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Essential Jazz Lines In the Style of Grant Green Guitar Edition
Soft / Music Magazines 12-02-2018
Grant Green was one of the most innovative jazz guitarists of the 1960s. His horn-like lines, original tone, and superb sense of time elevated him to being one of Blue-Note Records first call session players as well as a respected bandleader. This book covers many of the techniques Grant used in his playing and provides many melodic lines in the style of Grant Green for minor, dominant seventh, short and long ii-V, major, and minor ii-V chord progressions. Chapters on double-slurs, double-stops, pentatonic and blues scales as well as chapters on the basics of the jazz language will help guitarists understand and play the music of Grant Green. Presented in standard notation, tab and fretboard diagrams. Includes access to play-along online audio that will assist guitarists in mastering this material.
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Blues Guitar Chords and Accompaniment
Soft / Music Magazines 15-09-2017
"Blues Guitar Chords and Accompaniment" is the ultimate guide for learning how to play guitar accompaniment in blues, one of the oldest and most popular forms of American music. Staring with such basics as tuning, music notation, and chord theory, the book guides you step by step through a variety of basic open chords, strumming patterns, and accompaniment styles, along with numerous techniques involved in blues rhythm guitar. Throughout the book, you'll find easy-to-follow diagrams, ample music examples and exercises, and various blues riffs and sample songs.
Easy Guitar Scales and Modes By Matt Warnock
Soft / Music Magazines 25-04-2017
Learn Guitar Scales and Modes the Easy Way
Scales and modes are essential learning for any guitarist, but they're intimidating when first learning to play guitar.
There's an endless list of shapes, fingerings, theory, etc. to learn, making it easy to be overwhelmed in the practice room.
Beginner Music Theory for Guitar Players An In-Depth Guide to Scales, Chords an by Bobby Kitteberger
Soft / Music Magazines 12-10-2016
Do you want to be more intentional about knowing the guitar and music theory?
Wouldn't you rather move past simply memorizing fretboard patterns and instead start understanding music theory in a more comprehensive sense?
If so, this book is perfect for you.
After just a few chapters, you'll begin understanding the most crucial aspects of music theory surrounding the guitar, allowing you to make sense of your instrument better than you ever have before. This will give you an intellectual grasp of music as a whole and put you on the fast track to being able to apply those concepts to the fretboard.
Written in plain English, this book illustrates and explains guitar music theory in a simple, easy to understand way that doesn't load you down with topics that you don't need to know. Moreover, you'll come away with a complete understanding of guitar scales and chords, how they relate to the fretboard and how they're connected to everything else you play.
You'll also gain powerful insight into sheet music and reading music for guitar, allowing you to understand guitar tabs, standard notation and how they both fit together and correspond to one another.
Guitar Pentatonic and Blues Scales
Soft / Music Magazines 7-06-2016
Easily Master Pentatonic Scales in Minutes
Quickly and easily learn to play Pentatonic Scales like they're second nature.
Contains Guitar Theory, Pentatonic Licks, Exercises and Sequences
Guitar: Pentatonic and Blues Scales covers the essential guitar theory for the Minor Pentatonic scale, Major Pentatonic Scale and The Blues Scale and highlights the characteristics of each scale with useful licks and exercises.
Includes Audio, Backing Tracks and Clear Diagrams!
Each lick is written in standard notation and guitar tab, and comes with an audio track to download so that you can hear how it should sound. This will help you learn quicker by setting you useful musical targets. There are also backing tracks so you can jam and improvise with your new ideas in musical context.
An Intense 'Shot in the Arm' of Instant Theory and Usable Guitar Licks
As well as many musical licks, there are also notated exercises and sequencing ideas to help you build speed and technique with pentatonic scales. Everything is notated and explained so you can use the ideas immediately in your playing.
Guitar: Pentatonic and Blues scales is a Mini-Book - that gives you a short, inspiring injection of creativity. It highlights approaches from our 30 other 100+ page books which go into more depth with many difference genres of music.
Guitar: Pentatonic and Blues Scales Includes:
Major Scale Theory & Construction
Major Pentatonic Theory and Licks
Minor Pentatonic Theory & Licks
Blues Scale Theory & Licks
Technique & Lick-Building Exercises
Free Audio Track for every Exercise
Backing Tracks
A Free Gift!
Piano for Beginners Fifth Edition
Soft / Music Magazines 11-03-2016
Picking up any instrument for the first time can be daunting, but the new edition of Piano for Beginners will guide you through the learning process. From the correct way to sit at the piano to reading notation, we start with the basics before expanding your musical horizons with easy home recording and genre-specific tutorials. With a glossary of essential terminology, a list of chords and even access to free online resources, Piano for Beginners will be your go-to guide to mastering the piano or keyboard.
Everything you need to know to start playing the piano
Getting started
- Navigate the basics – from accessories to the pedals – with our ultimate guide
Understanding theory
- Lay solid foundations by getting to grips with theory essentials
Playing the piano
- Master your instrument with step-by-step tutorials
Play in the style of…
- Get to know the hallmarks of your favourite genres and replicate their style
Also inside...
- The ultimate guide to the piano
- How to sit correctly at the piano
- Learn the white keys
- Learn the black keys
- Using the piano's pedals
- What is musical notation?
- Introducing the staves
- Notes and their values
- How to read musical notation
- Understand time signatures
- Interpret key signatures
- Learn about ledger lines
- Change note lengths
- Alter a note's pitch with accidentals
- Navigate music notation
- Control the volume with dynamics
- Set and change the tempo
- Add articulations to notes
- Use musical ornaments
- Warm up your hands
- Introducing musical scales
- The C major scale
- The F major scale
- The G major scale
- The D major scale
- The A minor scales
- D minor scales
- Learn about intervals
- Understanding chords
- Using inversions
- Major chords
- Minor chords
- Suspended chords
- Augmented chords
- Diminished chords
- Dominant seventh chords
- Major seventh chords
- Minor seventh chords
- Use chord progressions
- Left-hand patterns
- Learn arpeggios
- Get to grips with recording
- Play through a computer
- Record on a Mac
- Record on a PC
- Improve your techniques with apps
- Pop
- Blues
- Jazz
- The Classical period
- The Romantic period
- Contemporary piano music
- Helpdesk
- Glossary
- Essential scales
- Chords list
Aces: Discovering Guitar's First Heroes
Soft / Music Magazines 14-01-2016
Travel back in time with us to an era when guitarists played from the heart with a sophistication and style that has never been equalled – to a golden era of jazz, blues and country guitar – and learn to play like the pioneers of the fretboard who laid the foundations for a century of rock 'n' roll
What's inside:
The Roots Of Rock
Lonnie Johnson & Eddie Lang
Round-up: Roots Guitars
Django Reinhardt
Blues Breakers & Country Gents
Style File: T-Bone Walker
Hank Garland
Jazz Giants: Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell, Grant Green
The Birth Of Rock 'N' Roll
...and loads more


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Originating from the land of the Scots, Hunter wellies have been adopted by farmers, puddle-jumpers and waders around the world.
With a predominantly British clientele, the popularity of Hunter has risen dramatically in the last Century and the brand is the first choice of many when it comes to wellington boots.
The heritage brand keeps up with the needs of their customers and has recently launched many new styles which are ideal for modern trend-setters and festival-goers alike.
Whatever the occasion, the quality remains as high as ever and Hunter wellies are worn again and again as the rains pour down on the UK each year.
All footwear from Shoes By Mail is delivered for FREE
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Working on any disposable surface, lay the plastic animals on their sides and lightly coat each one with white spray paint. Let each animal dry for approximately 10-15 minutes.
Flip the animals over and repeat Step 1.
Repeat Steps 1 and 2 again with a slightly heavier coat of white. Make sure to cover the entire surface of the animal.
With the desired color of spray paint, repeat Step 3. Make sure to cover all white areas.
Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for the metal jar lid.
Using only small dabs of E6000 glue, adhere the animal to the center of the lid. Let dry completely.


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Optimizing the Removal of Natural Organic Matter in Drinking Water While Avoiding Unintended Consequences Following Coagulation
Knowles, Alisha
MetadataShow full item record
Over the past decade, the objectives for coagulation based drinking water treatment processes have changed significantly. These changes are a result of stringent goals related to natural organic matter (NOM) removal to mitigate the formation of subsequent harmful and health-related disinfection by-products (DBPs) and the need to achieve adequate filtration performance to ensure sufficient particle removal for pathogen control. Another concern associated with coagulation optimization is the potential unintended consequences of a coagulant change on the distribution system, specifically related to lead release from lead pipe and solder materials. Optimizing these multi-objectives in a direct filtration treatment process presents significant challenges for source waters characterized by low levels of turbidity, alkalinity and organic matter content. Bench and pilot-scale experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of ferric sulfate, polyaluminum chloride (PACl) and aluminum chlorohydrate (ACH) against aluminum sulfate (alum) using variable coagulation dosage and pH conditions for a direct filtration facility. Bench-scale experiments were conducted to optimize NOM removal during coagulation using traditional organic matter surrogates coupled with molecular size characterization techniques. Pilot-scale studies provided a snapshot of feasibility in terms of filtration performance for favourable bench-scale conditions and also identified optimal conditions for filtration performance. Results from pilot testing demonstrated that favourable conditions identified for increased potential NOM removals during bench-scale testing were significantly different than optimal filtration conditions identified during pilot studies; and, in fact, severely compromised direct filtration performance due to increased solids loading to the filters. Bench-scale experiments evaluated lead leaching from lead and lead:tin solder galvanically connected to copper under stagnant conditions using variable chloride-to-sulfate mass ratio (CSMR) conditions for alum, ferric sulfate and PACl. Although recent research identifies high CSMRs (>0.5) as the main mechanism of attack in distribution systems following coagulant changeovers, CSMR was not the primary catalyst for lead leaching following the coagulant changeover conditions evaluated in this study. Residual concentrations of iron and aluminum remaining following coagulation were the principal contributors. Positive correlations were revealed between particulate iron and particulate lead concentrations following stagnation demonstrating that the adsorption of lead to iron oxides is a viable hypothesis for lead release.


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Family Effort Pares Down Waste by 99%
By Maureen Wijnen
Photography by Ashley Swartzendruber
The average American generates three pounds of garbage per day. Writer Maureen Wijnen's family challenged themselves to see just how low they could go—and the results were astonishing.
About two years ago our family decided to do something to reduce how much we were polluting the Earth. My son Carsten, 13, suggested trying to see how far we could reduce the trash that we produce. It was a fascinating challenge.
We are a mathy family, and this was something we could really measure and track. Carsten, being the computer man, found the data: In the United States the average person generates three pounds of garbage per day. How far could we reduce that?
We dove into the project. Of course it really helps when your teenager is the driving force. Teens don't let adults get away with anything.
Our first step was to move the trashcan so that we wouldn't unconsciously toss trash in it. We also placed a pen and paper and we wrote down everything that went into the can.
Food scraps were a large portion of our trash. We learned that even living … Read More


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I'm proud to say that I have finished up my Dahlia Cardigan. Despite a rocky start, in which I had to redo the back lace panel 3 times, I'm really pleased with how it turned out. I substituted the yarn. It called for a cotton blend in Manos Serena, but I used Mirasol Nuna, which is a blend of wool, bamboo and silk. The result is a fabric that's soft, has a great sheen and has lots of drape.
Here's the lace panel being blocked. You can get a sense of the sheen in the yarn. (Some of it is due to the flash). It's also probably the truest colour representation. It's a bluish-purple.
This is it all blocked out. Just waiting for it to dry so I can seam and wear it!
And of course, the focal point of the cardigan, the lace back.
This sweater has a very different construction. You begin with the back panel, then pick up along the side edges and start knitting out to make the fronts. The sleeves are afterthought sleeves, made as you would make an afterthought heel. To do so, you knit with waste yarn as wide as you want the opening and then once the project is done, you remove the waste yarn, picking up the stitches on either side and start knitting in the round. It's a great way to keep the drape and flow of the pattern and still be able to have a sleeve. However, there are pros and cons to everything. It lacks the structure a standard sleeve has at the shoulder. I find it sits a little weird when I wear it, but that could be because I didn't place them exactly where I'd like. I think I would have made them a bit longer, or higher had I known what I know now.
Even so, I'm still very pleased with the end result. I've had to pace myself and not wear it everyday!
You can find the pattern on Ravelry.


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Your Annuity Options
By definition, retirement is the time of life when you stop earning income and start living off your assets. Because you are utterly dependent on those assets, you must strive to make them as secure as possible. This entails guaranteeing both the stock of wealth that the asset controls and its delivery of regular income to you.
Annuities as Retirement
Annuities play a historic role in the delivery of safe and secure retirement income. Indeed, the original role played by an annuity in the eighteenth century was precisely defined as the provision of guaranteed lifetime income. Today, your annuity options are much broader, and they encompass the creation of retirement wealth as well as its delivery. Neophyte investors and those new to the subject of retirement planning should learn their annuity options and review them carefully.
Annuities are made-to-order retirement assets, both in terms of their inherent characteristics and their status in law. They are far from alone in their suitability for retirees, however. Other fixed-income assets, such as bonds, also deserve consideration as potential providers of retirement income.
Annuities and Retirement
The investment gains inside annuities accumulate tax-deferred – unlike, for example, taxable gains inside mutual funds. This is consistent with the tax treatment of life insurance generally, where policyholders can take constructive receipt of the gains only by surrendering the policy. In order to grant tax deferral to annuities, the IRS insisted that investors should not use tax deferral to fulfill shorter-term objectives. A 10% tax penalty is levied on withdrawals made prior to the annuityholder's age 59 ½. Withdrawals are also subject to taxation as ordinary income.
Upon withdrawal, annuity gains are also taxed as ordinary income. To some degree, this offsets the relative advantage of tax deferral, because ordinary income rates are well above the long-term capital gains rate levied on mutual funds.
Annuity Options: The Immediate Annuity
The classic form of annuity is the immediate annuity. The purchaser accumulates a stock of wealth consisting of non-annuity assets. If this stock represents a capital sum sufficiently large to provide retirement income, the wealth holder can convert those assets to cash and purchase an immediate annuity from an issuing insurance company. That annuity provides guaranteed income in the form of level, periodic payments. (Meanwhile, the insurance company invests the purchase proceeds fairly conservatively, in order to fund the future payments to the purchaser.) Technically, the duration or term of the payments need not be lifelong, but that is the most common form.
Immediate annuities are much more popular in foreign countries than in the U.S. That is probably because some foreign countries have modified or replaced their "social insurance" programs by encouraging private funding of retirement accounts. Immediate annuities are particularly attractive to retirees. Resistance to annuitization is often ascribed to a reluctance to tie up money in relatively illiquid form. In the U.S., however, a substantial fraction of retirement wealth is already "pre-annuitized;" e.g., embodied in programs such as Social Security and private pensions whose payment structure is broadly similar to that of annuities. It seems that American resistance to immediate annuities stems not from absolute unwillingness to annuitize, but rather from reluctance to increase the already-substantial annuitized fraction of retirement wealth.
Immediate annuity payments may be monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, or yearly. Thus, the term "immediate annuity" is a slight misnomer, since distribution payments may begin anywhere from one month to one year after purchase.
Originally, annuity payments reverted to the insurance company upon the death of the annuitant. In response to popular demand, insurance companies began incorporating a death benefit into annuity contracts. A common provision guarantees the beneficiary an amount equal at least to the sum of all purchase premiums paid for the annuity, less any withdrawals or charges to the contract.
In the 20th century, deferred annuities developed. These embody two important changes from the immediate annuity: annuity payments are deferred for some period of years and the investment required to raise the capital sum is done by (or under the auspices of) the insurance company.
Don't Just Shop, Implement a Solid Retirement Strategy
Purchasing an annuity is a big decision. Online research is a good start, but prudent investors should discuss all their options and risks with an independent financial advisor. Request a free, no-obligation consultation today, along with a report of current rates on brand-name annuities.Speak with an advisor over the phone about annuities for FREE.
Fixed Annuities
The first deferred annuity was the fixed annuity, which is still popular today. The annuity purchaser makes regular contributions into an accumulation account. The time period over which these contributions occur is called the "accumulation period." The money is invested conservatively by the insurance company and the accumulation account earns a rate of return that is fixed for a contractually-specified time period of at least one year. The insurance company reserves the right to change that fixed rate, although the annuity contract limits the magnitude of such changes. In addition to a death benefit, fixed annuities also offer a minimum guaranteed rate of return over the life of the annuity.
The insurance company must invest the fixed-annuity purchase premiums conservatively in order to assure that sufficient money will be available to meet annuity payment guarantees. Thus, the rate of return paid on accumulation account is no higher than that of a fixed-income investment, such as a bond.
At the conclusion of the accumulation period, the annuityholder can begin to take payments during a "distribution period." One distribution option is a life annuity, the classic lifetime stream of regular level payments. The annuityholder may also choose to take a lump-sum payment or make discretionary withdrawals.
Variable Annuities
In the early 1980s, the variable annuity was created. Inflation had wreaked havoc on the purchasing power of fixed-income financial assets during the 1970s. With the conquest of inflation in the early 1980s, the stock market rebounded sharply from its decade-long doldrums. The creation of tax-advantaged retirement investment accounts, such as IRAs, encouraged public purchase of equities. The variable annuity was an attempt to combine the advantage of tax deferral accorded to insurance products with the advantages of mutual-fund investing.
The variability of variable annuities relates to the investments made for the accumulation account. Their rate of return and monetary value fluctuates with market conditions. They are managed by the annuityholder, not the insurance company. The primary investment option is the family of sub-accounts created by the insurance company. These are functionally equivalent to mutual funds – diversified portfolios of equities or bonds. Money-market mutual funds are also provided, primarily as parking places for investment funds when the primary options are unappealing.
Variable-annuity sub-accounts differ from mutual funds in one important substantive way. In addition to the annual fees paid to support the mutual-fund investment operation, insurance companies add another layer of expenses to pay for the variable annuity administrative and insurance expenses incurred inside the company. This has earned variable annuities a reputation as a high-cost investment option. On the whole, this is well-deserved, but low-cost variable annuities are becoming more common.
Variable annuities are an excellent way to achieve tax deferral for diversified equity investments when contribution limits to tax-advantaged plans have been reached. They share the liquidity drawbacks of other annuities, so they are a doubtful choice for the youngest investors. One possible exception to this rule of thumb applies to high-earning professionals and business owners who are threatened by the possibility of tort litigation. Many states exempt life-insurance assets from attachment in litigation. In these cases, variable annuities are a good way to simultaneously achieve growth, tax deferral, and protection from legal liability.
At the other age extreme, their equity exposure and liquidity limitations make variable annuities too risky for the oldest investors. One recent innovation in variable annuities has been the introduction of income- and rate-of-return related guarantees, which apply regardless of the actual market performance of the investments in the accumulation account. During the recent recession, some insurance companies have modified or rescinded those guarantees. It remains to be seen whether these variable-annuity features will survive.
Indexed Annuities
In the 1990s, insurance companies once more incorporated an innovative financial product under the annuity rubric. Index funds developed in order to allow investors to achieve a rate of return equal to an average of market performance without having to buy all the assets in the market. This responded to the economic research showing that active management by portfolio managers was unlikely to improve on that average performance. Indexed annuities tie the rate of return in the accumulation account to the performance of a financial-market index, such as the S&P 500.
Since the insurance company needs to buy the index to cover its payments to annuityholders, it cannot afford to credit them with the full return. Instead, various contribution formulas determine the amount of the index fund's return that annuityholders receive. As compensation for this, the company places a floor under returns (usually zero) and generally guarantees a positive rate of return for the term of the investment.
Index funds possess characteristics of both fixed and variable annuities. On net balance, they more closely resemble fixed annuities because of their insurance features. They are suitable for middle-aged or retired investors who seek a way to juice up the yield on a fixed-income investment without bearing the risk of equity investment.
CD Annuities
CD annuities are another fixed-annuity variant. Their name derives from their resemblance to bank CDs; CD annuities guarantee a fixed return on accumulation account for the full duration of the annuity. This contrasts with the fixed annuity practice of lowering the fixed rate of return on accumulation account after an introductory period of one or two years.
Non-Annuity Options: Corporate Bonds
Corporations are legal entities created in order to limit liability. This limitation enables large amounts of money to be invested by passive investors. Corporations attract this money in two ways: by issuing equity and by borrowing. Corporations borrow by issuing bonds, which are debt securities that contractually stipulate the terms and conditions of the loan. Corporate bonds are typically issued in specific denominations and pay a fixed rate of return on that investment over the duration of the bond contract. These interest payments are usually made twice yearly.
Corporate bonds may have long terms (up to 30 years), but investors need not hold them to term. A thriving secondary market for bonds allows bond investors to sell their bonds. Bond prices fluctuate inversely with market interest rates; if interest rates have fallen since the original issue of the bond, then the bond must sell at a discount to make its yield to the purchaser competitive with market rates. The fact of bond-price fluctuations means that a bond buyer can guarantee receipt of the contractual rate of interest and principal only by holding the bond to maturity. Even that guarantee is subject to qualification, since insolvency would cause default of the bonds. As senior creditors, bondholders are first in line to receive any proceeds from liquidation, but this does not guarantee recoupment of their full investment. Fortunately, bond-rating agencies exist to assess this risk of default and publicize it. Bond buyers can examine the rating and decide whether the risk justifies purchase.
U.S. Government Bonds
The federal government also borrows large amounts of money. Short-term debt instruments with maturities of less than 1 year are called "bills," maturities of 1-10 years are offered in "notes," and "bonds" offer 10-30 year maturities. Historically, U.S. government bonds have been considered the prototypical "riskless asset," because their default risk was adjudged to be zero. Now, for the first time, analysts are contemplating the possibility of default at some point in the future.
Government bonds make periodic interest payments to bondholders. The payment interval is usually six months, but investors can arrange for monthly payments if desired. As with corporate bonds, a thriving secondary market allows investors to achieve liquidity at the risk of losing principal if bond prices have fallen since the original issue.
Bond Funds
In the 1980s, mutual-fund companies extended the principles of automatic diversification and professional management to the fixed-income sector by creating bond funds. Analogous to stock funds, these instruments pool fixed-income investment money to purchase and manage a diversified portfolio of bonds. This automatically reduces the risk of default, just as stock mutual funds minimize insolvency risk, by minimizing the impact of a small number of defaults on the overall portfolio. Because the fund consists of a pool of money rather than a particular bond contract, there is no "term to maturity." Consequently, the risk to principal from interest-rate fluctuations ordinarily makes bond funds riskier than individual bonds.
Relative Risk of Fixed-Income Assets
The primary risk of fixed-income assets is the default of the issuer, presumably due to insolvency. Corporate bonds are rated for default risk; in theory, pricing differences should compensate for that risk. Investment-grade bonds (those with high ratings for safety) seldom default. Annuities carry a low risk of default because insurance-company investments are naturally more diversified than those of a single company. (This is a significant advantage of annuities over company pensions, which run the risk of company insolvency.)
The other major risk of fixed-income investments is interest-rate risk – the risk that a rise in rates will drive down the asset's value and cause a loss of investment principal. This is an inescapable risk of bond funds, but applies whenever a bond is sold prior to maturity.
Annuities carry a liquidity risk – the risk of suffering surrender-charge penalties for withdrawing money prior to distribution. Tax penalties enlarge the scope of this risk. Careful shopping can minimize the risk, since some existing annuities actually eschew surrender charges. Many annuities also waive surrender charges for contingencies such as terminal illness or unemployment.
Fixed-income investments are less risky than equities. Interest payments are a contractual obligation, compared to the profit-residual status of stock dividends. Bondholders are first in line as creditors; equityholders are last in line. Losses of principal value are not uncommon in equity investment, whereas they are much less likely for fixed-income investments. This explains the asset-allocation strategy of shifting investments away from equities and toward fixed-income assets over time.
Retirement-Income Alternatives
Safety and security of income is the dominant consideration in retirement investment. Risk is defined as variability of possible returns. The term "fixed-income" implies a lack of variability, which explains why residual-income equity investments should be replaced by fixed-income investments in retirement. Even fixed-income investments are not riskless, however, and selecting the optimal retirement portfolio requires tailoring it to each investor's particular circumstances.
To find the best annuity products request a free, comprehensive quote comparision. Secure your retirement today, Get Started Now.


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#MusicAdvent Day 9: "Dare to Be Stupid" was featured in the animated Transformers movie, in a scene involving the Junkions... but the Dinobots are in there, too. From there, it's a short step to dinosaurs.
Tonight I went to see Moana with My Sister the Graphic Designer, and I didn't get home till really late, and I have work in the morning. (The film was excellent, the best thing to come out of the House of Mouse in years. Well done, Pamie et al.)
#MusicAdvent Day 8: Yesterday we had an affectionate pastiche of Jimmy Buffett by a comedic musical act. Today we have an affectionate pastiche of Devo by a comedic musical act.
Today was the first day since the onset of the cold that I've been within normal operating parameters. (With more coughing and nose-blowing, granted, but not drastically more.) So that's good!
Tonight I attended my support group for people assigned male at birth who are on the female spectrum. And what happens in the room stays in the room, so that's all I'm saying about that.
I've also gone back to work on "I'm All Alone This Festivus (So I'm Polishing My Pole)," a song I have been wanting to write for years now. Maybe this will be the year I actually finish the thing, who knows.
With my sister, I'm on the phone
As I type this entry tonight
But it seems I'm on my own
When it comes to what to write.
#MusicAdvent Day 7: Yesterday we had a Jimmy Buffett song; today we have a Jimmy Buffett pastiche.


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One of the questions I am asked most often is who makes up our open source community?
Usually the person asking the question is a new member of the community that has set out to build a new trading platform for their firm. They have selected Marketcetera as the core of this new platform in an effort to accelerate their time to market and are often looking to collaborate with other community members and take advantage of existing best practices.
As part of this effort to better connect community members, we have surveyed new registrants to understand their composition and priorities. If you contact me directly I'd be pleased to share the complete results, but there are a few points that I would like to highlight.
First of all, 63% of our community members work for early stage firms looking to establish a new trading platform. This is consistent with our ad hoc conversations with community members, who we have found are often veteran traders and developers working for an early stage firm, often while simultaneously raising money and juggling a host of other responsibilities.
These firms are universally uncomfortable with the closed source, proprietary model that requires them to trust their business to a trading platform without the ability to review the quality of the underlying source code. This is especially true of high frequency traders leery of poorly written, patchwork code or business practices that require them to expose their strategies to proprietary vendors for coding into their platforms. The open source model, alternatively, provides tremendous flexibility and control. Clients have the ability to download and test our source code before committing their strategies (and business) to the Marketcetera platform, they decide which components of the platform they want to use and they have the ability to do their own customization or integration work, involve a third party development company or use the Marketcetera consulting team.
Second, budgets are tight and community members are looking to leverage open source (both the expertise of the community and the source code) to increase the efficiency of their operations. As early stage firms they are focused on keeping operating costs in check while they establish a track record of trading success for their investors and they are not willing to pay expensive license fees to proprietary vendors.
Fully 82% of our community members are deciding between developing a platform based on Marketcetera or building everything from scratch. Although they have extensive technical skills, they are skeptical of building an entire trading platform from scratch and even more concerned about supporting and maintaining a homegrown effort over time. The real issue is core competency and they would prefer to invest their development skills (and time) into revenue generating activities like coding new trading strategies instead of building and maintaining "plumbing" like market data adapters and FIX connectors.
Finally, 50% of the members we surveyed indicated they are willing to contribute back to the Marketcetera community. Historically the nature of community contributions vary, sometimes actual code snippets or features, often q/a work or answering forum questions, ALWAYS they are willing to share thoughts and opinions on what we should tackle next. The point is that the community represents a resource that developers and traders can leverage as they decide on a new trading platform or to accelerate their efforts once they decide to build on the Marketcetera open source project.
I hope this context on our community is useful. If you find yourself grappling with similar issues or you would like to become a community member, please check us out at www.marketcetera.org.
Download. Run. Trade.


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Boxing Fan's Looking Forward to Mansour-Cunningham at Liacouras Friday
Boxing Fan's Looking Forward to Mansour-Cunningham at Liacouras Friday
By Ken Hissner, Doghouse Boxing (April 1, 2014)
Follow @DoghouseBoxing
USS vs. Hardcore
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The Philly fans and writers are really getting excited about the USBA heavyweight title defense by southpaw Amir Mansour, 20-0 (15), of Wilmington, DE, against his No. 5 contender and former 2-time world cruiserweight champion Steve "USS" Cunningham, 26-6 (14), of Philly at the Liacouras Center (Temple University) Friday night. This event is promoted by Kathy Duva (Main Events), J Russell Peltz (Peltz Boxing) and Brittany Rogers (BAM Boxing) with matchmaking by Peltz, Rogers and Main Events Jolene Mizzone.
When Mansour won his last fight in December in Atlantic City after 7 grueling rounds of 6:07 Kelvin Price leaning and holding him Mansour before dropping him twice and finishing it in the 7th. Matchmaker J Russell Peltz went over to Cunningham's trainer Naziim Richardson and asked if Cunningham would meet Mansour. It wasn't a done deal then but is now. It was the first time Peltz saw Mansour other than film and this writers 10th time. If anyone is judging Mansour on that fight they are in for a big surprise.
Mansour had been out of boxing for 9 years when in his first sparring session it was none other than Cunningham. He felt he did good enough that he went back to the dressing room and cried. He felt if he could hold his own with Cunningham he still had it. They sparred once more after that and Mansour had a brace on his back but didn't tell anyone because he needed the money. He's won 8 of his 10 fights since coming back by knockout while winning the vacant USBA over Maurice Harris in August over 12 rounds. He's trained by Moses Robinson and was managed by the popular Keith Stoffer of DE up until his last fight.
Cunningham is known to be one of the hardest training boxers in the city. He won the IBF cruiser title in 2006 and lost it to Tomas Adamek in 2008 by the narrowest of points by split decision. Cunningham showed his heart getting off the canvas 3 times that night. When Adamek moved up to heavyweight Cunningham won the vacant IBF title. He has defeated the current cruiser WBC champion Kryzsztof Wlodarczyk of Poland in a rematch and current WBO cruiser champ Marco Huck, a Serb fighting out of Germany. He was the best cruiser in the world at the time. He got the short end of the stick defending against Cuban southpaw Yoan Hernandez Pablo Hernandez and lost in the rematch. It was decided between him, his manager and wife Livvy Cunningham it was time to move up to heavyweight where the real money was. Cunningham won his first fight over 10 rounds against Jason Gavern. The same Gavern on short notice was stopped by Mansour in the 1st round 7 months later.
Cunningham would then lose in a rematch with Adamek again by split decision and probably closer than the first one. He then traveled to the UK taking on 6:09 Tyson Fury dropping him in the 2nd and later being knocked out in the 7th. Many including this writer felt Fury used an illegal tactic putting his left forearm over Cunningham's eyes and delivering the right hand. In December Cunningham defeated Manuel Quezada over 8 rounds. Saturday night in Atlantic City Cunningham was a no show while co-feature fighter Curtis "Showtime" Stevens took question prior to the Main Event card.
Middleweight Stevens, 26-4 (19) takes on the Bahamas Tureano Johnson, 14-0 (10), now living in Georgia over 10 rounds. There will be 6 other bouts on the undercard featuring PR's Roberto Jose Acevedo, Edner Cherry, Philly's Hasson Young, Cuban Sullivan Barrera, Mike Lee and Philly's Khalib Whitmore.
Ken Hissner responds to all his emails at:
© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing Inc. 1998-2014


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Really, all I want to write is 'this book is so brilliantly written and the story is so great go and get a copy now' but I'll try to be a little more forthcoming. It's not easy though, because I know that nothing I can say will match up to how much I enjoyed reading Red Moon. And not only that, but it addresses huge social and political issues in the guise of an all-action butt-kicking werewolf story. Yeah, take that, genre vs. literary fiction argument – I just read a book that talks about serious stuff and has lycans in it.
The lycans in Red Moonare not the supernatural kind, rather they are humans infected with a specific disease that crossed over from infected wolves centuries ago. It is the same class of disease as Mad Cow Disease; the medical details are carefully laid out in the novel, giving it an authenticity that I loved. Drugs have been developed to control the effects, pacifying and neutralising the wolf within. In the USA it is compulsory to take the medicine, lycans are forbidden from changing into their wolf-selves. Unsurprisingly not everyone is content with this state of affairs, and the book opens with a shocking act of terrorism. This announces the beginning of a renewed struggle against repression. It also stimulates the anti-lycan agenda.
America is already deeply mired in lycan politics, as the military presence in the Lycan Republic. This territory in the frozen landscape between Finland and Russia is supposed to be a homeland for those that want to be all of themselves, wolf included. The discovery of uranium in the region altered things, and the US military are the guardians of the area. Military intervention tied to economic gain is so overtly cynical here that a resistance movement feels inevitable. Bringing the fight to American soil raises the stakes, and the fall-out is not going to be pretty.
The main characters in the story come from all sides of the arguments. Claire wants nothing than more than to escape her parents and hometown for something more exciting. Caught up in the government clampdown post-terrorist attack she finds herself cut loose from everything she's known; be careful what you wish for. Patrick has seen the fury of the resistance movement at first hand and has a father serving in the Republic, a prime candidate for the anti-lycan group active at his school. Miriam is trying to remain ex-resistance despite the aggressive persuasion of her nemesis Puck. Chase is a hale and hearty politician making his way to the White House with his outspoken policies. The Tall Man is a creepy presence, stalking Claire for her family connections. And there are more, shadowy players stirring the bubbling pot. Peel back the layers of paranoia and conspiracy and you'll find something even worse than you originally thought.
There's nothing simplistic about the way the story is constructed. Right and wrong are shades of grey here, and the ramifications of decisions play out across the whole book. It's clever and marvellous, it's violent, visceral, and unrelenting. I didn't want it end and I had to know what was going to happen next. And the epilogue is a work of evil genius in its own right. I loved Red Moon with a passion far beyond my expectations. Read it now, before it gets made into an HBO series (someone please make that happen).
I had a proof copy of Red Moon from my Waterstones bookselling days, thank you lovely Hodder peeps. It is out now Hardback.


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A Note on Privacy
It has come to our attention that some customers, having recently registered a vehicle with Arlington County, are receiving solicitations from companies for services such as extended warranties. Because these companies have specific information on the vehicles in question, some people are concerned that they are getting the information from Arlington. This is not the case. All customer account information is treated with the utmost privacy in accordance with the Code of Virginia. We do not sell or rent our customers' information to any outside company or organization, nor do we reveal specific information about customers or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use.
Vehicle Registration Guidelines
As a practical matter it's wise to list your vehicle for taxes and register your vehicle within the first 30 days after moving into the County (or obtaining a new vehicle) in order to avoid the risk of being ticketed by the police for not having a decal.
The Arlington County Code provides two different deadlines for notifying the Commissioner of Revenue that a vehicle is newly located in Arlington on a regular basis.
Arlington County Code §27-11.1 requires vehicles to be listed for property taxes within sixty (60) days of the vehicle first acquiring situs or becoming taxable in the County.
Vehicles and trailers will be listed for property taxes when they are registered. If this is not done within sixty (60) days of the vehicle first acquiring situs or becoming taxable in the County, the owner shall incur a late filing penalty of ten percent (10%) of the amount of tax assessed or ten dollars ($10.00) whichever is greater, but not to exceed the amount of the tax, which penalty shall become part of the tax.
All vehicles that are regularly parked or garaged in Arlington overnight must be registered for a decal within 30 days of acquiring situs in the county. Failure to obtain and display the decal could result in a ticket from law enforcement officials. Furthermore, late tax filing penalties begin if the property is not listed for property taxes within 60 days of it acquiring situs in the County.
You can register your vehicle online via CAPP (Customer Assessment and Payment Portal), by mail, or in person at the Commissioner of Revenue's Office.
Note: If you live in a Residential Permit Parking (RPP) zone, you'll also need a RPP permit or pass for street parking during restricted hours. Go to Residential Permit Parking for more information.
Arlington County Code §14.2-69 provides that residents must procure and display a local license sticker within thirty (30) days of acquiring situs within the County or within thirty (30) days of purchasing a vehicle with situs in the County
To register a vehicle and receive a county decal, you'll need:
- A valid state vehicle registration
- A copy of your most recent paid personal property tax receipt or filing (if you've moved your vehicle from another jurisdiction)
- Payment of your motor vehicle license fee:
- Automobiles – $33.00
- Taxis – $23.00
- Motorcycles – $18.00
- Trailers – no charge
Note: If you live in a Residential Permit Parking (RPP) zone, you'll also need a RPP permit or pass for street parking during restricted hours. Go to Residential Permit Parking for more information.


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I am adding a poll to this blog today which will run for two weeks. I have read several posts about how to use the Adgitize clicking to advantage to double up with Entrecard clicks, and I do that myself. I also have some other choices that I make when collecting my 50 daily clicks. 50 clicks earns me 100 points since I am also an advertiser. If you are not an advertiser you need to click 100 ads to earn 100 points.
When the poll is concluded I'll analyze the results and post them. Please note that you can choose more than one answer, and if you use some other strategy, just email me at email@example.com with your thoughts, or post them in a comment.
For anyone who hasn't given Adgitize a try, I highly recommend it. It does cost money to advertise, but the traffic generated is well worth the investment, and you can recover most or all of the costs. Over the 8 months that I have been a member of the Adgitize network, I've made a little more than the cost of the ads, and that includes two months when I was gone hiking for most of the month and was not able to click the 50 ads on most of those days.
Click on the link and give them a try!
|web ad income Nov 6 (4 blogs, 2 web sites, writing):
Adsense $..02
Adgitize $.57
Project Wonderful $.04
My Survey $.05
Clixsense $.07
Chitika $.07
Neobux $.065
Total: $.89


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Find hotels in Owhanake Bay using the list and search tools below. Search for cheap and discounted hotel and motel rates in or close to Owhanake Bay, New Zealand for your corporate or personal leisure travel. We show the best Owhanake Bay hotel/motel rooms. Review the Owhanake Bay hotel list below to find the perfect lodging. We also have a map of the Owhanake Bay hotels. Booking 5+ Rooms? Find Owhanake Bay Group Hotel Deals
The Owhanake Bay center point is approximately 10 miles east of North Head and 10 miles east of Cheltenham Beach.
How should we direct your call?


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Front of lower storey of Buddhist Vihara, Cave VI, Ajanta
Photographer: Gill, Robert
Medium: Photographic print
Date: 1869
Photograph of the verandah of cave VI, Ajanta taken by Robert Gill c.1868-70. Ajanta is situated in the modern state of Maharashtra. At Ajanta, there are nearly thirty rock-cut caves set into a cliff in a bend in the Waghora river. The temples were found by accident by Captain John Smith on a hunting trip but were not documented properly until the middle of the nineteenth century. The construction of the caves can be divided into two distinct periods, the first dating to the 1st to 2nd centuries BC whilst the second was around 500 years later. Cave VI is a Buddhist monastery which was built in the late 5th Century and consists of two excavated levels. The lower hall has sixteen octagonal columns arranged in four rows and within the shrine there is a seated Buddha accompanied by standing Buddhas. On the antechamber walls there are some murals which represent the temptation of Mara and the miracle at Sravasti.


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Auriol Miller – Director
Auriol is the Director of the IWA, Wales' leading independent think tank.
Prior to joining the IWA Auriol was the Director of Cymorth Cymru, the umbrella body for providers of homelessness, housing-related support and social care services in Wales.
Before joining Cymorth in September 2013, Auriol worked in international development for nearly 20 years in 5 different countries, including in leadership roles for Oxfam in Sudan and Russia, as well as in the DR Congo and Burundi. Her roles have included influencing national governments on policy and practice.
Rhea Stevens – Policy, Projects and External Affairs Manager
Rhea is Policy, Projects and External Affairs Manager for the IWA. Rhea is responsible for making sure the IWA's research and project portfolio is thought-leading, impactful and contributes to making Wales better. She is the Editor of click on wales, and managing editor of the welsh agenda.
Previously Rhea has worked in campaigns and policy roles, specialising in children's and social care policy. Rhea has also worked as a Social Work Assistant and for a children's charity in Russia. She is a trustee of the Sheila McKechnie Foundation, which supports individuals, groups and communities to have the skills and confidence to speak up, and take effective action on issues that matter to them.
Laura Knight – Partnerships & Events Manager
Laura is responsible for the IWA's external relationships. She develops our membership and partnerships, and runs the IWA's busy events programme.
Previously Laura worked in TV and radio production for many years before becoming PA to the Managing Director of Panasonic Computer Products Europe. Prior to joining the IWA, Laura spent five years as Events Manager for an online automotive publishing company managing events in the US, India and Europe.
Barbara Powell – Finance Manager
Barbara is responsible for the IWA's financial management.
Barbara began her financial career with a main high street bank as a school leaver. Barbara went on to hold finance manager positions in agriculture, independent education and medicine. She qualified as a MAAT and gained an Institute of Business Management certificate in management. In 2004 Barbara returned to the "right side of the bridge" to become the Finance Manager for NewLaw Solicitors. Barbara joined the IWA as Finance Manager in September 2015, and works three days each week.
Dylan Moore – Editor, the welsh agenda
Dylan is responsible for editing the IWA's magazine, the welsh agenda; he also assists with the editing of the Click on Wales online platform.
Previously, Dylan was a founding editor of the Wales Arts Review and worked for many years as an English teacher at secondary schools in Wales and Spain. He combines his work for the IWA with writing on literature, culture and society for a wide range of publications; he lives in Newport where he also works for The Sanctuary, a project supporting asylum seekers and refugees.
Shea Jones – Re-Energising Wales Project Coordinator
Shea is responsible for coordinating the Re-energising Wales project.
Shea joined the IWA in April 2016 after working in a number of roles at Community Housing Cymru, notably influencing and developing energy policy, strategy and projects throughout his time within the organisation. Prior to this, Shea worked on a number of research contracts with UWIC University and Merthyr Tydfil Housing Association following graduation from Cardiff University with a Degree in Law and Politics.
As Re-Energising Wales project officer at the IWA, Shea manages and co-ordinates the IWA's energy project which plans to deliver a practical blueprint for Wales which aims to boost the Welsh economy through a detailed programme of energy saving and generation to exploit Wales' renewable energy resources. Shea's interests include sports and sustainable development.
Elinor Shepley – Understanding Welsh Places Project Officer
Elinor is responsible for the Understanding Welsh Places Project.
Funded by the Carnegie Trust, Understanding Welsh Places aims to improve awareness of the needs of towns in local and national policy-development by creating a practical, mobile and interactive data tool that will enable policy makers and community groups to draw data-driven conclusions about Welsh towns. Elinor will be supporting a group of expert stakeholders to shape the development, upkeep and promotion of this new website.
Elinor has a background in public and third sector communications, having worked at the Welsh Government and in large and small charities. In recent years, Elinor has been working on the Technocamps schools' computing project at the University of South Wales and has recently completed her PhD thesis on modern and contemporary Welsh fiction in English.
Merlin Gable – Culture Editor, the welsh agenda
Merlin is a volunteer responsible for the cultural coverage of the IWA's magazine, the welsh agenda, from essays and interviews to reviews.
As well as volunteering with the IWA, Merlin works for Welsh National Opera. He is also a writer and independent researcher, interested in communities and belonging in south Wales's border country. Previously he was a member of the editorial collective of the Oxford Left Review and was its editor-in-chief in 2015.


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|Vernon Asquith Barnsley Chronicle 15th September 1917
With thanks to Barnsley Archives
Military Service:
Regiment and Battalion: The Duke of Wellington (West Riding Regiment) 1/5th Battalion. Initially in the West Yorkshire Regiment.
Service number 242297
Awards: Victory Medal and British War Medal
Death: 5th August 1917 aged 26
Information from Commonwealth War Graves Commission:
Vernon Asquith was the son of Joseph. E. Asquith and Helena Asquith of 10 Greenfoot Lane, Barnsley.
St. Pauls Church Memorial Plaque Old Town Barnsley
St Marys Church Barnsley Combined War Memorial
Links & Notes: Lives of the First World War
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
From the Barnsley Chronicle 8 September 1917 with thanks to Barnsley Archives
Official news has been received of the death of Private Vernon Asquith of the Duke of Wellington (West Riding Regiment) 1/5th Battalion. He was the son of Joseph. E. and Helena Asquith, who resided at 10 Greenfoot Lane, Old Town, Barnsley.
The deceased soldier, who enlisted in April of last year, was 26 years of age and before the war he worked at the Central Silkstone Colliery. Sergt. H. Kenyon has written the following letter to Private Asquith's mother: "No doubt you will have already received the terrible news of your son's death in action. He was killed by a piece of the enemy's shell and suffered no pain. I cannot express him".to the full, the sympathy lads of the Platoon send to you in your sad bereavement. He was a favourite with all and no better worker was to be found. We feel his loss deeply and shall find it difficult to replace the lad who was always joking. Please accept our deepest sympathy. "We shall never forget him".


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It's been a long time since i have put a blog entry. This time i will discuss how to customize a Ckeditor and how to add new plugins(buttons in the toolbar) to the ckeditor. I got little help while googling. Hope this would be helpful.
Step 1: Download and install the Ckeditor js files. This link would get you setup a sample ckeditor in your local machine.
Step 2 : Customizing the toolbar:
We can specify which all toolbar buttons needs to be shown in our ckeditor. You can refer here for the toolbar definition.
Now we need to add a new button with a user defined functionality to our Ckeditor toolbar. In this example we are creating a button that wraps an anchor tag around a selected text inside the Ckeditor(same functionality as existing anchor button in the ckeditor).
Each button in the ckeditor toolbar is a plugin and their definitions are stored in ckeditor\plugins\ folder. In this folder we create a new folder with our plugin name. Here linkbutton. Inside the linkbutton folder we create a plugin.js file which contains the core functionality of the plugin/button.
It will contain the following code:-


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Discover our Big Sky One-Day Trail Adventures and Freedom Bike Hire
Only have one day to spend on the trail? No problem!
Our all inclusive One-Day Trail Adventure packages include transport to and from your start point on the rail trail to your accommodation in Naseby, Ranfurly or Waipiata. Please inquire about other pick-up locations in the Maniototo.
Full day: 8 hours. Half day: 4 hours.
Adult: Day $48 / Half day $30
Child (u/12): Day $30 / Half day $20.
Book a full day or half day bike rental and explore the rail trail at your own pace. We'll meet you in Ranfurly, set you up with your bike, point you towards the rail trail- and just like that, you're off on your adventure! Let the tiki-tour begin!
Cycle to Waipiata and enjoy one of their famous pies from the Waipiata Country Hotel (16 km return).
Make it a full day trip to historic Oturehua and back (50 km return).
Bike to Wedderburn to see New Zealand's most photographed goods shed and enjoy a drink at the Wedderburn Tavern before gliding the gradual incline back to Ranfurly (26 km return).
Wherever your rail trail adventure takes you, you're guaranteed genuine country hospitality, amazing scenery and a day to remember.
Time: 4-5 hours. Distance: 35/47 km
Price: $80 adult / $60 child (u/12) Min. 2 adults or 1 adult & 2 children.
Starting in Lauder, your Auripo Adventure takes you through the spectacular Poolburn Gorge and through historic Oturehua to finish at Wedderburn - home to New Zealand's most photographed goods shed.
Idaburn Dam where the national Bonspiel (curling competition) is held (when the ice is thick enough.)
Gilchrist's Store in Oturehua. New Zealand's longest operating general store and a museum in its own right.
Golden Progress Mine. It's a short stroll up to the old shaft and you'll also find remains of various buildings on site.
You'll pass the highest point on the trail at 618 m before you freewheel downhill to Wedderburn to meet your driver - or if you're up to the challenge, cycle the extra distance to Ranfurly.
Time: 3-4 hours. Distance: 33 km
Price: $75 Adult / $55 Child (u/12) Min. 2 adults or 1 adult & 2 children.
Your Hyde Escape will take you along a scenic river course through the upper Taieri Gorge, and includes Price's viaduct, a 152 metre long bricked tunnel and spectacular views of the Ida Range and the Kakanui Mountains.
The old Red Dwarf Hut, a former railway workers' shelter at Daisybank.
The carefully preserved Cap Burn stone bridge at Tiroiti with its stone abutments and iron trusses.
The 91 metre long, 32 metre high Price's Creek Viaduct.
A fascinating display of rail history in the old Ranfurly Railway Station.
Waipiata is the perfect refreshment stop on this trip which - in summer- can include a refreshing dip in the Taieri River, before the 7.5 km cruise back to the art deco township of Ranfurly.
The package
Hire includes bike, helmet, pannier (bike bag), and a torch for the tunnels
Tandems, Tagalongs, Tow-ropes, Toddler trailer and baby seats also available for hire.


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Posts TaggedKanban
When working in a team, what tools do you need? You want a task management solution to keep track of what's to be done, what's being done and what's been done. Of course, you also need a project management space to keep track of the broader goals and teams. And some sort of system to analyse all of this. A calendar would be nice to group all of those important dates in one place. How about a section to share important notes? Obviously, you'll need a cloud storage account to put important files in, which everyone can access, and some data encryption to keep it safe. Plus, if you have all these things, it just makes sense to chat with your colleagues easily.
Meet Strikebase, your one-stop solution for all your team management needs. And for some reason, it's eerily similar in design to Facebook. There's the left sidebar that expands upon scrollover, and even that top bar with notifications and search — both in a colour that seems like an FB-ripoff.
Taiichi Ohno is considered to be the man that made Toyota a supremely efficient organization, boosting it to worldwide success. Ohno's secret was the Kanban (Japanese for signboard) project management system. Since then, the Kanban system has become extremely popular in organizational resources, and there are several Kanban-oriented web apps already out there.
LeanKit Kanban takes the system and infuses it with the benefits of the digital world, from analytics to team-sharing. If you often have trouble keeping a track of what projects need to be delivered, or which member of your team is up for a new assignment, this is what you need. (more…)


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So... it's me you know Pidg. Yah, I've fallen off the blogging map again. It happens.
But guess why? Well, this isn't really totally why, some of it was zero inspiration but lately it's because I went back to work!
Yup, I sure did. I got a call from the store manager and he lured me back with my baby... the department that no one wants that I absolutely adore! I said yes and am two weeks back and feeling pretty dang good so far. Yay, my body has stopped rejecting me for the most part!
I have the best crew evah and we're pulling things back together and it's just been wondermous. Now home on the other hand; wow. It's amazing what the pidglets can undo in one week that took me 5 months to do. Messy house, chores and schedule out of whack but it's okay not because I'm forgiving and tolerant but because they go back to school in 2 weeks! Patience has never been my virtue but seeing the horizon definitely is... giggle.
I have been documenting stuff though so I'll have some up coming posts of re-caps that I'll be posting once I find a minute to sit down (on my heating pad) soon.
I have a set schedule, school is coming back and things are looking up. I just need to get aclimated again so as usual, give me time. I'm slow ya know. wink
We had dinner at Mama and Daddy's house today and Mama made gluten free fried chicken. Yes, I was in heaven. I haven't had gravy since mid-last year because I'm too lazy to make a batch from scratch for myself so when she made it today I am ashamed to tell you I ate it by the spoonful. I won't tell you however how many spoonfuls I ate but I will tell you that first part is a lie. I am NOT ashamed it was amazing!
I texted my Nay a lil today and she sent me a "good morning" video so I thought it brilliant to send her a "good afternoon" one back. Of course ding dong over here who is super great (not) with anything electronic couldn't figure out how to turn the video off when I was done so she saw that too. Stay classy Pidg.
Hey get this since I've started work my shops have picked up.. go figure. I sold 7 birds this week and 3 of them custom. I can do both...right? The only thing I would hate is if my real life job didn't allow me to continue with my shops and so far I think it's going to work out so I'm really excited.
Well, I just wanted to say hey and tell you guys that I'll be back. I always come back right?
I miss you guys to pieces!
Over and out
Follow my blog with Bloglovin


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Keeping it Organic
We build our connection to our environment and community by keeping it local and sustainable
- Contact Us
Naturally Red Blend
Our voluptuous red wine evokes pure grape aromas that are new world, smooth, and easy to drink blend of Leelanau grapes. The perfect blend for any occasion!
Cranberry Ginger Cider
Semi Dry. Warm fruit flavors with a hint of spice. Available at our Cider House.
Visit Our Tasting House
Thursday - Saturday: Noon to 6pm | Sunday: Noon to 5pm
Closed Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday
7222 Chief Rd. Kaleva MI 49465
Interested in hosting a private party at the Tasting House? Give us a call!
Northern Natural Cider & Winery supports Michigan Organic Farms & Businesses.
Specializing in premium quality Organic Hard Ciders, Wines made with organic fruit, sustainable farmed Gold Medal Grape Wines, & Port Wines. Stop in on your wine tasting tour in Northern Michigan at production site in Kaleva and experience our award winning wines and hard ciders. Online sales available in Michigan.


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Contact: Denise Germann, 406 888 5838
The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center at Glacier National Park is hosting a free brown-bag lecture on Monday, July 14 from 12– 1pm at the Community Building in West Glacier. The public is invited to join Bob Chinn, a retired educator, for a multimedia presentation showcasing butterfly and moth species in Glacier National Park.
With over 100 documented species of butterflies and many more species of moths in Glacier National Park, these pollinators play an important role in the park's ecosystem. Butterflies are considered indicators of biodiversity and have been collected by park naturalists since the 1930s. The pinned specimens are part of the Glacier National Park museum collection.
A retired educator from Illinois, Chinn has been exploring Glacier National Park for many years, capturing photographs of butterflies and moths within the park. Through photographs and video clips, Chinn will lead guests on a virtual tour of the park's Lepidoptera. Chinn will also share his eBook, "Lepidoptera of Glacier National Park."
The Crown of the Continent Research Learning Center provides a variety of opportunities to learn about research, history, and resource issues happening within Glacier National Park and Waterton Lakes National Park. For more information about the brown-bag presentation, please visit http://www.crownscience.org/getinvolved/outreach/brownbag.
Last updated: February 24, 2015


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Head of Engineering - Copenhagen area, Denmark
This is an exciting opportunity to join a Biopharmaceutical Company.
Role summary
- You will be a member of the Site Leadership Team
- Responsible for facilities maintenance, Capital investment, occupational hygiene and HSE and more.
- You will be responsible for a Capex budget - Define an integrated strategy for engineering projects
- Provide leadership for troubleshooting complex equipment/process related issues during all stages of the project
- You will have 5+ Direct reports and 25+ in-direct reports (Employees & Contractors)
There will be some requirements for travel.If this sounds interesting, please apply or get in contact and we can discuss the role further.
To find out more about Real please visit www.realstaffing.com
Real Staffing, a trading division of SThree Partnership LLP is acting as an Employment Business in relation to this vacancy| Registered office | 1st Floor, 75 King William Street, London, EC4N 7BE, United Kingdom | Partnership Number | OC387148 England and Wales


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Why not launch your next event with Cafe Santiago – the mobile coffee hire company? we've got a great piaggio coffee van | cart or a non motorised coffee trike! We work with PR companies across London to help launch new products, promote store openings and press events. Create a captive audience with a great cup of coffee. We can also offer a variety of branding options to add that extra appeal and create a real buzz when its needed most. whether you brand the van or trike, have custom designed cups, promotional clothing or a branded stencil we can help you achieve maximum exposure and push your brand in the right direction.
our coffee van & coffee trike have been hired for many events in the past and a few ideas are listed below.
Options include:
- Store Launches
- Clothing Brand Launches
- Product Launches
- Home Launches
- Store open days
- Brand promotion
- Public Consultations
- Conferences


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eOrganic authors:
Brian Baker, Organic Materials Review Institute
Jim Riddle, University of Minnesota
Organic standards require that operators maintain and improve the quality of natural resources. Practices to achieve this goal must be part of a management plan. Every certified organic producer is required to develop a production or handling system plan, also known as the Organic System Plan (OSP).
The OSP serves several purposes for an organic farm.
Agricultural professionals who work with certified organic clients have to work within the OSP. Advice and recommendations will need to fit within the OSP in order to not jeopardize organic certification. Operators often seek advice after other options in the OSP are exhausted. Before an agricultural professional can give any advice to a certified organic operator, the professional should find out if the recommended practice will fit into the OSP. Even if a material is registered for a certain crop and complies with organic standards, application outside the OSP can still cause problems with certification. While it is possible to amend the OSP, it is better to think ahead.
The National Organic Program (NOP) final rule (United States Department of Agriculture [USDA], 2000) requires that an Organic System Plan include:
Farmers need to describe explicitly how they plan to manage their resources. The OSP should document any soil and water conservation practices intended. An OSP could include a description of tillage practices, irrigation methods, planting of hedgerows, stream buffers, drainage, manure handling practices, composting facilities, and crop rotations.
Livestock operations should describe how nutritional needs will be met, preventive strategies used or planned for use to maintain animal health, how access to the outdoors will be provided to animals, how the land where animals are kept will be managed, any physical alterations used or planned for use, and measures implemented to reduce stress.
Descriptions should include the tools, inputs, and equipment to be used or planned for use; the estimated frequency of practices; and the methods to be used to carry them out. Agricultural professionals can assist in the preparation of OSPs by providing farmers with an inventory of tools, inputs, and equipment available; the best available practices for the field conditions in the region; and estimates or models to help farmers optimize the timing of their practices.
A list of each substance to be used as a production or handling input, indicating its composition, source, location(s) where it will be used, and documentation of commercial availability, is required in the OSP. In general, the composition and source of materials requires specific information on brand name products. All ingredients in farm inputs need to comply with the NOP Rule.
The planned locations for the application of fertilizers and pesticides must be described or recorded on a farm or field map. As a management tool, the OSP can help to prepare budgets and improve the efficiency of input applications. Precise descriptions of planned inputs help to document material purchases and applications during inspections. The NOP Rule restricts substances not included in the OSP. If a material not listed on a producer's OSP is considered for use, the certification agency must be contacted in advance, and the OSP must be amended to include information on the new substance and its intended use.
In general, any substances permitted as pesticides may be applied only if they are contained within the OSP and other preventative measures prove ineffective. Therefore, it is crucial that all inputs used during a season are included in the OSP prior to their application and the conditions for their application are clearly documented. Unanticipated production problems that result in the application of restricted materials will require revision of the OSP, and may result in difficulties during inspection, if not well documented.
Livestock operations must document feed ingredients, health care products, and production aids in the OSP. The OSP should include the projected sources of organic livestock feed and all feed supplements. Operators should be able to predict how much feed and forage will be produced on the farm, the dietary contributions of pasture and range, how much feed will need to be purchased, and what backup sources are available in case of crop failure, drought, or tight future market conditions. Farms that use non-organic feed additives and feed supplements must document the specific nutritional needs to be met by these non-organic feed ingredients and describe why organic sources are insufficient to meet these needs. The OSP should also document any vaccinations, inoculants, animal drugs, or treatments that will be used in anticipation of common health problems or endemic diseases.
Maintaining the quality of the environment and meeting certain application standards requires that the operation describe how to measure and document compliance with required practices. For example, operations that make compost need to describe how they will monitor temperatures and record the number of times that the compost is turned. A number of synthetic substances require testing, either for a deficiency before a given nutrient can be applied (e.g., micronutrients), or for environmental degradation after the substance is applied (e.g., potassium chloride or copper fungicides).
If biopesticides, botanicals, or allowed synthetic substances are applied, the OSP should include a description of the minimum pest thresholds used to determine if and when specific crop protection materials will be applied, and describe how pests will be scouted. If copper fungicides are used, the OSP needs to document how and when soil accumulation of copper will be measured.
Livestock operations should provide information on how nutritional needs are met and how health care is maintained. For example, the OSP would include fecal examination schedules to document the need for internal parasiticides.
Certification is based not only on compliance with the standards, but also on the ability to document compliance. The OSP must contain a description of the recordkeeping system, and a list of recordkeeping documents used or to be used. Operators must demonstrate how they are able to produce what they market as organic. During an audit, an operator must track the product all the way back to the field and how the field was managed for at least three years prior to production of the product.
Every input applied to soil, crop, or animal needs to be documented, with detailed information on the ingredients and brand names. Field operations, planting and harvest dates, yield records, sales, and chains of custody are all important documents for crop certification. Each animal must be tracked in a livestock operation, except in the case of poultry where recordkeeping is required for each flock. The recordkeeping system must record:
A handling operation's recordkeeping system must account for organic agricultural commodities that are purchased, brokered, or otherwise handled on commission, as well as a record of every action that occurs at the processing facility related to the product, including equipment cleaning and pest control activities.
Any operation faces potential loss of certification due to contamination resulting:
An operator needs to be able to demonstrate that the operation takes reasonable precautions to prevent contamination by prohibited substances from occurring. Operations that grow organic and non-organic crops are of particular concern. If contamination of a crop is subsequently discovered, a well-designed OSP and clear documentation can help establish that contamination was the result of circumstances beyond the farmer's control. Unavoidable residual environmental contamination should not result in loss of certification of an operation, although a specific crop may lose organic status if the level of contamination exceeds 5% of the EPA tolerance.
The certifying agent may require additional information about certain aspects of the operation. If a grower has any doubt about a practice or procedure that the certifying agent may question, it is best to include it in the OSP. This can help resolve any doubts about the status of a practice and its acceptability in an organic system before the inspection. The ATTRA workbooks and compliance lists offer helpful further guidance for developing OSPs, and the ATTRA forms offer a suggested format (Kuepper et al., 2007). Most certifiers have their own formats.
This is an eOrganic article and was reviewed for compliance with National Organic Program regulations by members of the eOrganic community. Always check with your organic certification agency before adopting new practices or using new materials. For more information, refer to eOrganic's articles on organic certification.
eOrganic 3251


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Our Town
From the farmers market to the film festival to Friday-night open mics, there's so much more to this revitalized, reborn river city than you might expect. It's a little bit of everything that you'd find anywhere else, but flavored by Wisconsin, the Midwest, and its diverse inhabitants. Some would say it's an acquired taste. To them, we say: What, you don't like cheese curds?
But don't just take our word for it. In a spring 2010 interview in Pitchfork Magazine, indie-punk band Titus Andronicus named Beloit, Wis., one of its two favorite places to play on earth. Why? Because it's "full of decent, goodhearted, salt-of-the-earth people, who are free of pretension and just want to have a good time," they said, after playing a gig on campus.
Beloit's only about an hour-and-a-half drive from Chicago and Milwaukee—O'Hare International Airport is just a quick, easy bus ride away—and the state capital, Madison, is just a 45-minute drive on Interstate 90. But with multiple events happening on campus every night, the problem is not usually what to do, but what you'll have to miss.
Learn more about Beloit College by visiting the Admissions Web pages, where you can Apply, read what students say about the college (and their classmates), or schedule a visit.


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This past Saturday the Exped crew put in another day of volunteering with Washington Water Trails Association. This time we helped out with the care of the WWTA campsite on Blind Island in the San Juan Islands. Removing invasive plants, gathering trash, and prepping the campsite for the season were all part of the work. Exped supplied snacks for volunteers and we even found some sun!
Thanks, as always, to the Washington Water Trails Association staff, board, and volunteers who make the water trails possible!


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Race Review: Utah Valley Half Marathon
June 17, 2017 1 Comment
It's been awhile since I've done a race that wasn't for Bibrave. I found the Utah Valley Half while searching the internet and figured since I needed Utah for my quest of 50 states, it was worth the flight to Salt Lake City and the drive to Provo. The fact the course was all downhill didn't hurt things at all.
After waking up ridiculously early on Friday, I had a direct flight from Spokane to SLC and was in by 9 AM. I picked up my rental car and had a straight shot to Provo. Packet pick up was 10 AM to 9 PM on Friday since the race was on Saturday. I was able to go straight to the Utah Valley Convention Center to the Expo. Packet pick up was pretty easy, though you couldn't look up your bib numbers before you got there, you had to leaf through books to find them; too bad I didn't see the bulletin boards with them posted until afterwards. You got a string bag, your bib and a jacket. There were local vendors set up, as well as Brooks and some National Running Store shops. Afterwards, I went and found an early lunch and checked into my hotel. A little cat nap didn't hurt things either and I followed that up with a 4 mile run in 80* weather. I was able to find dinner and walk around town a little bit, though the town is on the small side. There may or may not have been outlet malls 20 minutes away that I went to for some shopping…
Saturday, I was up bright and early at 315 AM. Since the race was point to point, we had to be shuttled to the start. Luckily, the shuttle pick up was at the Provo Town Center across from my hotel. The last shuttle left at 430 AM, so the goal was to get to the pick up before the last shuttle left. It took 20 minutes and change to get to the half marathon start (which was the half way point for the full) and also happened to be half way up the mountains. My shuttle got there at 430 AM, which meant 90 minutes of waiting. I wish they would have had the half shuttles until 5 AM because we sat around waiting for a long time and it was chilly. I was glad I brought a throw away long sleeved shirt. Luckily, they had fire pits going to keep us warm. Plenty of porta potties, some water and some music were going. They also had a bag drop truck if you were checking a bag.
The race started promptly at 6 AM (as did the full from 13.1 miles up the mountain). By then, the sun was out and it was starting to warm up some. I had to make a bathroom pit stop half way through the first mile, but it covered me for the rest of the race. It also meant I had time to make up. The course itself was very scenic. Our side of the road was shut off for the entire time we were on the highway. Mile markers were every mile and there were water stops the every 2 miles for the first 10 miles and then every mile for the last 3 miles. After a 10:50 min first mile, I was pulling sub 9 minute miles the rest of the race. Around mile 8, the 10K runners joined in with us. They had started on an off shoot of the course for the first mile and the last 5 and change were on the main course for them. The downside is that by the time they joined us, the 1:55-2:00 half marathoners were hitting the back of the packers of the 10K, which got really frustrating when I knew I was getting close to running sub 2 hours. After some weaving in and out, I was able to get out of the walkers for the most part. I don't even think I stopped for water at last water stop or 2 in order to be sure I got under 2 hrs. Officially came in at 1:55:42 and got to ring the PR bell as I came through the finisher chute.
Plenty of food, chocolate milk and things to do. There was a station to print off your preliminary results as well as some vendors. If you checked your bag, the bag check was off to the side. It was pick up based off the honor system in a sense, as you had to find your own bag. I took the shuttle back to the drop off point and walked back to the hotel. After I showered, I found lunch, did some driving around and relaxed the rest of the afternoon.
Overall a great race, definitely one to go and run. I have the full on my bucket list to do, especially knowing how the last half of the course is. Please go out and run this race!


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In Dire Need of. . . a coat - This was written in one of those "punchy moments" that I am known for in my church!
I can't say I own much in this story. I claim the fangirls, the store manager, and a few other dudes that you probably didn't hear about in the book or the movie.
One more thing - no offense to fangirls out there! I can officially say that I am not a member of your great ranks, but I respect your position in any case. This is just a little bit of fun.
The Fellowship of the Ring has set out from Rivendell, and is now hiding from the piercing sight of the Crebain under the plants and bushes in the Ruins of Hollin. The birds pass overheard and the Fellowship crawls out.
"Oh, drat!" Frodo laments, seeing his sleeve is badly torn.
"What is it?" Gandalf asks.
"I ripped this sleeve," Frodo replies, exhibiting it. "And I can't keep going with a sleeve ripped from nearly the wrist to halfway up my arm!"
"We shall have to take the pass of Burlington Coat Factory," Gandalf says, glancing up at the looming mall with the coat factory at the top a couple hundred yards away. All the Fellowship cringes at the prospect.
"For a coat factory, it is mighty cold in here!" Boromir yells, struggling against the frigidly cold air conditioner.
"They make it that way so that once you put a coat on, you feel so much warmer that you feel you have to buy it," Aragorn cries back, also trying to walk under the intense blast of frosty air. A water pipe busts the entire length of the walkway they are going on, and in the cold air it literally begins to snow.
The white stuff begins to pile up, making it difficult to walk through. Legolas easily steps atop the fluffy mass. He hears something.
"There is a fell voice on the loud-speaker," he says after listening closely.
"It's Saruman!" Gandalf yells. A coat rack crashes overtop the Fellowship, burying them in polar fleece, down, and leather jackets.
They dig their way upward and out and finally breaking through the top layer of coats. After a brief council, Gimli says,
"If we cannot go through the top floor of the mall, let us go under it! Let us go through the mines of JC Penny. My cousin, Balin, would give a royal price cut."
Gandalf hears a voice in his head, "JC Penny. There the landowners dug too deep and too greedily and awakened something that should not have been. You know of what I speak."
"Let the Ringbearer decide," Gandalf says. Frodo looks up nervously, then down at his arm, the ripped sleeve still clinging pathetically to it.
"We will go through the Mines of JC Penny," he says.
"So be it," Gandalf replies.
The Fellowship stands outside the doors of JC Penny, having just arrived. Gandalf looks up and reads the inscription above the doors.
"It reads, `JC Penny. Biggest sale ever - 50% off everything. Closed till ten a.m.' Whatever that means," he says. He tries several different codes to no avail.
The rest of the Fellowship waits, before growing bored. They sit in the murky dawn, waiting for Gandalf to open the doors.
Aragorn stands up and goes over to Sam and Bill. He pats the pony's shoulder and begins to take off the many packs strapped onto him.
"The Mines are no place for a pony, even one so brave as Bill. Besides, there's a `No Pets' sign over there," he says.
"Bye, Bill," Sam says, giving the pony a pat.
"Go on," Aragorn says kindly as Bill calmly walks away.
Meanwhile, Frodo walks over to Gandalf, who has given up on the password.
"It's a riddle," Frodo says, looking up at the words. "Gandalf, what's the Elvish word for on sale?"
Gandalf supplies the word, and with a creak the electric doors whoosh open. The Fellowship stands happily and goes forward.
The Fellowship has gotten into JC Penny before opening hours.
They glance around at the Halloween costumes on display, and notice the many ghosts and skeletons. Gimli, who has yet to notice the lack of life, is merrily declaring they call this place a clothing store.
"This is no clothing store," Boromir comments, looking around suspiciously. "It's a tomb."
The others all gasp as they look around more closely and the four Hobbits crowd against the door. The racks of clothes and shelves of shoes have gained an ominous look.
"We make for the Gap of Raleigh," Boromir says. "Get out of here, get out!"
Suddenly, "There's Elijah Wood!" and Frodo is grabbed and jerked backwards by literally frothing fangirls. Sam looks back in time to see the teenage girls all pushing each other away in the attempt to get close to Frodo.
"Strider!" Sam yells, drawing out his sword. Merry and Pippin do the same. Excited yelps erupt from the crowd of girls.
"Sean Astin! Billy Boyd! Dominic Moneghan!" The throng surges forward and Sam, Merry, and Pippin are forced away from Frodo and each other as the girls squeal and beg for autographs.
Aragorn wheels around, hearing Sam's cry, and also draws his sword. He runs out of the JC Penny, only to be attacked by the fangirls.
"What are these creatures?" he cries to Boromir, who has also rushed out. Both are loath to strike the monsters, seeing that they are unarmed females.
"They have no weapons, Aragorn," Boromir replies before ducking around a large banner to avoid the clutching hands of several fangirls.
"Speak for yourself!" Aragorn comments, having been accidentally raked across the face from a manicured set of fingernails. "Where's that Elf?"
Legolas comes out, an arrow notched in the string. He stops in utter amazement, seeing the hordes of girls.
"Like, omigosh!" One screams at the top of her lungs. "Orlando Bloom!" Aragorn, Boromir, Frodo, Sam, Merry, and Pippin are practically knocked to the ground and trampled as the shrieking mob grows and presses toward Legolas. He swerves out of the way, but is pursued.
"Aragorn? Where are you?" Legolas cries, searching for his friends amidst the throng. A hand shoots up from the ground and Legolas realizes that Aragorn is on the pavement.
Legolas lightly jumps up onto a car, trying to get away from the fangirls, but they just surround it and reach up. With horror, Legolas comprehends that they are intent upon getting scraps of his clothes.
"Gandalf!" he yells in fear. The wizard, who had accidentally caught the edge of his robe in the electronic doors, rips free and looks up to see the churning flock of teenage girls.
"Isildur's Bane, what's this?" he says, staring in disbelief.
"If I get, like, a piece of his, like, clothing, I'm gonna, like, keep it, like, for, like, ever!" chatters one girl into a cellphone. Legolas, hearing, rapidly surveys his options, which are few. But there is little need, for Gandalf has chanted something and all the girls fall to the ground, sound asleep.
The members of the Fellowship that have been crushed to the ground rise slowly, their clothing looking a little more dusty and tattered. Frodo looks at his sleeve, and groans.
"That rip has gotten bigger!" he complains.
Unexpectedly they hear screams, and looking down the street they see more of the fangirls rushing towards them and they notice that several of the monsters are stirring and waking from the spell Gandalf had put on them.
The Fellowship rushes into JC Penny and Gandalf uses a closing spell to shut the electronic doors behind them.
And so the screaming fangirls are left behind as they plaster themselves against the tinted glass of the door. They dare not break the glass, and the manager isn't due to arrive until the store opens, another three hours away.
And so the Fellowship is going through the dreaded depths of JC Penny. They emerge from there and go on through the length of the mall, amazed with the sheer size of each shop. It is two days before they finally get out of the smaller shops and into the actual middle of the mall.
They come upon a room. It is filled with designers' catalogs and magazines and newspapers. Gandalf lifts a newspaper and is surprised when a few leaves fall out.
"Bad binding," Boromir comments. Gandalf sets it down on the counter and flips open a page.
"It reads, `Lord of the Rings a major hit' in bold, and, `Rings actors make big bucks during production.' How could Sauron be a `major hit'?" he says, confused.
"This is a place that had been overrun by foul Orcs and servants of the Dark Lord," Aragorn says.
"I suppose so," Gandalf replies. He continues through the newspaper, not comprehending much of what is said.
Pippin, being curiously attracted to the large switch on the wall, edges over to it and presses a button. The Fellowship hears rumbling echoes as what Gandalf says booms across the entire mall from the loudspeaker: "This small room is very strange - I wonder what it is for?"
"They're in the café!"
High pitched screams also echo, not from the loudspeaker but rather from the sheer volume of their tone.
Yes, indeed, the fangirls have found their way into the mall and are tracking the Fellowship. And now, thanks to dear Pippin, they have found them.
Boromir throws himself against the doors, but peers out for a moment.
"They have a store manager," he says, sarcasm evident in his voice. Legolas and Aragorn help him to stack chairs against the doors, and the Fellowship, seeing no way of escape, waits for the looming onslaught. The screams and cries can be heard more clearly now, and eventually a several clawing hands break through the door. Aragorn and Boromir, again unwilling to harm the creatures, throw a few potted plants and the hands fell away as squeals about broken nails rose above the other shrieks.
Then the store manager comes. With deadly speed, he unlocks the door and the horde of fangirls rush in. Instead of using blades or arrows, the Fellowship simply work on knocking the girls unconscious. At last, they have all of the monsters - including the store manager - out cold, and take a minute to catch their breath. They hear more shrieks within a minute, and they rush out to avoid the oncoming rush.
"To the Bridge of OnSale Doom!" Gandalf shouts, leading the way.
They run down the main hall, only to be surrounded by fangirls. The blinding light emanating from Gandalf's staff keeps them at bay for a while, though. Then a monstrous growl is heard.
"What devilry is this?" Boromir queries in a low tone as the fangirls cower in fear then scatter and disappear. Far down the hall, they see a dark red light.
"An Overpriced Food Item of the Food Court," Gandalf replies, his face pained.
"Ai, ai! An Overpriced Food Item! An Overpriced Food Item of the Food Court is come!" Legolas cries, distressed.
Everyone else, not knowing the horrifying depth of the terror that awaits them if they stay, is confused.
"Run!" Gandalf adds, and with that, they all jump back to their senses and begin to sprint down the hall, following the Wizard. At last they get to the Bridge of OnSale Doom, and by then the Overpriced Food Item has caught up with them. In the middle of the bridge, Gandalf whirls around, facing the Overpriced Food Item of the Food Court. It grunts and steps out onto the bridge. Gandalf lifts his staff aloft.
"You shall not pass," he says. "I am a servant of the secret buyer, and will not pay five dollars for a soft drink! Go back to the shadow!" He strikes the bridge with his staff, apparently to add affect.
The Overpriced Food Item sniffs contemptuously, and goes further out onto the bridge. It immediately crumbles and the Overpriced Food Item falls with a long, angry grumble. Gandalf turns, thinking he has prevailed, but the flaming food-wrapper in the Overpriced Food Item's hand twists around his ankle and drags him down. He grasps the edge of the bridge, but cannot pull himself up.
"Gandalf!" Frodo cries. He tries to run out, but Boromir catches him before the Hobbit goes very far.
"I cannot buy, you fools!" Gandalf mutters, before letting go and falling into the abyss. Frodo screams Gandalf's name, but the Fellowship is forced to flee as the fangirls swarm on the other side. The monsters begin to shoot love-letters in the direction of the Company.
Aragorn, shocked and saddened by the death of his longtime friend, is the last to leave. He ducks the flying love-letters and dashes after the rest of the Fellowship. They burst out into the sunlight, and there they stop.
For a moment, they all grieve the loss of Gandalf, but Aragorn quickly gets them going again. It takes them a bit to get to Lórien, but the journey is well worth it.
And can you guess what happens?
Galadriel gave Frodo a new coat!
And the moral:
Don't go to JC Penny or Burlington Coat Factory. Go to Lothlórien.


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Ten years ago, you would have had to know somebody who knew somebody to find pao de queijo — Brazilian cheese rolls — on Cape Cod. But as the decade changed, so did the Cape's population.
As 2010 approaches, some of the Times staffers take a look back at the most memorable stories they covered in the past decade.
Ten years ago, you would have had to know somebody who knew somebody to find pao de queijo — Brazilian cheese rolls — on Cape Cod. But as the decade changed, so did the Cape's population.
With their economy tanking, Brazilians started coming here in large numbers in the late 1990s, following in the steps of their mothers and aunts who worked here as housekeepers in the mid-1980s. By 2003, the Brazilian consulate in Boston estimated there were 15,000 legal and illegal Brazilian immigrants living on the Cape and Islands.
That same year the Times sent a photographer and me to Brazil to report on the link between the two communities and to put a face on the people who were moving here.
We wrote about how Brazilian immigrants pumped money into the economies of both Hyannis and their hometowns; how the United States was working to curb illegal immigration in the post-911 era; and how the debate on immigration was becoming acrimonious here and in Brazil.
What we did not foresee was how a few years later, the world economy would change the face of that debate. As Brazil's economy improved and that of the United States dipped, many Brazilians went home.
But others came.
Now, on a trip to the supermarket you might hear Bulgarian, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, or the lilt of a Jamaican accent. Want ethnic food? There's not only pao de queijo but Thai noodles, Indian lentils and Caribbean jerk chicken, just to name a few ethnic dishes.
Cape Cod, which once considered Portuguese, Italians and Irish to be foreigners, continues to evolve.


text: Home of the 2000 Olympic Games, the Sydney Olympic park is built on former wasteland, including an abandoned abattoir, 17 kilometres west of the city centre of Sydney. Visitors can tour the centre on the Olympic Explorer bus service or use the self-guided audio tour, Listen Live, which is available at the Information Centre. Bicycles can also be hired to explore park.