless self-destructive course is to educate ourselves about the basic laws of human behavior and to conduct significant emergency American Culture changes accordingly.
It is symptomatic of our huge cultural blind-spot that a common exclamation of considered wisdom is: "It's the economy, stupid!" Of course the economy is critically important. But, to secure and maintain our rightful goals of cultural health and longevity, the exclamation should also be: "It's our behavior, stupid!"
The economy, alone, is likely to be a relatively late indicator in such matters of cultural health. For a strong economy to emerge and endure, a population's behavior must also be strong. Among other things, the individuals in a population must learn to invent, to cooperate, to work diligently, to follow certain rules of law, and to forgo certain immediate personal gratifications in order to secure future benefits. They must also raise a sufficient number of competent and similarly endowed children to replace themselves. If these things are not accomplished, eventually, the economy will suffer and so will the whole culture.
Of course, these influences are circular: the rewards of a free market economy strengthen a populations productive behavior patterns and these productive behavior patterns strengthen the free market economy. However, I will argue that the predominance of healthy and effective population behavior (among other environmental factors, like avoiding pollution and preserving natural resources) is an essential ingredient leading to the success of our free market economy within our free society.
If we fail to raise and train –to acculturate– our own children effectively, our economy can be fueled by the "behavioral capital" from past generations (senior citizens) for some period of time. But as that reservoir of quality human behavioral energy is being used-up, we must create and train more of our population. Or, we must import more behavioral energy from other cultures.
We now appear to be embracing the later strategy at the expense of the former one. The question is: how long can a culture exist if it fails to raise and acculturate its own competent future generations to support a growing and increasingly complex technology and information-based economy? No one knows the answer. However, I am convinced that we already know enough about creating strong and healthy human behavior to avoid learning the answer to this question the hard and tragic way.
The issues and concerns identified in the preceding paragraphs will take many pages to make clear and, for some, to even make it believable. In this series of blogs, I will attempt to do this in the following ways:
I will tell true stories and use anecdotes as a way to introduce and summarize the findings of hard science—these findings will relate to what is happening in our increasingly self-destructive culture. The values of an Applied Science of Cultural Analysis will guide this process and they will be explained as they become relevant.
I will first tell you what I think I see happening to our culture and the catastrophic future that it implies. Perhaps I am wrong about some of these observations and concerns–but I genuinely fear that I am not. You can decide this matter for yourself. If I am wrong in my assessment, I have faith that with time and careful study, the truth will eventually emerge and things will evolve as they will, for better or for worse.
I will then explain the basics of psychology, sociology, and anthropology by explaining their most robust principles, and relating them to my observations of events unfolding in America and elsewhere and try to help you to see also see them clearly. I will use these factual principles to help you see and understand how and why the quality of our collective social behavior has diminished to the point that it is now glaringly reflected in our obvious cultural decline. I can only hope that my efforts will benefit the American Culture that has produced me, and that I have served and loved so much.
There is a wise old joke about doing successful psychotherapy with individuals. The question is: "How many psychologists does it take to change a light bulb?" The answer: " Only one—but the light bulb has got to want to change"! It is no great leap of faith for me to conclude that, like the individuals with whom I have done behavior therapy and counseling for over 30 years, we citizens of America, must first also "feel a strong need to change" before successful cultural change becomes a possibility.
My intent in writing this blog is to produce a felt-need-for-change, among ourselves, which is based upon information that is honest, factual, clear, and powerful enough to motivate individuals and groups to work for desperately needed improvements. But at 67 years of age, and having observed the evolution of these United States for my entire life, sparking such a chain of events feels "a tad shy" of unlikely.
No problem. I also write out of a sense of duty and for personal catharsis. Independent of the outcome, for me, doing this task will be its own reward.
However, If I can persuade some of my readers to my social, psychological, political, economic and spiritual perspective (providing I am correct); that will be a good thing. The only fly in this ointment is that I will never know with certainty within my lifetime if I am correct. Perhaps I would never know in even more lifetimes.
Some think that New ideas do not simply emerge because "minds are changed" by their existence. They conclude that old ideas die with their believers and new generations of, yet uncommitted thinkers, are persuaded to new ideas.
This is particularly true when cultures do not teach the seemingly effective ideas of past generations to the new generations. Often new generations come to believe what they think are "great new ideas", when in fact, they are horrifically failed old ideas. This is happening in America as increasingly our new generations have not been taught our own apparently successful ideas. But just as importantly, they have not been taught the repeatedly failed old ideas both here and abroad.
So it is with America's failing to teach the principles of our own Constitutional Republic and the wise belief systems of our Founding Fathers our children. So it also is with America's failure to teach the failings of socialism, communism and radical liberalism/progressive to our children.
America's tragic decline has been accelerated by voters and elected representatives who are either ignorant and misguided, or, they have been taught to think only of their own immediate goods and pleasures. This culturally pervasive mode of personal arrogance, short-sighted thinking , or ignorance about short-term and long-term outcomes is America's greatest danger. It is this lack of quality growing within our citizenry that must be reversed, or the American dream will become a nightmare.
There is a great and simple rule-of-thumb that America would best follow to reverse its own cultural decline: "If we have lost something of value, to find it…First return to a time and place where we last possessed it."
This principle, in my view, would guide America back to the Founding precepts and principles that appear to have led to America's stunning successes. Since their "misplacement" America's decline has been unrelenting.
My original training is in the psychological sub-field of Applied Behavior Analysis. Some may recognize one part of this sub-field as Behavior Modification. The discipline of Behavior Analysis has won its strong principles and techniques through a rigorous scientific analysis of human behavior, in nearly all of its forms, in almost all imaginable settings. More recently this field has turned its powers of analysis to the evaluation of cultural change and evolution. I have participated in this development and by doing so, I have come to believe that much of great practical value is now available— just when we need it the most.
I believe that someday, somewhere, cultures will finally learn how to extend their own life-span greatly by managing their own behavior effectively. Why can't one of these cultures be us: The United States of America?
To insure that America lives long and well will require that we change our behavior substantially.
I anticipate the reasonable concerns of many. I too worry about the exploitation of people through various behavior control methods. Like you, I have watched the horrific bestialities of our time (Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Saddam Hussein, and Osama Bin Ladin etc., all in quest of a "better culture".
Of course, America has, for periods, been guilty of its own despotisms. Witness the genocidal treatment of the American Indians and our use of African slaves. These are the "ghosts of our cultures-past" whose barbarous actions towards our own, and other citizens of the world, haunt and frighten us.
But these virulent and maladaptive strains of cultural behavior patterns, that long continue, tend to kill themselves just as they kill others. They cannot resemble the healthy, adaptive, and enduring species of cultures that may someday evolve to live very long and very well. Of course, there are no grantees that such healthy and adaptive cultures will ever appear: There is only an educated hope and the certainty that the pursuit of a better cultural future is not for the faint-of-heart.
I would like to think that a new breed of adaptive cultures are now being selected by natural forces of survival. Such cultures would be especially good at teaching their children to live in an increasingly complex and always threatening world. Their children would learn to work to preserve countless good things for themselves, as well as good things for others who live, and those who are yet to live. Their citizens would therefore learn a rare mature value system that strikes a balance between self-interest and dedication to the long-term collective good of their fellow citizens—and of all people who mean them no harm. Such cultures would probably blend the best aspects of democracy, socialism and free-market capitalism into unique and effective hybrid of these adaptations . To the greatest degree possible, the citizens of these cultures would be dedicated to the preservation of life (in all of its forms) and yet they would have the skills, technology, and courage to defend themselves from the barbaric and predatory forces that will apparently exist for all time.
Such adaptive cultures would motivate their populations to propagate with a rate sufficient to maintain the proportions of age, skill, and intellectual resource groups necessary for survival. In doing so they would provide the quality and quantity of human energy necessary to build and maintain their own health and developmental vigor. Such cultures may also use carefully controlled and specifically targeted immigration policies and rigorous acculturation standards in order to achieve these goals. They would strongly defend themselves against unregulated or illegal immigration, knowing that for all time this has been a creator and destroyer of cultures.
These cultures would develop forms of government which strive to govern rates of cultural change such that, except in times of crisis, change remains slow and deliberate enough to avoid the damaging and misguided explosions of change that now threaten the America and other nations.
Of course there will always be threats to survival over which there is little or no control. But, adaptive cultures will be able to respond to external or internal threats to their welfare in timely and effective ways that reflect the motivated, informed and intelligent problem solving efforts of their populations and political systems.
These adaptive cultures will also seek to preserve and maximize all of their natural resources, be they human, other animal, vegetable, or mineral and they will be amazingly adaptive to their changing global environments. Their shared values and mutual interests will naturally lead them to avoid war with one another and they will seek to provide mutual support.
By historical standards, such cultures will live well for a very long time. The main reason for these culture's long-term success will be their learned ability to predict the occurrence of nearly all of the possible short and long-term astronomical, geological, biological, psychological, social, and political problems that are known to have damaged and destroyed other cultures. More importantly, these cultures will have learned to implement effective preventive strategies as well as timely remedial adjustments in order to survive long and well.
If you see flashes of America's history within my description of adaptive cultural designs, it is because we have actually achieved and reflected many of these values and actions at times in our own past. And if you see, during our present decline, the loss of these characteristics, you will begin to understand the general truths that I will now attempt to demonstrate. To a significant degree, our cultural successes and failures relate to our evolution toward, and away from, these previously stated ideals.
It has become "politically incorrect" to say that an increasing number of the things that people do are "good" or "bad". However, as with any social problems (past, present, or future), there are many possible helpful or destructive cultural adaptations that can be made. I call those adaptations that are helpful, good changes because they improve the culture's health and viability. I call changes that are destructive or damaging to the culture's health and viability, bad changes. I recommend this value to you and invite you to consider that extending the life of your culture is a good thing to do and damaging it is a bad thing to do.
But, it is often difficult to know, in advance, what the good and bad changes might be for any culture, under any particular set of circumstances. To some degree, cultural evolution is a series of adaptations similar to gambles at a "comic crap table". The "winners" may take all, but seldom do they keep it for long. And simply trying ideas that are intuitively, philosophically, or politically popular (as we do now) is to court disaster in this deadly game of cultural "Russian Roulette". Fortunately, there are ways to increase the odds of winning at this profoundly important game.
B.F. Skinner would reminded us that, although we will frequently not know exactly what we should do about a cultural problem; we can learn an ever increasing number of things that we should not do. Make no mistake about it, as Skinner said, "learning more and more what not to do" is significant progress.
Individuals who are knowledgeable about the basic laws of human behavior already know many possible adaptations that are clearly wrong and therefore, bad. They will also know which old and new possible adaptations accord with these laws and are, therefore, worthy of further consideration and experimentation. It is past time that our culture reap the benefits of its financial investments in over 100 years of its own behavioral science research findings. To do this only requires that the real cultural planners learn these laws and principles of behavior and then support those cultural practices that conform to them. It is essential that our cultural planners learn enough about the basic laws of human behavior to understand why they must attack and change, through existing political processes, our own cultural practices that do not conform to these laws and principles
You may ask, who are these cultural planners who must learn principles of human behavior and change our culture's design to accord with them? Indeed, this is a huge task. But there is a huge number of cultural planners who are equal to the task.
Who, in the final analysis, are the real cultural planners in a republic such as ours? It is certainly not our politicians, who increasingly war within and between the two parties that have failed to stem our decline; who milk dollars from tax payers to benefit their own regional interests; and who pander to various rich lobbies and other donors to shore-up their own short-term political viability.
The real cultural planners are the hundreds of millions of citizens like you and I, the voting citizens of America.
I believe that a vitally interested voting citizenry in free economic and social markets, under the age-old wisdom and guidance of basic Judeo-Christian values and Basic Psychological Principles of Human Behavior, will tend to strengthen its own health and longevity and that of other similar cultures. It will also secure the greatest good for the greatest number of people.
In stark contrast, if there is anything to learn about the societies that designed themselves according to the Marxist/Leninist principles of central government control and planning, it is that they have failed repeatedly. Similarly, it is foolish to hope that our own central government will ever singularly fix this culture's increasing woes, because "it", in large part, has done more than fail to do so. "It" is what has caused most of our devastating sociocultural problems in the first place.
Just as our Founding Fathers understood, the informed individual citizen is the appropriate cultural planner in a Republic such as ours. I therefore urge you to learn the things that we know cause good and bad human behavior. Having done that, there are hard and frightening realities to address and it is our responsibility to do so. If our society, as now designed, produces ever-increasing numbers of barbarians of its precious children (and we are doing just that); we must accept that reality, study the problem, and vote our cultural changes accordingly. If our elected representatives do not further our goals, they must be removed by our votes. We should insist that corrupting forces our government be removed (consider term-limits and curbs on big money lobbying, etc.)
As B. F. Skinner has said, the idea that "the government that governs best, is the one that governs least, only works when something else governs." I will suggest that we move to a design where "that something else" is a newly educated voting public re-motivated with a combination of clearly understood principles/laws of human behavior, peaceful religions and families instilling moral values and ethics within our population, and a clear perception of our own failing culture.
In the final analysis, I have a passion for truth and reality even if it disappoints or frightens me. As an emeritus professor of psychology, I deal with research findings and theory; as a therapist, I do "acid tests" upon this academically derived knowledge.
I am not isolated in the theoretical traps of academe, nor have I become addicted to trendy, politically correct treatments of the therapist's world. I am a pragmatist. If certain techniques and methods solve real problems, I value them: If not, I do not.
I also believe that the interplay between scholarship and the demands of practical therapeutic applications in my life have earned me a measure of useful knowledge and wisdom unavailable to those who do not work in both of these worlds.
Of course, experts frequently argue among themselves about the nature of things. I could be wrong in my assessment of the state of our culture and its worsening condition, about the reasons why this is so, and about the suggestions for change that I will provide in this blog.
I can only hope that you will objectively consider the information that I will provide and decide for yourself.
A good scientist/therapist will know the prognosis of their client and do their best to help; even when the prognosis is not good. I will do my best to help my socioculture to perceive itself accurately, to rationally evaluate and caringly confront its own self-destructive beliefs and behaviors. I will do my best to provide the general information and motivation necessary to help all of us to work for adaptive cultural changes that are now so urgently needed.
This is what I will now attempt to do. The rest is up to you.
V. Thomas Mawhinney, Ph.D., 6/30/09


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Evonik, DSM JV to produce omega-3 fatty acids from marine algae
Royal DSM and Evonik recently announced their intention to establish a joint venture for omega-3 fatty acid products from natural marine algae for animal nutrition. This breakthrough innovation will, for the first time, enable the production of omega-3 fatty acids for animal nutrition without using fish oil from wild caught fish, a finite resource. Evonik and DSM's alternative omega-3 source is the first to offer both eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and will be aimed at initial applications in salmon aquaculture and pet food. The companies will together build a commercial-scale production facility in the U.S.
DSM Nutritional Products and Evonik Nutrition & Care will each hold a 50 percent share in the joint venture and co-own the production facility, which will be built at an existing site of Evonik and is expected to come on stream in 2019. The joint venture plans to invest around $200 million in the facility ($100 million by each party over circa two years). The initial annual production capacity will meet roughly 15 percent of the total current annual demand for EPA and DHA by the salmon aquaculture industry. The set-up of the joint venture, to be named Veramaris and headquartered in the Netherlands, will be finalized subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
Evonik's and DSM's highly concentrated algal oil is a high-value and pure source that will enable the animal nutrition industry to keep up with the increasing demand for these two essential omega-3 fatty acids without endangering fish stocks, contributing to healthy animal nutrition as well as to the ecological balance and biodiversity of the oceans.
The joint venture follows the joint development agreement, signed July 2015. Under this agreement, Evonik and DSM have jointly worked on the development of products and the manufacturing process and explored opportunities for commercialization. Both companies achieved positive results in the development of the product while extensively working with the entire value chain, including fish feed producers, fish farmers and retailers.
Under the joint development agreement, DSM and Evonik have successfully produced pilot-scale quantities of the algal oil at DSM's production facility in Kingstree, South Carolina. Customers will be able to receive sizeable quantities of the product for market development while the construction of the new manufacturing plant is underway.
The successful product and process development was only possible thanks to the complementary competencies that Evonik and DSM bring to the collaboration: DSM has expertise in the cultivation of marine organisms including algae and long-established biotechnology capabilities in development and operations, whilst Evonik's focus has been on developing industrial biotechnology processes and operating competitively large-scale manufacturing sites for fermentative amino acids.
The algal oil from DSM and Evonik means that the vision of salmon farming without using fish-based resources is—for the first time—becoming realistic. By replacing fish oil in salmon feed with this EPA and DHA rich alternative, the fish-in-fish-out ratio could be reduced significantly. This alternative will enable the aquaculture industry to continue to grow sustainably.
Worldwide fish oil production is approximately 1 million metric tons per year. Most of the fish oil is used in aquaculture, mainly for fat-rich fish species, such as salmon. The limited wild fish stocks restrict the amount of fish oil available and thus the growth of the aquaculture industry. Currently, the industry uses about 75 percent of the annual production of fish oil. Evonik and DSM's algal oil will offer a sustainable nonfish alternative.
Just like humans, animals also need their daily intake of essential, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in their diet to ensure healthy growth. Until now, these fatty acids have been added to aquaculture feed and pet food almost exclusively from marine sources such as fish oil and fishmeal. As the new algal oil can be applied in feed production in the same way as fish oil, it can easily be introduced by feed and pet food producers.
DSM and Evonik are also pursuing applications of their algal oil for other aquatic and terrestrial animal species.
Omega-3 fatty acids are a family of polyunsaturated fats, including EPA and DHA. Because they are not produced naturally by the body, omega-3s must be obtained from the diet or through supplementation. A large and growing body of evidence shows that sufficient levels of omega-3 EPA and DHA support brain, eye and heart health in multiple species, including humans.
Research suggests that omega-3 EPA and DHA may lower triglyceride levels (lipids) in the blood and may have positive effects on arterial function. Eating seafood twice a week is recommended by multiple health authorities. In a study evaluating the risks and benefits of fish intake published in the Journal of the American Medical Association JAMA, researchers found that one to two servings of fish per week, especially fish high in omega-3 EPA and DHA, reduced the risk of coronary death by 36 percent and total mortality by 17 percent.

subset: commoncrawl


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Here's why your Christmas tree might be more expensive this year
If you went to buy a Christmas tree this year and you noticed a bit of a strain on your wallet, you're not the only one. A national tree shortage may be driving up the cost of your holiday tree this season.
The 2008 recession is likely partially to blame, as it drove growers out of business and it can take eight to 10 years for a tree to be ready for the lot, according to the Miami Herald. USA Today reported a decline of Christmas tree farmers may also be to blame for the tree shortage.
A report from Square and the National Christmas Tree Association revealed Christmas tree prices increased 17 percent from 2015 to 2017, but if you want to save money, it's better to buy your tree later in December. The average price of a tree is $73, but that amount could drop as low as $47 if you wait to buy your tree on Christmas Eve. You'll save an average of 22 percent on your tree if you buy it the week leading up to Christmas.
The report says millennials may be saving the Christmas tree business, as the age group tends to be more environmentally conscious and inclined to buy natural, locally sourced goods (including Christmas trees).


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Held in the last days of August, the administrators' meeting and conference is a key event for many districts across North America, and it is no different in West Vancouver.
So, last week we made our first effort at taking some of the aspects of an unconference to create a more participant-driven event for district principals and vice-principals. While the unconferencing allowed for more unstructured time, it also gave everyone the opportunity to make their own sense of session content.
Three videos (embedded below) were shown for morning discussions, and served as a spring-board when groups pulled their learning together for PechaKucha presentations in the afternoon.
And just what is a PechaKucha?
It is a series of 20 presentation slides, each displayed on the screen for 20 seconds (we modified it to 10 slides, for 20 seconds because of time constraints).
Along with my district colleagues, we did a run-through the day before based on these videos that were shared by Edna Sackson on her blog:
Our group found the process valuable in creating their presentations because it forced debate on the key aspects of learning. If we debrief videos during a professional learning experience, we are rarely pushed to come up with key messages or takeaways. Definitely, the process built-in some accountability for us. The PechaKucha format (20×20) also impressed upon us to be succinct in our presentations. If we went over the 20 seconds with one of our slides, we were cutting into the time of one of our own group members.
In selecting the videos, principals and vice-principals wanted material that challenged our assumptions and that linked to a number of themes we have been discussing: inquiry, motivation, assessment and technology.
The first video we selected was the RSA Animate based on Daniel Pink's book Drive:
The second video was the popular, and somewhat controversial Salman Khan TED Talks:
The final video was a segment from Nightline, that focussed on some of the findings from the Daniel Coyle book The Talent Code:
Thirty to 45 minutes of unstructured discussion followed each video and participants could discuss any aspect of the video with anyone. We also created a learning wall where each person wrote one key finding or idea from the video or conversation. Then, after lunch, participant groups of four to eight people put together and tried their hand at PechaKucha.
It turned out to be a very powerful way to synthesize and share our learning, and created a takeaway product that can be used for other purposes — more valuable than the binders of notes I have taken at events and have never looked at again.
As we continue to look for ways to change how we share information, and particularly how we use Powerpoint, PechaKucha is another strategy that has possibilities for both student and adult learning.


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Debt Collection
If you use credit cards, owe money on a loan or are paying off a home mortgage, you are a "debtor." If you fall behind on your payments to these creditors, you may be contacted by a debt collector. You should know that the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Illinois Collection Agency Act and the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Practices Act all provide protections guaranteeing that debt collectors treat you fairly. These laws do not, however, forgive any legitimate debt you owe. Personal, family and household debts are covered under the Federal Fair Debt Collection Act. This includes money owed for medical care, charge accounts or car purchases.
Debt Collectors
Once a debt collector has notified you by phone, he or she must, within five days, send you a written notice revealing the amount you owe, the name of the creditor to whom you owe money, and what to do if you dispute the debt. A debt collector may NOT:
• harass, oppress or abuse anyone (i.e., use threats, obscene or profane language, etc.);
You can stop a debt collector from contacting you by writing a letter to the collection agency telling him or her to stop. Once the agency receives your letter, it may not contact you again except to notify you that some specific action will be taken.
Disputing a Debt
More Notes on Debt Collection
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Because of it being so picturesque, the town was declared a National Historic Site in 1970.
Feria sits on the southern slope of Sierra Vieja, while archaeological remains have been found which suggest that the area was inhabited by Goths. It is dominated by a 15th-century castle, which can be seen way before we reach the town. The castle was erected on the site where a primitive fortress stood, attributed to the Arabs. From the castle, with its powerful tower, one can have an impressive panoramic view. Not far from the castle, on Sierra del Molino, we find the dolmen "house of the Monk", which still preserves a chamber that was made with seven huge pieces of slate, and a corridor. The most significant feature of the town is its historic quarter, whose appearance maintains all the traditional characteristics intact, such as the carefully whitewashed houses. The map of the village forms a central area packed around the parish church of San Bartolomé and the City Hall; from this centre, several suburbs protrude, lining the roads that leave town, forming a figure similar to an open hand.


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Two other sections in the Rites of Pastoral Care of the Sick are referenced for a child who is suddenly near death:
173. If sudden illness or an accident has placed an unitiated child in proximate danger of death, the minister uses "Christian Initiation for the Dying" (PCS 275ff), adapting it for use with a child.
174. For an initiated child or a child lacking only the sacrament of confirmation, who is in proximate danger of death, the "Continuing Rite of Penance, Anointing, and Viaticum (PCS 236ff), may be used and adapted to the understanding of the child. If death is imminent it should be remembered that viaticum rather than anointing is the sacrament for the dying.
When is the discernment for imminent death? That determines if the child (or adult) will be anointed or if the focus will be on the last reception of the Eucharist.
Also note the broad leeway given for adaptation in these rites. How would a priest or minister start adapting? I would think the "emergency" rites should be attended to first, and Scriptures and prayers used that are within the comprehension of a child. I would think that "within conprehension" doesn't mean a 100% dumbed-down version, but a liturgy in which the language stays largely or partly as is, but there's a pastoral sensitivity to the comprehension of the child. What would change? I would think the various greetings, welcomes, and explanations, plus taking time to pause for catechesis a few times, like at the important moments.
With this post, I'm going to take a pause from this examination of the Rites of Pastoral Care of the Sick. Next up will be Viaticum, Eucharist for the dying Christian. We'll be observing the holidays both in and out of town, and while posting will not disappear altogether, I'm going to hold off on resuming PCS until the new year. Including the appendices, PCS counts up to 305 sections. I'm anticipating another month's worth of posts, and then we'll pick up RCIA in plenty of time for Lent.


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The Secret Beyond Matter
The Origin of Birds and Flight
The ability to fly has been mankind's dream for thousands of years, a goal toward which thousands of scientists and researchers have expended labor, time and money. Apart from a few very primitive experiments, it became possible to make self-propelled flying vehicles only in the 20th century. This feat, which mankind managed to achieve with the accumulated technology of centuries, is something that birds—known to have existed on Earth for the last 150 million years—have always performed to perfection. Even a new-born chick will soon acquire this special ability in a matter of weeks, which humans can manage only through advanced technology. How, then, did these astonishing creatures come into being?
Everyone who examines birds realizes that like other living things, they possess perfect anatomical systems. This leads to the inevitable conclusion that they are the products of flawless creation.
Yet proponents of the theory of evolution are reluctant to admit this.
According to Darwin's theory of evolution, every living species evolved from a single common ancestor. This scenario means that the 100 million 1 or so known species must all be descended from earlier versions of one another. To account for the origin and astounding variety of plants and animals, evolutionists propose two mechanisms: natural selection and mutations. (For detailed information, see Harun Yahya, The Evolution Deceit, United Kingdom: Ta-Ha Publishers Ltd. and Darwinism Refuted, New Delhi: Goodword Books Pvt. Ltd. November 2002.)
Yet neither mechanism has the ability to give rise to any new living thing. Mutations are random, typically harmful effects caused by anomalies in the DNA and are directed towards no particular purpose. Naturally, aimless and randomly occurring coincidences cannot give rise to living things that possess planned, orderly structures designed for specific objectives. Blind chance cannot endow living things with complex organs and systems.
The more those with common sense examine life forms, the more they will realize the nonsensical nature of the theory of evolution, which bases the origins of life on chance. Perceiving design but calling it purposeless, seeing order but calling it accidental, is nothing more than a deliberate denial of the facts. At the root of this denial lie evolutionists' devotion to materialist philosophy and their bigoted reactions against the fact of creation. Rather than admit their Creator's existence, evolutionists prefer to believe that blind chance is a mighty creative force and that this concept—an expression of purposeless, unconscious happenstance—can perform miracles.
But the distorted nature of this belief is easy to see: If you strew the components of an airplane on the ground, random forces such as wind, lightning, rain and earthquakes can never make them combine into a complete, functional aircraft. In addition, all the components in this example have already been created to be mutually compatible. Nonetheless, no matter how long one waits it is impossible for the parts to assemble themselves into a complete model. This finished product can come into being only if a conscious entity assembles all the components. Yet according to evolutionists, chance is able to produce systems incomparably more perfect than this example, as well as the most delicate balances. The logical contradiction here is obvious for anyone to see.
Every living thing is a unique marvel of creation. The proposed evolutionary mechanisms, on the other hand, lend no support to evolutionist claims. The first of these mechanisms—natural selection—assumes that those living things will survive that are best adapted to the challenges of the environment in which they live; while those unable to adapt will die out and disappear. According to evolutionists, this unconscious, automatic mode of elimination endows surviving individuals with ever-more complex organs and systems, but this claim has no valid proof or scientific basis. Observation has shown that natural selection serves only to weed out unfit individuals, but that there is no question of it endowing survivors with new organs and systems.
The well-known biologist D'Arcy Wentworth Thompson summarizes this point:
. . . We see in natural selection is not to create but to destroy—to weed, to prune, to cut down and to cast into the fire.2
In short, natural selection has nothing to do with the emergence of any new species. Moreover, the natural selection process, being unconscious, is unable to contribute new genetic information to living things. In other words, even if natural selection does cause change in a living thing, that change cannot transmit itself on to subsequent generations. The only mechanism that can have impacts on genes is mutation—random damage to a living thing's genetic structure, which has never been observed to add beneficial trait of any kind.3
Claims that evolution occurs by means of natural selection are invalid, because:
1) Natural selection cannot plan or envisage an organism's future needs, and
2) Mutations can never endow a beneficial gain that leads to progress.
Professor John W. Oller of the University of New Mexico refers to the illogical nature of this claim of development through mutation:
Accidental design adjustments, as necessary for general evolution, are logical disasters. Random mutations from radiation, replication errors, or other proposed sources, rarely result in viable design adjustments, never in perfect more advanced designs. 4
Suppose you have determined that your life would be much more efficient if you had heat receptors in your body, or have felt the need for some other organ or ability that you think will confer an important advantage. Can you bring this about in your own body, by yourself? Could you bring into being a new organ or system that functions in a coordinated manner with immaculate timing, with all the other organs in your body, never making an error, that protects you by taking all the precautions you need and constantly strives to be beneficial to you? Could you then encode the proper genetic codes in your DNA so as to transmit this change to later generations?
That would be quite impossible, no matter how much you desired it or how much effort you expended. How, therefore, could unconscious molecules manage something that a rational and conscious entity like yourself cannot? There is thus no scientific basis to support the claim that unconscious molecules assembled the cell and then, by chance, carried out flawless adjustments in its genetic structure.
As a result, it is impossible for one living species to develop into a bird, with its own unique features including that of flight, by any so-called evolutionary mechanism, or for birds to evolve into still other living species. The infinite variety among living things is just one indication of the infinite knowledge and creative artistry of Allah. In order to deny this, evolutionists hide behind unrealistic explanations.
Over the last 20 years, when the complexity of life has become ever more clearly understood, an increasing number of scientists have reacted against the "chance dogma" supported by the theory of evolution. When asked about the dilemmas facing the theory of evolution, for example, Michael Denton, a molecular biologist at the University of Otago in New Zealand, criticizes the claims made for random mutations:
The most serious objection I have is with the nature of mutation. Darwinism is based on the idea that all the mutations which have been selected during the course of evolution were, when they initially occurred, entirely random. Mutations are random. . . . This is the essential bedrock of Darwinism. The mutational input into living things is, as it were, at random.
Darwinism is claiming that all the adaptive structures in nature, all the organisms which have existed throughout history, were generated by the accumulation of entirely undirected mutations. That is an entirely unsubstantiated belief for which there is not the slightest evidence whatsoever.
second problem is that there are a vast number of complex systems in nature, and no matter how unglamorous this problem is, no matter how people try to look the other way, the fact is that a huge number of highly complex systems in nature cannot be plausibly accounted for in terms of a gradual build-up of small random mutations.
Indeed, in many cases, there does not exist in the biological literature even an attempt to explain how these things have come about. A classic example would be the lung of the bird, and I could mention some other ones, but everybody knows the lung of the bird is unique in being a circulatory lung rather than a bellows lung. I think it doesn't require a great deal of profound knowledge of biology to see that an organ, which is so central to the physiology of any higher organism, its drastic modification in that way by a series of small events is almost inconceivable. This is something we can't throw under the carpet again because, basically, as Darwin said, if any organ can be shown to be incapable of being achieved gradually in little steps, his theory would be totally overthrown.
The fact is that, in common-sense terms. . . …here are a vast number of such cases in nature. 5
That is Allah, your Lord. There is no god but Him, the Greator of everything. So worship Him. He is responsible for everything. (Surat al-An'am, 102)
1. Thomas E. Lovejoy, "Biodiversity: What Is It?," Marjorie L. Reaka-Kudla, Don E. Wilson, Edward O. Wilson (editors), Biodiversity II, Washington D.C :Joseph Henry Press, 1997, p. 7.
2. Lee M. Spetner, Not By Chance, Shattering The Modern Theory of Evolution, The Judaica Press Inc., 1997, p. 175.
3. Michael Denton, "An Interview With Michael Denton," Access Research Network, Origins Research, Vol: 15, No. 2, 20 July 1995; http://www.arn.org/docs/orpages/or152/dent.htm
4. John W. Oller, "A Theory In Crisis," Impact, No. 180, Institute for Creation Research, June 1988. (Emphasis added).


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Welcome to Part 4 of my NFL Draft Report Cards. Today, I'll be wrapping up the NFC draft reviews with the NFC West. Which NFC West teams will benefit from this draft the most? Keep reading to see my Draft Report Card for each team, including a grade for each pick as well as my final grades. As I post more articles, I will also include links to the rest of my draft grades.
NFL Draft Report Cards 2019
AFC East
AFC North
AFC South
AFC West
Arizona Cardinals
Overall Grade: B
Draft Report Card:
What I love about this draft is that every pick was made for a good reason. New head coach Kliff Kingsbury knows Kyler Murray is capable of leading the Cards, so there was no problem with trading Josh Rosen in favor of more security. Murphy and Thompson add secondary depth at a great value. The team also filled needs, drafting a trio of receivers, a tackle, a center, and a couple d-linemen.
The team could've found a way to fill a few more holes, such as linebacker. But there was not a single pick in this draft class that I had a real problem with, and Arizona really made their biggest needs a priority.
San Francisco 49ers
Overall Grade: B-
Draft Report Card:
Much like Chicago, this draft class is top heavy. The 2nd overall selection of Nick Bosa was one of my favorite picks in this draft. He's a great fit and could eventually lead this rebuilding defense back to glory. I didn't mind the Deebo Samuel pick, but D.K. Metcalf would've been the smarter choice. Kaden Smith was a steal in Round 6, so I'm not going to complain there either.
But some of these other picks confused me. Despite the steal of Smith, the rest of San Francisco's later round picks were major reaches. They did need a punter, but taking one in Round 4 is unheard of. They didn't need to draft WR Jalen Hurd either. Deebo Samuel will provide them enough at receiver and Hurd was drafted way too early. The strong picks early on definitely boost this draft class, but the Niners could've added a few more quality players and filled a couple more needs.
Los Angeles Rams
Overall Grade: C+
Draft Report Card:
It's hard to start a draft strong without a first round pick, but the Rams definitely could've done better. They could've waited on the safety and running back till later rounds. There was no need for a corner in Round 3, especially someone who I didn't have being drafted. The team did rebound in the later rounds, snagging a strong tackle in David Edwards and a replacement for Ndamukong Suh in Greg Gaines.
There were some needs that weren't filled as early as they should've been or were completely ignored. The Rams interior o-line still needs serious help. But there were some strong selections in the later rounds that will definitely highlight this draft class.
Seattle Seahawks
Overall Grade: C
Draft Report Card:
There weren't too many straight up confusing picks in this draft, but there weren't many eye popping picks either. The team made a lot of reaches in the early rounds, and that definitely brings their grade down significantly. But the Seahawks did, to an extent, redeem themselves. They received a blatant steal when they drafted WR D.K. Metcalf at the end of the 2nd round. They continued to add to their depleted receiving corps throughout this draft, as Doug Baldwin will no longer be on the team.
But while they hyperfocused on finding Russell Wilson some guys to throw to, they threw aside some of their other needs. The team is still in desperate need of secondary depth despite drafting a safety. It wouldn't have hurt to take a new TE either. But the team did manage to fill a good number of holes despite their reaches, so you have to give them some credit for that.
That's all for this portion of my NFL Draft Report Cards. Next time, I'll shift my attention to the AFC, starting with New England's division, the AFC East. Did the Pats outwit their division rivals again this year? Stay tuned to find out what I think.


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Investigators believe 8-year-old intentionally killed 90-year-old woman
SLAUGHTER, LA (WAFB) - East Feliciana Parish Sheriff's Office officials say they believe an 8-year-old intentionally pulled the trigger and killed an elderly woman Thursday evening right after playing 'Grand Theft Auto IV'. Although they believe it was an intentional crime, according to Louisiana law, the child will not be charged.
In what is now being called a homicide, the Sheriff's Office says it happened at the Country Breeze mobile home park on LA 67 near Slaughter, LA just after 5 p.m.
Investigators said they found a woman with a gunshot wound to the head. She was pronounced dead at the scene. According to family members of the victim, her name was Marie Smothers. Smothers was 90 years old.
In a release from the Sheriff's Office, it says although the child initially told investigators that he accidentally shot Smothers while playing with a firearm, the investigation has led them to believe the child intentionally shot her. Smothers was shot in the back of the head while she was in the living room watching television.
The release also states: "By accounts of relatives of the victim, as well as friends of the family, the victim and the juvenile had a normal, loving, relationship." "Although a motive for the shooting is unknown at this time investigators have learned that the juvenile suspect was playing a video game on the Play Station III "Grand Theft Auto IV", a realistic game that has been associated with encouraging ... just minutes before the homicide occurred."
A man who referred to himself as the boy's father tells WAFB the gun, a .38 caliber handgun, belonged to Smothers. It is still unclear on how the boy got the handgun.
Relatives report the kid had a loving relationship with the woman. She was his caregiver and called her grandmother. Reports from detectives say the two shared a bedroom.
An autopsy was performed Friday afternoon, but results have not been released at this time.
The 8-year-old suspect was released to his parents Thursday night. His name has not been released because of his age.
Authorities say that Louisiana law prohibits them from charging the child with a crime because of his age.
The law states: "Those who have not reached the age of 10 years are exempt from criminal responsibility. However, nothing in this article shall affect the jurisdiction of juvenile courts as established by the constitution and statutes of this state."
The investigation is ongoing.
Slaughter, LA is 21 miles north of Baton Rouge.
Copyright 2013 WAFB. All rights reserved.


text:
Update: The winner is Brenda
Win this Prize Pack to Get Closer to Real Food This Gardening Season
Update: The winner is Brenda
56 comments:
I am from Ontario and I do enjoy gardening. (Judy Cowan)ReplyDelete
I'm in Ontario, in the Niagara region. I love gardening, we have a community garden plot we use every summer :)ReplyDelete
from manitoba and yes i love gardeningReplyDelete
I'm in BC and I do enjoy gardening.ReplyDelete
RAFFLECOPTER NAME is Anne Taylor
In Winnipeg and I really like to gardenReplyDelete
- Victoria EssMay 8, 2015 at 12:52 AM
I live in Toronto, Canada, and I love gardening although I am still a beginner.ReplyDelete
Ontario - And sure do enjoy gardening!ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario and yes, I love gardening!ReplyDelete
I live in Alberta and I love gardeningReplyDelete
I am from BC and I like to garden.ReplyDelete
I'm from Ontario.ReplyDelete
I'm actually not very good at gardening. My sister has the green thumb!
I live in Port Coquitlam, just outside of Vancouver in BC. I enjoy gardening, but always seem to have a hard time starting.ReplyDelete
- Laurie PMay 8, 2015 at 2:44 PM
We live in the Niagara Region of ON. Love gardening with my little one, and teaching her where our food comes from :)ReplyDelete
I am in Ontario. I like gardening, but am not too good at it.ReplyDelete
I'm in BC. I don't mind the gardening, but my mom loves gardening and I help out when I can!ReplyDelete
From NB. I do not like gardening.ReplyDelete
BC and I have green thumbs, love to garden!ReplyDelete
- Isabel ToppsMay 8, 2015 at 8:32 PM
I'm in Ontario and love gardeningReplyDelete
From Ontario and I love gardening, Im not great at it but getting there :)ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario and I love gardening!ReplyDelete
I live in manitoba and I do like to gardenReplyDelete
I'm in Alberta and am an avid gardener!ReplyDelete
I live in BC and i enjoy having fresh vegetables in my yard.ReplyDelete
I live in Saskatchewan. I don't like gardening.ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario. I am not a great gardener, but I try :)ReplyDelete
I'm in Ontario, and I enjoy gardeningReplyDelete
I live in Ontario and love gardening, especially food!ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario. I've never done any gardening, but I'd love to - just as soon as we move into an apartment with a little dirt or sunshine ;). I think it's something everyone should do or at least give a try if they can.ReplyDelete
- amber y
i'm on Vancouver Island and I LOVE gardeningReplyDelete
I'm in Alberta and I don't mind it but don't really have a spot to garden in the house we're renting now. We do have some raspberries on the side of the house though and the kids wait with anticipation each year for the berries to be ready :) (Andrea Amy)ReplyDelete
- naiddia pMay 11, 2015 at 8:21 AM
I live in Ontario and enjoy gardening.ReplyDelete
I am in Ontario. I love gardening. I find it very relaxing and have been doing this for a couple of years. So, I am new to this.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 11, 2015 at 5:14 PM
I am in BC and I love gardeningReplyDelete
I live in Newfoundland. I like to garden, but I am not very good at it.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 12, 2015 at 8:10 AM
I live in Newfoundland. My husband does some gardening. I enjoy eating it.ReplyDelete
Florence C
I live in Southern Ontario. I don't garden alot but LOVE flowers! I buy lots of annuals for the colour after a long winter...ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario.ReplyDelete
I absolutely love gardening...I do it every year.
I live in Ontario and I do love gardening.ReplyDelete
I live in NB and we have two big gardens that my hubby and I tend to.ReplyDelete
I live in BC and I love to garden. I spent yesterday helping my mom plant her garden and I'm finishing planting mine this weekend. My flower bed was planted last weekend, which means I need to weed today probably.ReplyDelete
I'm in NB and I love gardening, all except for the bugs.ReplyDelete
I live in Newfoundland and I love gardening.ReplyDelete
I live in Canada. I do enjoy gardening, wish I had more time.ReplyDelete
I live in BC. I do enjoy gardening but I wish I had a bigger yard so I could do more.ReplyDelete
I live in alberta and love to grow my own food.ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario and gardening is okay.ReplyDelete
I live in PEI and I do very little gardening but am planning to do more this summer!ReplyDelete
I am from Ontario and I don't enjoy gardening.ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario and gardening is my favourite thing to do! I love all aspects of it. Just finished preparing my garden yesterday. Hope to plant tomorrow (too hot today). I started a bunch of seeds indoors this year (with the help of The Kids) so that was fun.ReplyDelete
I'm hypoglycemic and always have a Kashi bar in my purse as my go-to snack. They're the lowest in sugar that I've found and they taste AMAZING!
Besos, Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo
I live in Ontario and gardening is alright but like someone else to do it.ReplyDelete
I live in Alberta. I enjoy gardening but right now all I have is a flower bed, not a good sized garden to work in.ReplyDelete
I am in MB and I love to garden!ReplyDelete
I live in Ontario, I do enjoy gardening, but am not very good at it.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousMay 23, 2015 at 11:22 PM
From ON, doing first container garden this year.ReplyDelete
I live in Canada. I go in spurts with gardening. Some days I love it more than othersReplyDelete
(Debbie W)
I am from Ontario and I don't really enjoy gardeningReplyDelete


text:
Hey guys. I just got my Syncrowave 200 (pic below ) today and am still setting it up. The cord is only about 5.5' and can't reach the power in the spot I want it. Now my question is, what would you suggest, making the cord longer or making an extension cord. An extension cord would be nice but would run about $50 more due to the extra plugs. I know it's bad to run long cords, but I've gotta do something. Is there a formula for calculating how long of a cord you can use? I'd like at least 9'... Thanks!
No announcement yet.
Just got my TIG & have a question...
new posts
You really need to do something better with that bottle next to the bench.
It needs to be secured upright, first and foremost.
Then you need to make sure nothing on that bench can land on the regulator.
Both of those are potentially a pretty serious health threat.
As for the power cord. You can replace it with a longer cord. Check the cord that's on the machine for the appropriate size for the replacement (my guess is that it's 8/3 or 6/3). Since you're not talking about making it 50', you'll be fine with the stock size wire.
I put a 15' cord on my tig and often find the stock 9' cord on my mig is too short. But then I also have a 50' extension cord made out of 6/3 SOOJ. I hate having to whip that out just to get the welder around the other side of a car or whatever.Syncrowave 250DX
Invison 354MP
XR Control and 30A
Airco MED20 feeder
Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 81
Smith O/A rig
And more machinery than you can shake a 7018 rod at
Fishy Jim is right on.
i suspect you just have the tank there temperarily, as you have another welder and are probly aware of the safty risks. but adding a bungy cord around it and the table leg would be an easy, fast idea in a temp. situation to secure it.
congrats on the syncro, nice looking welder.
going to 10 or 12 ft at the same size should be fine. at 25 to 50 ft i would start looking at another option. if you are still woried check out your manual. it might have an extention cord rating in it.
welcome to the site.thanks for the help
hope i helped
feel free to shoot me an e-mail direct i have time to chat. [email protected]
summer is here, plant a tree. if you don't have space or time to plant one sponsor some one else to plant one for you. a tree is an investment in our planet, help it out.
Senior Member
- Mar 2007
- 589
One thing to condsider with an exstension cord is that, although it may be slightly more exspensive, it is far more versatile. An extension cord will work with both your syncro and your mig, as well as anything else you want to plug into it. Furthermore, you never know when you will want to do some work farther from a plug and a longer extension cord will allow you mobilility. Just some food for though.
Oh, and congratulations on the new piece of Blue, it will serve you well.Owner of Burnt Beard Fabrication & Welding Ltd.
BigBlue 500D
Dynasty 200DX
Millermatic 211
4' Box and Pan Break
IR compressor
ive got the same short a$$ cord on my 200 as well. I made a 25 foot extension cord for $75 CND. that include a cord cap, box, cover, recptacle and 25 ft of 3conductor #8awg SOWJ. dont worry about voltage drop unless you intend to go more than a hundred feet. I have a table around here somewher that gives the % of voltage drop for a given lenght at specific amps. I can look it up for you if youre concerned.
Fishy Jim is right too. Nothing worse that having to drag out an extension for only two feet. then you get to trip over it and kick it to the side and and and.. if you pull the cord out of the machine, be sure to get the proper copper lugs at the machine end crimped on properly with a proper crimping tool. This is a potential fire hazard if its not done right. Usually what happens is that the wire "vibrates" in the loose connction and heat builds up. this ends up burning the insulation and if the wire is touching something that is grounded....BOOM!!! youre out a welder and maybe more..
Did you get one of those unruly pvc jacketed non flexible cords on your 251?
I ve got one of thoseon mine and im about ready to chop it off. its driving me nutz!Will it weld? I loooove electricity!
Miller 251/30A spool
Spectrum 625
Precix 5x10 CNC Router12"Z
Standard modern lathe
Cheap Chinese mill that does the trick... sort of...
horizontal 7x12 bandsaw
Roland XC540 PRO III
54" laminator
hammer and screwdriver (most used)
little dog
pooper scooper (2nd most used...)
The fewer the connections in the circuit the better. As Rich just pointed out, they are where the problems can more easily occur.
For something like being a few feet short of a genuine wall outlet, I would extend the cord on the machine. They're intended to be replaceable, so upgrading is painless.
I agree with having an extension cord as well. They simply come in real handy. I'd make it no smaller than 6ga though. Just my personal opinion.
So if you want to save some money now, just extend the cord on the machine, then you can make your extension cord later when cash isn't so tight.Syncrowave 250DX
Invison 354MP
XR Control and 30A
Airco MED20 feeder
Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster 81
Smith O/A rig
And more machinery than you can shake a 7018 rod at
Wow, thanks for all the great info
The tank is just there temperately until I complete the running gear for the TIG. Also if you look closely you can see I do have a chain around the neck of the tank
I'm going to make an extension cord. That sounds like the most practical solution. I'll probably go 25' 8/3 SOOW... Thanks again everyone!Last edited by toofazt; 12-18-2007, 12:25 PM.
Cord size
Originally posted by toofazt View PostWow, thanks for all the great info
The tank is just there temperately until I complete the running gear for the TIG. Also if you look closely you can see I do have a chain around the neck of the tank
I'm going to make an extension cord. That sounds like the most practical solution. I'll probably go 25' 8/3 SOOW... Thanks again everyone!
Good luck.
- Dec 2007
- 51
each connection in your cord = power lost. if you can afford it, i'd rip that useless cord off and just replace it right @ the machine.
cost of plugs/recepticales and the pain in the a$$ of storing the extension cord should be considered
Senior Member
- Feb 2007
- 264
I have my Dialarc hard-wired into the main panel with about a 20' cord. My mig & plasma have the stock cords, which I plug into a 50' 6 AWG extension cord. With the extension, it's so much easier to roll out the welder, then unroll the cord enough to reach the equipment. It was easy to find a socket & plug that match up to the OEM Miller cords. I don't like the idea of hacking off the original cords. With the Dialarc, I have to carefully pull or push the machine, winding or unwinding the cord, so I don't run over it. PITA.AutoArc 230 (MM 210)
3035 spoolgun
Spectrum 625
Dialarc HF w/Coolmate 4


text:
Cannes lineup celebrates world film, favorites
April 21, 2013
By THOMAS ADAMSON
(PARIS, AP) – The Cannes Film Festival's 2013 lineup announced Thursday features work from some of the globe's most dangerous locales for artists, and a sprinkling of works by old favorites including Roman Polanski, the Coen brothers and Steven Soderbergh.
Celebrating world cinema from countries with limited freedom of expression is clearly one of this year's stories, with works from Chad, China and Iran among the 19 films competing for the Palme d'Or, one of cinema's most coveted prizes.
"The festival is a house that shelters artists in danger," said Cannes President Gilles Jacob, who announced the nominees Thursday.
Harking from Africa, "Grigris" by Chadian filmmaker Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, will feature alongside "The Life of Adele" from French-Tunisian director Abdellatif Kechiche. "Zulu" – a police thriller shot in South Africa and starring Forest Whitaker and Orlando Bloom – will close the festival but is not competing.
The list also includes "A Touch of Sin" by Chinese director Jia Zhangke, and "The Past" from Iranian director Asghar Farhadi, featuring Tahar Rahim and rising star Berenice Bejo who garnered attention for "The Artist."
The Mexican narco-film "Heli" by director Amat Escalante explores how love and family ties can provide solace in the desperation stemming from drug trafficking.
Old favorite filmmakers of the festival also fared well.
Joel and Ethan Coen, who won the Palme d'Or in 1991 for "Barton Fink," will show their latest film "Inside Llewyn Davis," set in New York's 1960s folk music scene, starring Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake and John Goodman.
Soderbergh, who caused controversy with 1989's Palme d'Or winner "Sex, Lies and Videotape," is back with "Behind the Candelabra," based on the book by Scott Thorson recounts his relationship with the flamboyant pianist Liberace.
Roman Polanski's "Venus In Fur" could give the Oscar-winning Polish director his second Cannes accolade. He won in 2002 with "The Pianist."
"Only God Forgives," Ryan Gosling's second film with "Drive" director Nicolas Winding Refn, is also in the running. Gosling, paired with Kristin Scott Thomas, stars as a criminal in the Bangkok underworld.
Other nominees include Japanese director Takashi Miike.
Organizers sifted through 1,858 submissions over recent months. Some were submitted as late as Wednesday night, 12 hours before the official selection would be announced.
Last year, Cannes was accused of sexism for a shortlist that included no women. This year, there is one female Palme d'Or contender, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi with her first feature, "A Chateau in Italy." Bruni-Tedeschi is the sister of former French first lady Carla Bruni.
"The Great Gatsby," with Leonardo DiCaprio in the title role and directed by Australian Baz Luhrmann, will open this year's Cannes festival – in 3-D, no less. The film will be making its premiere but is not entered in the competition.
Hollywood giant Steven Spielberg heads the jury at the festival at the French Riviera this year, which runs May 15-26.
Sofia Coppola's "The Bling Ring" will open the other official section of the festival, "Un Certain Regard," which highlights unique styles and different points of view.
Coppola opened this section once before with the 80s-tinged "Marie Antoinette," that divided critics back in 2006. "The Bling Ring," starring Emma Watson, tells the true tale of celebrity-obsessed teenagers who use the internet to track the whereabouts of their famous targets in order to break into their homes.
Other films in this section include "As I Lay Dying" by actor-director James Franco, an adaptation of the famed William Faulkner novel of the same name.
Danish "Dogma" director Thomas Vinterberg will head the "Un Certain Regard" jury.


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Last night, Wednesday, June 12 Fort Morgan hosted Brush in a B Legion matchup at Legion Field.
The game started at 7 p.m. just as the day started to cool off, and the lead exchanged hands back and fourth several times making this anyone's game. Fortunately for Fort Morgan they were the ones to come out the victors in a 7-5 final in six and a half innings.
Fort Morgan took the field first as the home team with Kyle Daniels on the mound as the starting pitcher. But the score was deadlocked 0-0 at the end of the first.
In the second inning Brush managed to get one across the plate as Zane Pfau scored on a wild pitch.
Ryan Hirschfeld then took the mound for Brush. Reyes Rodriguez slapped a double, and Daniels hit him in to tie it up 1-1. Chris Anderson scored on a wild pitch to put Fort Morgan ahead by one run.
In the third inning Fort Morgan had a pitching change, putting Wes Anderson on the mound, and Brush tied it up 2-2. In the bottom of the third Joey Schneider picked up a base hit and Rodriguez picked up another double but no one sent them home.
The top of the fourth was a three up three down inning for Wes Anderson on the mound and Fort Morgan went to the plate.
Daniels started off the inning with a base hit. Wes Anderson was hit by a ball and was injured but battled back at the plate for a double. Jared Bohm and James Blackstun picked up hits, loading the bases with two outs. Schneider's good eye walked in Wes Anderson before the inning closed out to put Morgan ahead 3-2.
In the top of the fifth Fort Morgan had another pitching change to Blayden Pollitt, due to Wes Anderson's injury. Brush's Alec Peterson got on base to start off the inning and a couple of batters down the line Hirschfeld slapped in two RBIs for Brush to make it 4-3, Brush taking the lead.
Then Oscar Soto hits for another RBI to give Brush some padding before the inning closed out with Brush taking the lead at 5-3. Morgan had a pitching change, putting in Bohm and closing out the inning.
In the bottom of the fifth, Chris Anderson started off their line up with a base hit, followed by a bunt from Jordan Mendez, and a slap hit from Daniels to load the bases. Austin Kosman slammed in two RBIs to tie up the game at 5-5, and then Wes Anderson picked up another base hit and then Bohm hit in to more RBIs for Fort Morgan to take the lead back by two 7-5.
In the top of the sixth Brush did not get the bats going, and in the bottom of the sixth Mendez got on base with a bunt, and then Daniels got on base with a fielder's choice. Daniels stole second but then was left stranded.
In the top of the seventh Morgan really got into a pickle as Brush loaded the bases with one out. Fort Morgan managed to climb out, however, giving up no runs and picking up a win over longtime rival and next door neighbor Brush.
— Contact Veronica Ivey at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Why I Don't Buy the One-Minute Elevator Speech
August 6, 2012 18 Comments
I'm afraid I am a heretic of business communication. I don't buy into the one-minute elevator pitch.
Actually, I'm totally into the idea of a compact presentation of one's self and one's business. I just have three issues with the one-minute elevator pitch:
- The one-minute
- The elevator ride
- The pitch
It's too many words, for too long, and it's trying to accomplish too much.
For your opener, I believe in the the Fifteen-Second Memory Dart – a single phrase with a vivid image that can be delivered before the elevator door closes.
Here's an example:
Q: "Good to meet you, Michele Price. What is it you do?"
A: "I'm the Digital Media Splash Agent – I employ my on-line platform to amplify my clients' promotional efforts during product launches and trade shows, so they can impact a much larger audience."
BOOM! Vivid imagery. Concise explanation. Clear offering. One sentence summary; no forgettable monologue. Dart, meet bullseye. And, it certainly helps to have a reinforcing visual.
This opening verbal dart accomplishes three things:
- It makes you immediately memorable. You're leaving an image behind via an effective word picture.
- It very quickly establishes if there is a potential area of need (not only with that individual, but with someone they might know).
- It opens the door to say more by invitation, at which time you can take 30-60 seconds to tell a condensed story.
I have a lot of common perspectives with Chris Westfall, who is positioned as the (NEW) elevator pitch guy. But I think introduction-by-pitch is one step premature. In the first 15 seconds, we need to capture attention, be memorable, and provoke an invitation to tell the story. That's what a memory dart does.
I will warn you – it sounds easy, but creating your memory dart one of the hardest communications challenges you'll ever face. Distilling purpose/offering/message to one sentence and wrapping it into an image or analogy takes tremendous creativity and hard work. But since this is your first foot forward in every professional introduction, where your goal is to cut through the fog and be remembered – nothing else is more important.
Are you Memorable? Hire Steve Woodruff for Clarity Therapy!
Recent posts on Connection Agent:
>> Make Your Life a Story, not a List


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It's 6 p.m. on Tuesday night on the 8th floor of the Chicago Merchandise Mart, an 85-year-old building on the city's north side. Technologists, academics, data scientists, developers, researchers and just plain interested citizens begin filing in.
After a little socializing there's a short presentation. Some recent presenters have included a couple guys from Microsoft talking about how to make sidewalks safe, representatives from the U.S. General Accounting Office and the Cook County Bureau of Technology introducing their new Web site. After the presentation, they split up into breakout groups. One group is focusing on police accountability. Another is mapping the demand for better transit, while another is approaching the problem of finding nursing homes in the city.
This is Chi Hacknight and it is one of the most active examples of civic technology. Civic tech is a grassroots, citizen-generated approach to building what I've been calling in these posts, the smart city. Hack nights like the one in Chicago now meet in several cities in the U.S. as well as in London and in Monterrey, Mexico.
Writing in Tech Crunch (Civic Tech Brings Power and Positivity to the People), Stacy Donohue comments: "in an era marked by political pessimism and ever-increasing frustration with government, civic tech can play an important role in empowering people to take action — as entrepreneurs, as public officials and as engaged citizens."
Another pioneering civic tech group is Code for America in San Francisco. They describe themselves as "a network of people making government work for the people, by the people, in the 21st century. How do we get there? Government services that are simple, effective, and easy to use, working at scale to build healthy, prosperous, and safe communities." One of Code for America's projects is GetCalFresh. Intended to address the 2 million Californians who were eligible but not receiving this food assistance, GetCalFresh enables these folks to apply in about 10 minutes on their smartphone or tablet, get help via online chat and upload photos of documents that otherwise would have to be faxed or scanned. Another Code for America initiative, Clear My Record, is targeted at people who have committed low level crimes and who have served their time.
Some platform-based services that promote civic tech have also emerged. Neighborly describes itself as "modern public finance." It allows users to invest in municipal bonds to support projects in their neighborhood. The bonds can be purchased in small denominations using the Neighborly platform. It recently sponsored a Neighborly Bonds Challenge. One of the winners was the city of Burlington, Vt., which hopes to use the financing for its Sustainable Action Plan.
SeeClickFix purports to "help hundreds of communities resolve millions of issues." Through this app you can report a pothole, a broken streetlight or a vandalized playground. The app also gives government entities the ability to organize and track citizen-reported, non-emergency issues, potentially making them more efficient. Among the cities that use the app are Houston, Minneapolis and New Haven, Conn.
In discussing the future of cities and how they can use technology to become "smart," civic tech has some significant advantages that suggests it should play a large role.
- It is democracy. The goal is to give the residents of the community the ability to bring forth ideas, participate in planning and in developing solutions. It provides the opportunity to be part of and help direct local government.
- It's cheaper than many commercial technology solutions. For one thing, it cuts out the consultant layer of tech development, which is often enormously expensive. The consultant is replaced by people who have a stake in the community.
- It avoids the potential pitfall of turning over aspects of management of a city to large technology corporations what may well be more focused on their profits than they are on citizen welfare.
- It offers the potential for meaningful careers in technology. The citizens of a community have the opportunity to be entrepreneurs, to develop start-ups, and to create jobs that enable people to use their skills in a way that improves their environment.


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When you deliver an important message to your employees, is it closer to a message in a bottle than a direct conversation?
Perhaps you're updating your business strategy or transforming your organization. Maybe you're changing your pension plan or moving to a private exchange health plan. How you deliver credible information about organizational changes can keep your key people from jumping ship. An effective communication strategy has the power to boost employee engagement, build internal awareness, drive performance, retain talent, and even make your workforce more open to change.
The gap between company change and employee understanding can be wide. Let us help you build bridges.
Mercer is more than 21,000 strong in employees with diverse professional backgrounds and career experiences. Not only can our consultants "talk the talk" when it comes to HR communications, they also walk the walk. So when we deliver an employee value proposition or a new-hire microsite, we're crafting those communications thinking of our colleagues, friends, and ourselves on the other side.
Some examples are our Mercer Belong® portal and Mercer Career View app™, which make it easy for employees to access career information the way they access everything else: through an app. These are just two examples of Mercer communications tools built with employees in mind.
Some changes are bigger than others. No matter the scope, Mercer can help.
If you're switching your HRIS, such as Workday or SAP, changing the shape of your workforce, or navigating a merger or acquisition, clear communication is crucial.
Even if a merger looks perfect on paper, disaster can ensue when it comes to harmonizing company cultures — a point of failure for countless mergers. Effective employee communication throughout the integration of two companies is often the "secret ingredient" to a merger's success, and too often overlooked.
We can help you communicate big changes to give your people an even brighter image of the future than they have today.
The channels for communication are many — email, mobile, blogs, microsites, not to mention plain old face time. That means more opportunities to communicate, but also more potential for the wrong messages to "go viral".
From conversations over lunch to chats over "bring your own device", it takes a determined ear to the ground to hear the word that's going around. We'll let you know if your people are "buying" the messages you're "selling" — and share how communication can help accelerate engagement.
Our employee communication experts can help you speak directly to your employees in the language they understand. Our solutions include:
By clicking Submit, I agree to the use of my personal information according to the Mercer Privacy Statement. I understand that my personal information may be transferred for processing outside my country of residence, where standards of data protection may be different.


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To view products available in your market, please select a region.
Decoration and shade may vary slightly from the samples shown.
Expona Simplay tiles and planks have been developed for loose lay installation, without the use of adhesive. For certain heavy traffic or rolling load applications, or larger-scale heavy commercial environments, double sided tape and room for expansion may be required. For further information, contact Polyflor.
Variation in colour and design is a feature of this product intended to enhance the natural appearance of the floor.We recommend that adequate UV protection be taken against products being installed in direct sunlight as fading may occur.
Light Reflectance Values (LRVs) are tested in accordance with BS 8300 : 09.


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Warren Buffett celebrated his 82nd birthday Thursday by announcing an additional $3.1 billion in donations to the charities run by his three children.
In 2006, Buffett pledged 17.5 million Class B shares of his firm, Berkshire Hathaway (BRKB), to each of his children's foundations. In an open letter to the three dated Thursday, Buffett said they had "exceeded my high expectations" in making use of the gifts so far, and that he was upping his pledge by 12.2 million shares each.
At Thursday's market price of $84.19 a share, that translates to an additional $3.1 billion in total. Buffett has been distributing a portion of the gift each year, with the three foundations in line to eventually receive roughly $7.5 billion, or more than $2.5 billion each.
Buffett is the world's third-richest person, according to Forbes Magazine, which pegged his net worth earlier this year at $44 billion. He has previously announced plans to give away more than 99% of his fortune during his lifetime or at death.
Buffett's son Peter, along with his wife, Jennifer, runs the NoVo Foundation, which is dedicated to fighting inequality and gender inequities. Another son, Howard, runs the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, which works in the developing world to improve agriculture and clean water delivery. Buffett's daughter, Susan, runs the Sherwood Foundation, which supports non-profits in his hometown of Omaha and funds early childhood education initiatives nationally.
Susan Buffett said she was unsure of how her organization would spend the new funds.
"We're all excited to be thinking about that over the next few months," she said.
Representatives of the other two foundations did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Along with Microsoft (MSFT) founder Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, Buffett has spearheaded a push to get other wealthy individuals to commit to giving away at least half of their fortunes to charity. The initiative, known as the Giving Pledge, has landed commitments from members of the super-rich including Facebook (FB) founder Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle (ORCL) chairman Larry Ellison and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.


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No, not chocolate chips…
No, not chocolate chips. Photo closeup of thorny bark of a Ceiba Pochote tree (Ceiba speciosa) in the garden of the Hotel Bougainvillea, Costa Rica.
If viewing this in an email, click on the image to open it at higher resolution in your browser.
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who are you and why are you ruining this forum
it's like, every time i see yr name, it physically hurts me
whirwulf said yr mom is ugly
who even aRE YOU
that emote was a mistake.
no yOU'RE A HOBO. dumb swede. >
sHUT UP. hi jj. i miss u. <3
How's Bravely Default?? ;____;
useless derp. NOBODY LIKES YOU.
Yo Ho'
OnRPG...Y U SO BUG ME BOUT MEASLY 10 CHARACTER
Raider of Empty Tombs
HopeDagger's Henchman
Detective Kirby
OnRPG Elite Member!
Bongo Crazy Kong
King Furry
Marios's Mustache Wax
ChimaeraOne's Cookie


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I'm free! I'm free! I'm free! After 7 1/2 years, over 8 if you count gestation, I am no longer beholden 24 hours a day. I can write without interruption. I can make a lunch date and stick to it. I can go to the bathroom without mediation. I'm free!
Ok, so I know some moms are really struggling today. I did too. But when I say it feels different this time, I mean it feels AWESOME. I mean setting the alarm for 6:15 means a jump towards peace, not punishment.
Before you judge, let me say this. My son was READY. More than ready. He didn't want us to walk him in for the first day of Kindergarten ready. My sweet boy makes the energizer bunny look lazy. He makes Ann Coulter look wishy-washy. He is two parts Houdini and one part Evil Knievel. I love that boy with every part of my being. I will miss having my buddy around. But we are both ready.
This past summer I likened myself to being at mile 26 of the marathon. I have trained, I have bled, I have had the runner's highs and the bloody nipples. I've stumbled and there have been tears. But, I have crossed the finish line of the 24/7 race. Now, I will be able to catch my breath, take a nice jog with them every afternoon and have the space and energy to dance.
This summer we spent time with my dear friend. Her boys have grown and she was magical with mine. I was lamenting that she is so much better with them than I am, than I want to be. She said, "They're not my kids." And she's right. A fresh perspective, a clean slate, clarity. It is good for all of us; it is good for our children. My child will benefit from his and her teacher. Your child will benefit from his or her teacher. Our children are in good hands and will, hopefully flourish.
I was the crazy mom who kept my kids with me as long as possible. I don't regret that decision and grateful that my husband and I chose to sacrifice in some areas so I could do so, but it did make me a little loopy and more than a little grumpy some days. It did take a toll on my social life and writing aspirations and I would do it again in a heartbeat.
But, I'm (relatively) free now.
Free to enjoy the time I have with them. Free to wander the aisles of the grocery store at my own pace. Free to write when inspired and rest when fatigued. I will have more of me to give when they are home because I have the chance to restore, explore, reflect, and grow.
Take heart, mamas with the balled up tissues and empty car seat. It gets better. It won't always feel like you left part of your heart. Ok, maybe it will, but when you drop your youngest, you will have the time and space to fill your own. And when you pick them up at the end of the day, your hearts will still beat together, just with a little more strength.


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Behind the Scenes of PoMo's Fall Fashion Shoot!
Putting together our bi-annual fashion editorials is a ton of work. It begins with concepting an idea, forecasting what Pdx stores will carry, casting photographers and models, scouting locations, pulling clothing from all over town, assembling it into outfits and then actually editing it into a layout. But once you've done all the stressful planning and show up on the actual shoot, it's a whole lot of fun. Take a little peek behind-the-scenes of the frenzied fun of our fall fashion editorial.
Then view the final product! Fall in Love: A Stylish Portland Romance


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Making : a hot water bottle cosy. One half done. I started the other yesterday, but you really don't get very far along in a 10m session, and I'm not up to everyday yet either. Try setting a 10m timer for the fun of it. It goes so fast. Then make yourself stop. It's really hard!
I did feel like whooping yesterday when I posted this pic on Instagram. It was fab to have something to show and join in with the buzz of all the Autumn making
Cooking : sourdough pizza last night, on a Sunday night. I hadn't made any since August, it was time
Drinking : peppermint tea, Stoptober still going ahead here
Reading: The Music shop by Rachel Joyce and Never Greener by Ruth Jones, I've got a bit caught up in both
Wanting: a positive outcome to my appointment with the Hand and Wrist Consultant and Hand Therapist this week (i.e. no nasty injection or talk of surgery again)
Playing: some of The Music Shop book's playlist
Deciding: not to try anymore crochet for several days now, as hand is sore
Wishing: for a car to fall in my lap, I can pay but I just want someone else to find, test and choose!
Enjoying: sunny blue skies and crisp weather. Driving to Birmingham, on Saturday morning, I noticed an orange snowflake appear on the dashboard to indicate the outside temperature. It had dropped down to 4°. It's 7° today, crisp and bright – basically my favourite type of autumn day
It's Christmas in Selfridges, Birmingham. I know it's really early but actually I got swept into the joyful atmosphere
Waiting: for a telephone call from a company
Liking: thinking about which soup to make next
Wondering: what to have for dinner
How pretty are these Lola's cupcakes? (Also in Selfridges, Brum)
Loving: seeing everyone's colder weather makes on Instagram (I know some of you are in the southern hemisphere and I do like seeing your flowers and garden pictures too!)
Loved having a legitimate colder day to wear my Mock Cable mitts last week. You can knit some too
Pondering: natural ways to keep those limescale and splash marks off the shower doors, without resorting to nasty chemical sprays that you're not meant to wash off. Any suggestions? I'm thinking of something like you rub on half a lemon and a bit of white vinegar in a half-hearted kind of way. I'm not sure if either would be effective Considering: going for a walk in the sunshine
Buying: frozen butternut squash, it's a great standby for soup making
How white is this dog? She was eye catchingly pretty. Her owner said she'd just come from the groomers; she's a perfect ad for their services! I had to ask if I could take her photo for my blog. She's called Molly and posed like a true professional. My friends know I'm much more of a cat than a dog person, but she's clearly gorgeous
Watching: I'm still working my way through Stella. I've just finished Series 4. So far series 3 has been my absolute favourite; it was so funny. She and 'Michael Jackson' were brilliant together.
Hoping: no one tells me what happens at the end of series 6
Marvelling: at the range of items we can borrow from our libraries. I'm working my way through all the library's Stella DVDs after getting hooked on the first two or three episodes for nothing on Amazon Prime, but then they wanted a lot of money to rent or buy the series. No way! I can reserve a DVD for £1.20 and borrow it for a week for another £1.20, then it's 30p per every additional day afterwards
Cringing: at how bad you can feel during your period some months. It's awful and you can't really explain how fluctuating hormones can make you feel and react so emotionally to what you'd normally shrug off, or suggest discussing sometime over a burger and a milkshake. I think it can sound like an excuse to anyone who doesn't experience it, but it's very real. Afterwards you hardly recognise the emotional mess you became for a while
Not your usual charity shop find is it? No, I didn't buy them!
Needing: to water my plants
Questioning: why the boiler keeps making that odd noise despite a recent service
Smelling: rose perfume oil, mmmmm
Wearing: jeans and a t-shirt with three-quarter length sleeves, it's warm behind glass in the sun
Crossing the bridge over the lake, looking back towards the obelisk, Blenheim Palace in the autumn sunshine
Following: some incredible new designers that seem to have suddenly snuck up during the time that I haven't been knitting and crocheting
Knowing: designing is probably never going to be my special talent, but I do love writing
Thinking: about my rumbling tummy, I always seem to be either hungry or thirsty when I write these posts
Admiring: some crochet jumpers and cardies
Nala the cockapoo, one of the salon dogs relaxing on the hair-wash chair. She's either resting her head on your knee asking for love, or curled up on a chair. It's clearly a hard life. Cora her Goldendoodle half-sister is often asleep by the front door, waiting for the postman who always brings treats. They are probably part of the reason why I'm so much more comfortable around dogs. I like my hairdressers a lot, so it wasn't a difficult choice between leaving because of the dogs, or staying and getting used to them. This year I've patted them both once. This might not seem impressive, but believe me it is!
Sorting: my shredding and coming across all sorts of funny notes, including one I wrote to Someone who was on a conference call: 'We have a situation in a k cupboard, I think it's contained…. but I've left the bin outside the front door.'
Getting: a new mini sieve at Birmingham's Rag Market, to try to make even better poached eggs
Bookmarking: articles about psychology and friendship
Coveting: new clothes
Disliking: shopping for 'em!
Opening: the veg drawers and finding a half rotten cucumber I'd forgotten about
Giggling: at Celebrity Goggle Box in aid of Stand-up for Cancer on Friday night. Danny Dyer and his daughter were hilarious
Sewing with my Mum. Just like old times: "You don't need to stand over me, go and find something to do." At least she didn't tell me to "Go and have a run around the garden!"
Feeling: relaxed
Snacking: on nothing at the moment
Helping: my friend enjoy her holiday without guilt for having fish and chips etc. Life is too short, have some family fun and healthier eating can wait for a few days
Hearing: bugs ding into the window outside
Mixing: lemon, ginger and honey later for a warming drink
Worrying: about something it seems I can do nothing to resolve. It takes two to tango/ talk
Favourite lunch: toasted crumpets, avocado mashed with a little salt, poached eggs and homegrown cherry tomatoes
Slicing: that rotten cucumber, I've salvaged half. Hate throwing food away
Celebrating: autumn
Roses & orchids, amazing. Yes, spoilt
Forgetting: lots! It's my age dear
Winning: £8:60 on the lottery a few weeks ago
Pretending: I'm a calm, wise and mature woman, not an emotional soggy mess on occasion
Sneaking: M&S Butter Mints from the car
Embracing: my beloved in his new cashmere jumper
Hope all's well in your world. What are you up to?