text:
Archive for the 'compknow' Category
Using Gmail with mutt, the minimal way (IMAP update)
As Gmail has IMAP access, it is fairly trivial to get it working with mutt. First, if you're on Ubuntu/Debian, run
sudo apt-get install openssl mutt to get mutt if you don't already have it. Then, just put the following lines into your ~/.muttrc:
set imap_user = "firstname.lastname@example.com" set imap_pass = "password" set smtp_url = "smtp://email@example.com:587/" set smtp_pass = "password" set from = "email@example.com" set realname = "Your Real Name" set folder = "imaps://imap.gmail.com:993" set spoolfile = "+INBOX" set postponed="+[Gmail]/Drafts" set header_cache=~/.mutt/cache/headers set message_cachedir=~/.mutt/cache/bodies set certificate_file=~/.mutt/certificates set move = no
Make sure your ~/.muttrc isn't world-readable; it contains your password. (Alternatively, you can leave them out and mutt will prompt you for the password each time.) Also, if you copy-paste from the above, make sure that you have only "normal" quotes, not "smart quotes" which WordPress might have inserted here into this post.
[Other things I have:
set sort = 'threads' set sort_aux = 'last-date-received' set imap_check_subscribed ignore "Authentication-Results:" ignore "DomainKey-Signature:" ignore "DKIM-Signature:" hdr_order Date From To Cc
I did not include above to justify the "minimal" :)]
Things work perfectly as you would expect them.
One thing to note is that the full headers will still contain the hostname of the computer you send messages from. I have not figured a way of hiding this, and perhaps it shouldn't be possible.
The End
If for some reason you want to use POP, read on. And tell me why you would want to use POP. The rest of the post is an old version, which i had written before Gmail supported IMAP.
Old Stuff
There is a guide here, which is the first Google result on searching for the keywords Gmail, mutt and Ubuntu in any order, but I would advise against it: it does too much unnecessary stuff using too many unnecessary programs (okay if you don't care)
, and involves putting your username and password in a world-readable file (not okay).
There is a guide here, but that site seems down, and so I guess it's likely to be down again (a DynDNS domain; could be someone's house), so putting a (fuller) guide here:
First, run
sudo apt-get install openssl mutt
Next, in /etc/ssmtp/ssmtp.conf, put
Everything else seems to be optional.
Next, create a shell script with the contents
and put it somewhere in your path (~/bin/gmailout, say) and make it executable (chmod u+x ~/bin/gmailout, I mean) and make sure only you can read it! (chmod og-r ~/bin/gmailout).
/usr/sbin/ssmtp -au "gmail-address" -ap "password" $@
Now in ~/.muttrc, put
set pop_host="pops://username:email@example.com:995"
set pop_last
unset pop_delete #Just makes mutt not ask, GMail uses config option
set sendmail="~/bin/gmailout"
set write_bcc=no #Important; sSMTP makes bcc non-blind otherwise
and you're set (remember to make this world-unreadable too: chmod og-rw ~/.muttrc)
You can start mutt, and hit "G" (uppercase G) whenever you want to fetch mail. Can also put exec fetch-mail in ~/.muttrc to have it happen whenever you start mutt, but I find that irritating.
Problems with POP: Not that everything is perfect. I can't have other mail-transport-agents like sendmail or postfix installed alongside ssmtp. I can't figure out how to get my crontab reports sent to root, but they do go into ~/dead.letter :D
Also, with mutt I had the habit of adding a my_hdr bcc: my-email-address so that the mail I send is threaded along with the mail I receive (yaay, like Gmail), but somehow there seems to be simply no way of getting Gmail to give me, through POP, those messages I send using an external client. It's a quirk [bug!] in the way Gmail implements POP. This I've fixed by setting mutt's fcc to /var/mail/my-username, my mail folder. (Of course, if I were in the habit of moving mail to my mbox, I could fcc to mbox too.)
Apart from that, it works fine!
"expr: syntax error" with acroread
I installed acroread (BTW it's called "Adobe Reader", not "Adobe Acrobat Reader") on Ubuntu Gutsy from the Medibuntu repository, and running acroread gave lots of
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
expr: syntax error
in an apparent infinite loop.
Googling gave this link but it seemed to already have been fixed in the version I had.
Another link gave the clue:
The line that reads:
echo $mfile| sed 's/libgtk-x11-\([0-9]*\).0.so.0.\([0-9]\)00.\([0-9]*\)\|\(.*\)/\1\2\3/g'
should be
echo $mfile| sed 's/libgtk-x11-\([0-9]*\).0.so.0.\([0-9]\)000.\([0-9]*\)\|\(.*\)/\1\2\3/g'
The number of 0′s following '1′ should match what the real libgtk is: libgtk-x11-2.0.so.0.1000.8
Running locate libgtk-x11 gave
so I removed the 0 on line 421 (not 418) to make it
echo $mfile| sed 's/libgtk-x11-\([0-9]*\).0.so.0.\([0-9]*\).\([0-9]*\)\|\(.*\)/\1\2\3/g'
I still don't understand exactly why it works (the above function would be returning 211050, but it does, and that's all that matters.
Now to report it on Medibuntu…
Devil's Pie
is one of the things that can make GNOME usable. It is the perfect example of what I always meant when I said "GNOME is for advanced users" — to get anything except some set of "basic" things done in GNOME, you need real technical skill, while in KDE you only need patience to look through preference dialogs. And gconf-editor is quite reminiscent of regedit ;-)
Anyway, Devil's Pie is amazing!
The main page here, a short documentation here, and extensive documentation here. These specs might help.
Two files that I have in my ~/.devilspie contain
to make my Pidgin conversation windows maximized, and
(and (is (window_class) "Pidgin") (is (window_role) "conversation"))
to have my terminal windows maximised.
(and (is (window_class) "Gnome-terminal") (contains (window_role) "gnome-terminal"))
To make Devilspie run at startup — go to System → Preferences → Sessions and Add it in the "Startup Programs" tab.
One hackish purpose I use Devilspie for is to get around GNOME's lack of an equivalent of KDE's "Activate window demanding attention" keybinding. (Ctrl-Alt-A by default)
Because I mainly need this for my Pidgin conversation windows, I have a file pidgin-conversation-focus.ds in ~/.devilspie/special (not in ~/.devilspie) which contains
and also have a pcf.sh which contains
(is (window_class) "Pidgin")
(is (window_role) "conversation")
(contains (window_name) "(*)")
in it and is bound to Ctrl-Alt-a (using the painful way GNOME has for assigning keys…)
devilspie ~/.devilspie/special/pidgin-conversation-focus.ds & sleep 1
kill -SIGSTOP $!
It sometimes doesn't work (rather, Pidgin's message notification plugin doesn't always insert "(*)" in the title), but I'm getting by.
If there was a way, from within Devilspie, of checking whether a particular window is demanding attention or not, it would be great. I sent a (badly worded) email to the author and haven't got a reply…
BTW: While testing the above I used
a lot.
purple-remote "jabber:email@example.com&message=hi"
Online LaTeX
Someone has collected a useful bunch of links: Using LaTeX in WordPress » Online LaTeX
(Pasted from somewhere, to be cleaned up –)
Pidgin "now playing" plugins: updating status messages to song being played
Plugins for Pidgin (the IM client formerly known as Gaim) that update the status message to show the currently playing track, somehow getting it from your music player. Found so far, in what I think is
the descending order of something no particular order:
[Note: Before you install any of these, you should be aware that most of them have been known to crash Pidgin rather frequently, and ask yourself whether it is worth it. Your friends really don't care what you're listening to. Really.]
- D-Bus script by Pidgin developer: works with Rhythmbox and Quod Libet. Will almost certainly not cause a crash. If you are on a Unix system and using one of these two music players, just run "python [name of script]" while Pidgin is running. If you're on Windows… it's not so easy. (And you're probably using different music players anyway.)
- musictracker
MusicTracker is a plugin for Pidgin (previously known as Gaim) which displays the music track currently playing in the status message of various accounts such as AIM, Yahoo, MSN, Gtalk (Jabber), etc., i.e. any protocol Pidgin supports custom statuses on. Support for a wide range of audio players on both Windows and Linux platforms is planned. Currently supported players: Amarok, Rhythmbox, Audacious, XMMS, MPC/MPD, Exaile, Banshee, Quod Libet on Linux. Winamp, Windows Media Player (9+), iTunes, Foobar2000 (incomplete support) on Windows.
Is apparently the best option, but also a very frequent cause of crashes.
- Pidgin-currenttrack
Current Track plugin will update your Gaim/Pidgin user info, available message or away message, and buddy icon from iTunes, Winamp, RealPlayer, WMP, Musicmatch, MediaMonkey, XMPlay, Yahoo! & Foobar2000 in Windows and XMMS, Rhythmbox, & Amarok in Linux.
Has been known to crash Pidgin. I've heard it has a feature where you can type "/currentrack" in a conversation window to send your current track, which is pretty cool. Not very useful if it crashes Pidgin though, is it?
- Pidgin Now Playing
This plugin will replace %now-playing in your status message with metadata from the currently playing song in a MPRIS compatible media player (currently including BMPx 0.4, VLC SVN trunk, Audacious 1.4.0 devel), if any.
It appears that MPRIS is an informal standard for music players to support a common interface. In an ideal world, all music players would support this standard, and in the real world, this may or may not happen. Amarok is also probably supported already.
- MusicInfo
MusicInfo is a plugin for the Pidgin instant messaging client. It lets you display the music that you are listening to in your away message, available message, and profile.
For Winamp, and some players that have a Winamp emulation mode.
- Autoprofile
AutoProfile is an extension to Gaim that allows users to create customized away messages and profiles using dynamic "components" that automatically update on a regular basis. Generated text can include song names from XMMS/Winamp/iTunes, fortune quotes, computer uptime, the contents of a Web page or a text file, the output of a program, and timestamps.
Is for Gaim 2.0.0beta3, not updated for Pidgin as of 2007-11-11 (last updated 2006-04-05, so don't hold your breath).
- AmarokPidgin
A plugin for Amarok that updates your Pidgin status message with what you are currently listening too.[sic]
Is for Amarok only.
- Pidgin-Rhythmbox
The Pidgin-Rhythmbox plugin will automatically update your Pidgin user info and status message with the currently playing music in Rhythmbox. If the artist and title are known, it will also attempt to create a link to the song's lyrics by using Google's "I'm Feeling Lucky" feature. Pidgin-Rhythmbox will replace %rb in your user info and status message with the song information.
Is for Rhythmbox only.
- Write your own script. You can set status from the command line with
purple-remote "setstatus?status=whatever&message=whatever". For example,
purple-remote "setstatus?status=available&message="will clear the status message. You can also use D-Bus. There is a very good introduction to D-Bus here, and Ars Technica has some examples of using Pidgin's D-Bus interface. This is essentially what many of the above plugins do (those that don't crash your Pidgin). Assuming that you have a way of getting the song (or whatever string you want in your status message) somehow (through D-Bus, maybe) in a script, this is certainly the most flexible option, as you can do exactly what you want with the status message (append to it v/s replace it, add the current time, artist but not title, whatever). You can also look at D-Bus Howto for Pidgin (who wrote that? :), but the harder part is getting the current song from your music player.
Note: While MusicTracker seems to be the plugin that the maximum number of people have been successful in using, it appears that it sometimes crashes Pidgin as well (especially on non-ASCII characters in the title/artist). Evidently, no plugin is perfect (except one that you write yourself :P) and you should take a moment to consider whether you really need a plugin of this sort. I know it seems cool and several IM clients provide a feature like this, but is it really necessary? Do your friends really care what music you're listening to?
Idea: Poor man's conference
The Yahoo! Messenger protocol has "conferences" / "group chats" / "synchronous realtime multiuser text transfer" / "multiplayer notepad" / whatever you call it. Google Talk doesn't (yet?). This is one of the things that (some) people sorely miss in Google Talk. So people who primarily use their Google accounts for IM are forced to use alternative protocols, such as YMSG or Skype, if they want to group chat…
In a "sudden flash of inspiration", I realised how easy it would be to create a bot that would make it work even on one-to-one-only services like Google Talk. It could work like this:
- Suppose Alice Bob Carol and Dave want to have a conference.
- They each have the bot ("Trent", say) on their buddy list ("contacts").
- The bot is given the list of the four users
- Each person sends his/her messages to the bot (buddy Trent).
- The bot sends all messages from user X to all other users, prefixing X: to the messages.
Would work well, AFAICS.
Note that the way the above is constructed, all that the above bot is good for is for exactly Alice Bob Carol Dave to chat… (of course, we could reset this and give the bot new instructions). Having one account for every conference doesn't seem a feasible idea :-)
Actually, it could easily support multiple conferences as long as they have disjoint sets of members — it would forward the messages of user X only to other users in the conference X is in.
We can also get around the disjointness restriction by making users who are in multiple conferences somehow specify which one they want the current message sent to, in each message…
Another annoyance is what names are displayed… what name the bot shows you a message as coming from might well be different from the alias you have for that person :)
There could be insane security problems, so not considering "rolling it out", but maybe I can code up something for three-four of my friends (and I) to use…
Update: A few seconds of searching (and the many minutes of debugging/installing!) can save a few hours (or days?) of coding. And to think I was actually trying to write a Jabber client in Python :)
Here it is: Google Talk: Conference Bot.
Sigh. All the good ideas have already been thought of.
Adam was the only man who, when he said a good thing, knew that nobody had said it before him.
said Mark Twain.
Am having some problems installing it, though.
Things that needed fixing:
Update: Nvm, ignore this list below. Just remember to give not firstname.lastname@example.com, but just username, the first time it asks.
* Manually change confbot.ini so that the server is talk.google.com, not gmail.com
* Get the newer jabber.py libraries (and put them in this directory, because for some reason they won't install)
* Try changing the port from 5223 to 5222 or something. Actually, no: get rid of the extra options in the second line
* Change debug=False to debug=[]
* In the confbot.py file from SVN, change the "13″ to "4″
This page also seems to be important.
Someone has made a plugin for Google Desktop… listed here too.
Come to think of it, considering that a bot for Google has already been written, what I should write is a sort-of cross-protocol bot… use libpurple and write it in C? :-)
Getting xchat to open Firefox instead of whatever
It's covered in the XChat FAQ: What's the deal with opening URLs in XChat on Unix/Linux?.
I manually added the "Open link in Firefox" option, and haven't bothered figuring out how it works on Edgy's Xchat (2.6.6), and decided to wait and see how things work in Feisty (Xchat 2.8.0), as the FAQ says everything's changed in 2.8.0.
Update: I'm using Ubuntu Gutsy, which has XChat 2.8.4, and everything works fine by default, without having to tweak anything.
Debian/Ubuntu: Find out which packages are taking the most space
There is a package called debian-goodies (that's what it's called on Ubuntu as well :-)) which has this utility called dpigs — for telling you which packages are "pigging out" on your system. (So install it with sudo apt-get install debian-goodies, and then run dpigs). This and other utilities, from the description:
debget - Fetch a .deb for a package in APT's database dpigs - Show which installed packages occupy the most space debman - Easily view man pages from a binary .deb without extracting checkrestart - Help to find and restart processes which are using old versions of upgraded files (such as libraries) popbugs - Display a customized release-critical bug list based on packages you use (using popularity-contest data)
Symbol's function definition is void: outline-font-lock-level
Using Emacs and todoo-mode (the todoo library / todoo.el).
I got the message
Symbol's function definition is void: outline-font-lock-level
whenever I tried to insert a new sub-item (using C-c M-i which is bound to todoo-insert-sub-item) in my TODO file. Searching Google gave someone's old diary, from which (although it's in Japanese ;-)) I found that it's related to Debian bug 244681: emacs-goodies-el: todoo.el doesn't work at XEmacs21. I'm using GNU Emacs 18.104.22.168 and not XEmacs, though.
Update: Before you try the "fixes" below (and in the comment), try just downloading the latest version from Debian. It appears that this got reported as bug 447760, and got fixed.
Anyway, the fix (I haven't learnt Emacs lisp, so this may be far from the "best" way to do it):
- Open the todoo.el file (M-x find-library RET todoo RET) and find the todoo-insert-sub-item function. (Better, use C-h f todoo-insert-sub-item RET and follow the link.)
- Replace (outline-font-lock-level) with a value, like 3 or something. You might also want to do the same in the other place that (outline-font-lock-level) is used — in the function todoo-indent-line
Another solution, if you don't want to / can't edit the file (no permissions, for example), might be to define the function (outline-font-lock-level) — put (defun outline-font-lock-level nil 3) somewhere.
Another solution might be to redefine the function entirely. This requires knowledge that I don't have, but, for example, making some local transformations, I replaced it with this:
(defun todoo-insert-sub-item () "Insert a new todoo-sub-item." (interactive) (goto-char (- (todoo-item-end) 1)) (insert (concat (make-string todoo-indent-column ? ) todoo-sub-item-marker " \n")) (backward-char))
The space after the ? is important.
What to do with a Debian/Ubuntu source package
A Debian source package (something like this) often has files like xxxxx.orig.tar.gz, xxxxx-1.diff.gz and xxxxx-1.dsc. It wasn't clear what to do with them, so I gathered courage and asked in #debian, and despite all the stories I'd heard about the channel, a couple of people were actually nice enough to answer: do dpkg-source -x xxxxx-1.dsc, which will extract the .tar.gz (don't do it yourself) and apply the patch correctly. Then you have the source directory, where you can go and configure, make ….
The Firefox right-click bug
I was having a bug with Firefox where right-clicking in some places would bring up two context menus, a sort of double-menu with one on top of the other, and with both of them working (but clicking somewhere else outside dismisses only one of the menus).
I searched around on Google a bit and found no mention of it… Recently, one of my friends had the same bug, so we knew what to do — look in the list of extensions that we had both installed, and find which one was causing it. The culprit turned out to be Image Zoom. I uninstalled it, and now everything works fine.
Update: There is a video of this behaviour.
Update: It seems (seems) to be fixed: here.
Tabs in Emacs
Here is an incredibly detailed page on Tabs in Emacs, and I'm sure it doesn't even explain the issues completely :-)
X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device
For errors like this:
X Error: BadDevice, invalid or uninitialized input device 168 Major opcode: 145 Minor opcode: 3 Resource id: 0x0 Failed to open device
(First, note that these are usually harmless. If you're debugging something that has just gone wrong, almost always the problem is with something else, not these errors.) To make these messages/errors go away, edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf (don't forget to backup, or else you may have no GUI when you reboot!), find the lines corresponding to the InputDevices you don't have (Stylus, Cursor, Eraser), and get rid of them by commenting out everything from Section "InputDevice" to EndSection for each of them. Also, in Section "ServerLayout", comment out the corresponding lines. Changes will take effect the next time X is started (so reboot, or logout and hit Ctrl-Alt-Backspace).
Got it from the top Google search; it's here. If you can imagine even more "step-by-step" instructions than what I wrote above, they're here.
k3b verification "Could not find file"
Enable "Allow lowercase characters in ISO9660 file names". Reported at https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+source/k3b/+bug/59089 and http://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=119544
Update: Probably fixed by now.
Other annoying k3b bugs:
- When it ejects and reloads the CD for verification, KDE pops up a "What do you want to do?" thing that comes when CDs are inserted.
- When it ejects and cannot reload the CD (it happens often with old drives) it aborts, instead of asking the user to put the CD in.
Editing TEXTAREAs in an external editor
For many people today, much more text editing happens in TEXTAREA forms than elsewhere, as observed here. But textareas have many problems — they don't have all of the features your favourite editor has; it's easy to lose text permanently (browser crash, or some confusion with undo operations, etc.); can't save what you type for safekeeping, ….
The solution, of course, is to use your own external editor for entering text into textareas. Typing it somewhere and pasting it into the textarea is clumsy (and what happens when you decide to edit some more?). Fortunately, there are solutions which (promise to) work seamlessly:
- The ViewSourceWith firefox extension. This is what I
usewas using, and it works well. Despite its name (and all the things it can do), I suspect that this extension is primarily used for editing textareas :-)
- The It's all text firefox extension. Haven't used this myself.
- The MozEx firefox extension. Actually, this works only with Firefox 0.7–0.9; try the one at its homepage. I had tried this a while ago, and I vaguely remember there were some problems. It may have been fixed now, though.
- The Editus Externus firefox extension. Never heard of it before today. Doesn't work on Firefox 2.
- The EmbeddedEditor extension. Experimental, works with Linux only.
- There's also the Xinha here firefox extension, which starts a particular editor ("Xinha") each time, but I think it's pointless to learn one more entirely new editor, with probably its own set of limitations.
To use Emacs with any of these, simply set the external editor to use Emacs as a server, i.e. EmacsClient. (You could also set it to use emacs instead of emacsclient, but that would start a new instance of Emacs each time.)
There's also an amazingly clumsy clever hack, which might work far better than anything else if you're on X: a script called external-edit. (The Windows version external.exe is here.) This promises much, much more: being able to call an external editor from anywhere, not just Firefox. It works by getting the ID of the window with focus, simulating keypresses that correspond to those for Select All and Copy (so that the contents of the textarea get pasted into clipboard), creating a file with the contents of the clipboard, invoking your editor on the file and waiting for it to exit, moving file's contents to clipboard, and generating the keystroke for Paste. Clever. Hack.
I haven't tried the Windows version of course, but the Linux version is buggy (at least, I couldn't get it to work directly). After much effort and a long time (that's because I'm an idiot, not because there was much to change), I think I've fixed it. I've tested it on {GNOME,KDE}×{Firefox,Konqueror,Opera}×{emacs,emacsclient,gvim -f,gedit,kate}. You can get it here.
Simply set up a keystroke to invoke (say) "external-edit emacsclient", and no matter where you're typing something, if you suddenly decide you want to do it in Emacs, just hit the key. Nothing could be better :-)
ssh through a proxy (Squid, etc)
If you are somewhere where the only way of connecting to the outside world is through a proxy, then to get ssh to work, here's what to do:
Get connect.c.
Compile it (gcc connect.c -o connect), and put connect somewhere in your path. That page says /usr/local/bin, but you probably don't have permissions to that, anyway. You can do mkdir -p ~/bin && mv connect ~/bin and add a line export PATH=$PATH:~/bin to ~/.bashrc or ~/.bash_profile (or both), and restart the terminal, or start a new one.
Edit the file ~/.ssh/config (create it if it doesn't exist) and add the two lines
Host * ProxyCommand connect -H proxyusername@proxyname:3128 %h %p
Replace proxyusername by the username for the proxy, and proxyname by the location of the proxy, and 3128 by the port number (it's usually 3128 for Squid).
If it is a low-security thing and the password is already well-known (guest account?), then might as well put the password in the above .bash… files, to save the hassle of typing it each time:
export HTTP_PROXY_PASSWORD=proxypassword
Then ssh should work as usual: ssh username@hostname , etc.
BSNL DataOne's DNS
The manual I got asked me to use 220.127.116.11 and 184.108.40.206 as the domain-name servers, but it appears that this is not really optimal. I found other sources, and confirmed by looking at one particular DataOne manual.
Here are the first few lines of my /etc/resolv.conf now:
nameserver 126.96.36.199 #BSNL, primary for South, secondary for North nameserver 126.96.36.199 #BSNL, primary for North, secondary for South nameserver 184.108.40.206 #BSNL, primary for East nameserver 22.214.171.124 #BSNL, secondary for West nameserver 184.108.40.206 #BSNL, primary for West, secondary for East nameserver 188.8.131.52 #OpenDNS nameserver 126.96.36.199 #OpenDNS
The first one is really faster slightly (about 63 ms instead of 79 ms, or so), but I doubt if it matters…
[Update, asked in the comments: use this on Windows.]
The pefect (non-)markup solution
I just found something that's amazing in its simplicity, and yet neatly solves a problem. Maybe you've sometimes wondered how to markup your email (perhaps in cases where you want the same text to be reusable) and yet retain its readability. (I have a friend who sometimes writes email in TEX markup, which is just incredibly wrong and annoying.) There is a solution that is as close to perfect as imaginable: Markdown. Its Basics page was itself written in Markdown. The syntax is perfectly readable; it is available on Ubuntu and Debian, and can even be generated from HTML, in case one wants to go in the other direction. It even has a Wikipedia article, and (even without looking!) I'm sure it's the best "lightweight markup language" there is. There seems to be a markdown mode for Vim, but no "standard" mode for Emacs yet. (But with such good and readable syntax, who needs an Emacs mode, anyway?) There is a comparison here. There are converters from MarkDown to other formats (such as LaTeX), see Pandoc (written in Haskell!) and MultiMarkdown.
Another thing that looks impressive (and even more useful, because it is well-integrated into Emacs) is Emacs Muse, can be published to a lot of formats, including DocBook and LaTeX. Documentation here, and someone's personal notes here.
I haven't tried either of them yet.
[Update] Emacs Muse is nice, but it's really not polished enough yet. (Either that, or if it's not going to change then I don't like it.) There are no nested lists yet. (It does now.) Markdown says
The overriding design goal for Markdown's formatting syntax is to make it as readable as possible. The idea is that a Markdown-formatted document should be publishable as-is, as plain text, without looking like it's been marked up with tags or formatting instructions. While Markdown's syntax has been influenced by several existing text-to-HTML filters, the single biggest source of inspiration for Markdown's syntax is the format of plain text email.
That doesn't seem to be Emacs Muse's "overriding design goal" to me (I need to figure out why I feel so, but somehow the syntax feels kludgy and seems to have many bad corner cases).
As I see it, the most powerful and compelling features of Emacs Muse are
- The entire publishing system, where you can take a document and publish to multiple formats based on syntax translation rules, keeping a daily journal, etc. (planner-el depends on Emacs Muse for some of its functionality.)
- Its integration with Emacs
Frankly, IMHO, the actual markup language is not one of its greatest features, and it would be great if they used — or allowed plugging in — other existing languages.
(Update-update: This does seem to be the idea, or at least was at some point of time. See this thread, which contains a file that provides some MarkDown support in Muse.)
[End update.]
Linking to the New York Times
The New York Times have a policy whereby links to them from weblogs require no payment (nor registration, it appears).
Someone has put up a link generator here. Please use it when linking to the NYT from blogs.
Emacs copy/paste and X
Many people have problems getting copy-paste working in Emacs. Sometimes this can be ascribed to a misunderstanding of how the system works, but often it is a bug with Emacs itself.
First, a general word about how cut/copy/paste work in Linux and all applications:
Much of the confusion arises because there are actually two mechanisms for copying text between applications:
- Clipboard
- There is an explicit "clipboard", just as in Windows. If you select some text, and explicitly click "copy" (or "cut") somewhere (that is, either in the right-click menu or in the Edit menu, usually), it goes into the clipboard. You can paste it elsewhere by again explicitly clicking on "paste" (or Ctrl-V, often). This works perfectly well within itself, and just as in Windows, so there are no problems at all (except in Emacs sometimes, and we'll come to that).
- Primary selection
- In addition, there is the "primary selection". Consider it an additional feature which you can ignore if you like. It works like this: when you select some text (just select… highlight it, that's all), it gets automatically "copied", and you can paste it into another location simply by middle-clicking. This is intended for more temporary tasks, and shouldn't be used for anything serious. A thing to watch out for is that unlike in the case of the clipboard, the text doesn't really get copied anywhere. What actually happens when you middle-click to paste, is that the destination program asks the source program the text to be pasted. A consequence of this is that if you select some text and close the source program, you can't paste that text anymore. In short, a good way to think of this is as "extended drag-and-drop", in which you are allowed to let go of the mouse, change windows, and maybe even do a little bit of work (which does not require selecting) in some another window before finally "dropping" with the middle-mouse click.
- Others
- [There is also a "secondary selection" and another ancient mechanism involving "cut buffers", but neither of them is in use these days. Clipboard managers, like Klipper or the GNOME clipboard tool, can often be asked to use either the clipboard alone or the primary selection too.]
- This page claims to have a fix, which is essentially to add the lines
(setq x-select-enable-clipboard t) (setq interprogram-paste-function 'x-cut-buffer-or-selection-value)
to ~/.emacs. It didn't help.
- There is mouse-sel-mode, which seems to affect pasting into emacs, whatever the name might say.
- The emacs manual says
To copy text to another X window, kill it or save it in the kill ring. Under X, this also sets the primary selection. Then use the "paste" or "yank" command of the program operating the other window to insert the text from the selection.
, but it didn't help me either.
- I've discovered that the situation is better when Klipper is running — selecting (or copying) text in Emacs results in it being copied (imperfectly) to Klipper, and I can then paste in other apps, provided I first click on Klipper and choose that text. Weird.
- I can select in Emacs, and middle-click it onto konsole. It works. I can then select that and paste it into Firefox. That works too. So maybe Emacs and Firefox don't have a good way of talking to each other. (The same seems to be true of any GNOME app, not just Firefox.)
This general picture is explained at jwz's page and in this spec.
Second, the problem: Somehow, Emacs has problems with this. It is very inconsistent, so it's hard to pin down the exact nature of the problem, but in general copying text between other applications and Emacs seems to just not work sometimes. With me, pasting into emacs works (almost always) by default; copying from emacs doesn't, no matter what I try. Others have had the opposite problem.
Some possible solutions/ideas:
The bug is clearly somewhere under x-set-selection, because invoking it directly doesn't work either.
And, trying to set the Emacs font today, I discovered another bug: I couldn't paste from the xfontsel selection to any KDE app. I could do the thing of pasting into Firefox and then pasting into Emacs, though. There is also this discussion about what happens (or should happen) when something is "copied" without being selected first.
There are some other discussions at http://natalian.org/archives/2006/04/02/copy-and-paste/ , http://berserk.org/2006/04/04/copy-or-cut-and-paste-firefox-bug/ , and this Slashdot article about copy-paste, although none of it has been useful.
Please leave comments here if you have something to say; I still haven't managed to find a workaround.
Updates: I found that M-x clipboard-kill-ring-save and M-x clipboard-yank seem to work for copying from Emacs to the clipboard and pasting from the clipboard into Emacs. In some of the comments below, Richard Lewis had the idea of using xsel, and Hugo Heden completed it further.


text:
Claim to Notoriety:
Mohammad's primary objectives can be difficult to discern. He makes claims to have pledged to unite in "jihad" with bin Laden, and is but his objectives in his own description have heavily geo-political, rather than purely religious, overtones. Indeed, author Lawrence Wright noted in The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 that the two men shared almost nothing when they met in the 1980s but their mutual hatred of America. He is well known for his virulent views of Israel and is known to have been motivated by the desire to punish the U.S. for its support of Israel.
The most interesting statement of his objectives comes from his own extended statement at his tribunal to determine his enemy combatant status, in 2007. The statement, complex and garbled as it was, made it clear that Sheikh Mohammed views himself as a soldier in a war against oppression imposed on Arabs and Muslims by the United States.
Family Background & Early Years:
Mohammed was born in 1964 or 1965 and raised in Kuwait. His family is of Baluchi origins (Baluchistan is a region that transverses parts of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran). He attended college in the United States in the 1980s and graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering from North Carolina A&T University in 1986.
Life as a Militant:
Following his graduateion, Mohammed went to Afghanistan to join the mujahideen in the Afghan-Soviet war. He met Usama bin Laden while there. In 1994, Mohammed joined his nephew Ramzi Yousef in the Philippines. A year earlier, Yousef had driven an explosives-packed truck into the New York World Trade Center. Together, he and Yousef constructed ideas for a number of attacks, including the one that would evolve into the September 11, 2001 attacks.
His family has denied that their relative had anything to do with planning the attack against the United States, and viewed the charges against him as a conspiracy.
After 2001:
In His Own Words:
Much of the information that has circulated about Mohammed's role in the 2001 attacks has come from statements he has made.
In 2007, Mohammed was brought before a Combatant Status Review tribunal, composed of military officers convened to decide whether Mohammed should be designated as an enemy combatant. At that hearing, speaking in English, Mohammed contested the way that the evidence was prepared against him, made pleas on behalf of other detainees (but not himself) who he said had made false claims under the duress of torture, and made extravagant claims for his own role in bin Laden's organization, in the September 11, 2001 attacks and in other attacks.
In total, Mohammed made 31 claims. These included claiming responsibility for the 1993 World Trade Center attacks, for "the 9/11 Operation, from A to Z," for the decapitation of Wall Street Journal reporter, Daniel Pearl (the media savvy detainee also pointed out to the tribunal that "for those who would like to confirm there are pictures of me on the Internet holding his head"); for a Bali nighclub bombing and for planning attacks throughout the world, as well as assassinations of former American Presidents (he singled out President Carter).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
They are as unlikely a couple as their leading characters, yet Luis Saumell, executive producer and director, and Aaron Killian, associate producer and screenwriter, are heading toward a happy ending as the pieces fall into place for their movie "Masons of Maryville."
The movie is a romantic comedy and drama about a conservative Catholic Mexican girl named Carmen who falls in love with Tim, the son of a Southern Baptist preacher. It is set in Blount County and takes full advantage of the historic and iconic places locals have known about for years.
The men collaborate well, playing off each other's strengths and backgrounds. "I'm Cuban-American and I have strong feelings about immigration. With all the politics in the recent years; they're trying to resolve the problem and yet nothing gets resolved," said Saumell, who also has an extensive background in commercial photography.
Killian brings his Blount County roots and sense of humor to the project. "We wanted to poke some fun at stereotypes and people who make decisions without knowing the facts," said Killian. "When Luis and I sat to talk about it, we realized how different we are in our backgrounds. I'm younger, Blount County born and raised, he's Cuban-American. He has a great eye, and I have a good ear, and with the two together we've come up with a pretty interesting script," said Killian.
With the casting almost complete, Saumell and Killian are careening down the production road. Almost 100 people auditioned for parts in the movie or for crew positions, and the producers were pleased with the results. "Some people were so good, we decided to just write a part for them," said Killian. They worked with fellow screenwriter Tim Hankins and created scenes that included a young version of several main characters, and then cast Linsey Sharp, Nathan Large, Ethan Large and Angel Gregory in those special roles.
Other local talent cast in the "Masons of Maryville" include Robyn Mullins, Tim Flatford, Steve Trigg, Tonya Tipton, Allison Barker, Joe Lambert, Ole Mueller, Rommy Gutierrez, Jervis Brown, Chad A. Neace and Marybeth Dahl. In addition to the local talent, actor Gene Gabriel has read the script and expressed an interest in being in the film. There are still a few speaking roles left and some openings for extras. The producers are also seeking more production crew members.
"Filming is set to begin this spring and the Capital Theater will host the showing of the movie," said Saumell. "Heath Claiborne (owner of the Capital Theater) has really embraced the organization of the film club and the movie." Other local businesses offering their services to the film include Pat McGill at Realty Executives on Lamar Alexander Parkway and Arthur Campbell at Anderson Rental. Saumell also thanked the owner of the Waterfront Group and helicopter pilot Dan Rawn for flying him over Blount County during the height of the fall foliage to film the movie's opening shot.
Anyone interested in being an individual or corporate sponsor should contact production manager J.B. Johnson or location manager Rusty Willocks at the e-mail address below. "We'll try to work with the business to include their actual location in the film, and they would definitely be in the screen credits," said Killian.
The idea for the film began with Saumell's overwhelming feeling that he had to do something. "I have a passion for film making and knew I'd explode if I didn't come up with something. I started the film club, and then we just stepped into it and started doing it," Saumell said.
He began the film club in August with the sole purpose of making movies. "I want to represent everyone properly, and we want to do an ongoing thing. When we finish this project, we want to send it to festivals, then maybe the next time around the funding will be there for something bigger," Saumell said.
Currently, the film has no budget. However, the Maryville Film Club is seeking sponsors and donations and they are selling T-shirts to raise funds. Anyone who would like to purchase a shirt, e-mail the club or send $12 with name, address and shirt size to P.O. Box 6285 Maryville, TN 37802. For more information regarding any aspect of the movie including sponsorships, donations, roles or production, e-mail the club at email@example.com.


text:
Two judges ruled in separate cases that a Chinese drywall manufacturer will answer to U.S. courts for the defective plasterboard it sold for use in thousands of American homes. Both decisions rejected arguments by Taishan Gypsum Co. (TG), the world's largest drywall manufacturer, and its wholly-owned subsidiary, Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. (TTP), that U.S. courts lacked personal jurisdiction. The state and federal judges also denied motions to vacate default judgments imposed for the defendants' failure to respond to the complaints that were filed against them.
A 142-page decision issued by Judge Eldon Fallon of the Eastern District of Louisiana affected four class actions in an MDL involving millions of square feet of Chinese gypsum wallboard that were exported to the U.S. from 2005 to 2008, primarily for use in building homes on the eastern seaboard and the Gulf Coast. Since the MDL's creation in 2009, hundreds of drywall lawsuits involving thousands of plaintiffs have been consolidated for review. (In re: Chinese Manufactured Drywall Prods. Liab. Litig., No. 2:09-md-02047-EEF-JCW (E.D. La. Sept. 4, 2012).)
"After installation of this drywall, owners and occupants of the properties began noticing unusual odors, blackening of silver and copper items and components, and the failure of appliances, including microwaves, refrigerators, and air conditioning units," wrote Fallon, who added that some occupants experienced health problems including skin and eye irritation, respiratory issues, nosebleeds, and headaches.
Fallon rejected TG's jurisdiction objections and detailed its active involvement in the drywall markets of Virginia, Florida, and Louisiana; its active pursuit of business ties with local builders and suppliers; and its knowledge that its products were intended for use in the states' residential construction efforts in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. "TG boasted about being a worldwide supplier of drywall and cited its business in the United States as an example," wrote Fallon. "To reap these benefits and now claim hardship is a bit disingenuous." Emphasizing the interests of the states affected by the defective drywall, Fallon added that "[i]n a 'flat world' in which we now live, markets are worldwide and it is now in everyone's interest to discourage the manufacture and distribution of defective products."
The state court ruling came in a Florida case in which a home builder sought to recoup the cost of repairing homes constructed with drywall that, according to the complaint, emitted foul odors and caused health problems for occupants. Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Joseph Farina held that TG and TTP "had sufficient business dealings and contact in Florida to satisfy the exercise of jurisdiction." Observing that TG and TTP were "intertwined at the level of daily operations," Farina held that the companies were within the reach of Florida's long-arm statute because they "actively courted" customers in Florida by inviting Florida business representatives to visit TG's drywall factory in China, entering into distribution agreements with Florida companies through TTP to sell its products for home construction, and shipping drywall to those companies "with full knowledge of Florida as the ultimate destination." (Lennar Homes v. Knauf Gips KG, No. 09-07901 (Fla., Miami-Dade Co. Cir. Aug. 31, 2012).)
Farina dismissed TG's claim that defending the litigation in Florida would be too burdensome. "The evidence relating to damages is located in Florida, as are the parties and many witnesses. The state of Florida also has an interest in adjudicating disputes relating to torts or other wrongful acts either committed within its borders, or committed against its residents," wrote Farina.
TG failed to persuade either judge that the default judgments entered against it—the result of its failure to answer either complaint—should be vacated. Fallon rejected the company's defense of excusable neglect: "Whether or not TG's defense is meritorious is speculative, especially since the court finds personal jurisdiction exists over TG and it has placed voluminous evidence before it indicating that TG manufactured and sold a defective product, placed this product into the stream of commerce, and profited from its sales."
Farina similarly dismissed the company's arguments that TG reasonably believed that Florida courts had no jurisdiction, as well as its claim that "it lacked sufficient mastery of the English language" to fully understand the legal documents. He noted that a translated complaint was also served on the company.
Attorney Russ Herman of New Orleans, liaison counsel for plaintiffs in the MDL, called the decisions "monumental" and a welcome development "for the more than 3,000 innocent residential owners whose properties have been needlessly damaged by imported drywall." Herman said Taishan could appeal Fallon's ruling to the Fifth Circuit, but suggested that the company could "come to the table while the appeal is pending and balance the scales" in a manner consistent with a previous drywall settlement approved in 2011. Fallon oversaw a settlement in that case with another defendant in the MDL, Germany's Knauf International, for the manufacture of defective drywall by its Chinese subsidiary. The settlement was reported to be worth as much as $1 billion.
As a final option, Herman said, "[Taishan Gypsum] can walk away, go home to China and say arrogantly 'you can't touch us here, we're protected by the government.'" In that event, Herman added, "we intend to pursue these cases until we have exhausted all remedies, including seizing Chinese assets in the United States."


text:
DICOTA's diverse portfolio of innovative bags offers you the very best in functionality and contemporary style. Incorporating intelligent design and practical details, DICOTA bags ensure you have the optimal carry solution whatever you're doing, wherever you are.
Trendy bag with colourful details for 15-16.4" notebooks
Notebook bag with metal wire frame for extra safety
Notebook slim case in simplistic design
Compact carry case for 13"-14.1" notebooks
Stylish notebook bag with tablet pocket
Toploader case with optimum notebook protection
Trendy backpack with colourful details for 15–16.4" notebooks
Stylish notebook backpack with tablet pocket
Protective sleeve for Macbooks with memory foam padding


text:
July 2014
SHERIDAN — The annual Sheridan Farmers Market will commence Thursday at Grinnell Plaza. From 5-7 p.m. weekly on Thursdays vendors will sell produce, arts and crafts and more as live music, children's activities, demonstrations and nonprofit booths are hosted. Attendance is free for customers and vendor booths are available to rent. This week features Mick Johnson Acoustic and youth activities. For more information or to sign up as a vendor call Bonnie Gregory at the Downtown Sheridan Association 672-8881 or see www.downtownsheridan.org.
SHERIDAN— Habitat for Humanity presents "On the Foundation", an evening of one-act plays, music, dessert, wine and beer 7 p.m. this Thursday at 1774 Poplar Trail. Tickets are $40, available at Sheridan Stationery, and all proceeds benefit Habitat for Humanity.
SHERIDAN— Join the Wyoming Wilderness Association for the Spur Ranch Fest Sunday for biking, live music, beer, and more. The event will run from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. at 86 Peno Rd. and is a $10 entry free for adults, and children under 10 get in free. All proceeds will benefit the Wyoming Wilderness Association and Red Grade Trail Project. For more information call 672-8459.
SHERIDAN— Eagles Chapter number 186 will hold a candidates meet and greet Monday from 5:30 p.m. until 7:30 at 850 North Main St. This is a chance for the public to meet the candidates and ask questions.
SHERIDAN — The next Concert in the Park will be held Tuesday and will feature the Sheridan Concert Band. From 7:30-9 p.m. in the Kendrick Park Bandshell, band members Andy Edmundson and Bill Avery will play sections from popular musicals. The concert is free and open to all members of the community. Attendees are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Food concessions will be available. For more information on the concert call David Kuzara at 751-7960.
SHERIDAN— Penrose Place, a new 15-unit HUD subsidized apartment complex for seniors, will have its grand opening Wednesday at 10 a.m. Penrose Place is located at 667 East Sixth St. For more information, please call 763-4690.


text:
1963 Studebaker GT V8 complete. Painted 2 years ago, no rust, perfect glass, new interior, excellent tires, right side minor scrapes and dented fender.... More
I am selling this ONE owner 1987 Avanti II for an elderly friend of the family. The car has 39,181 original miles on the... More
This 1965 Studebaker Wagonaire Daytona is a wonderfully original rust free car. These are hard to find in this kind of condition. It's very... More
1950 Champion Starlight Coupe: Excellent condition with graphics depicting WWII Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter plane. Recent original drive train rebuild, $12k in body work/paint,... More
TO BE SOLD AT THE UPCOMING LUCKY COLLECTOR CAR AUCTION FALL CLASSIC! Lot 419: 1948 Studebaker Champion Regal Convertible Thank you for your interest. Please feel free... More
This vehicle is part of the Ed Ullom Collection and will be offered at no reserve. Low Production, Rare Supercharged V8, Four Speed Manual Transmission... More
Complete body-off restoration in the mid 1990'S, smooth running 169CID 6 cylinder with manual 3 speed transmission. Working overdrive for freeway cruising. Five new... More
1965 Studebaker Daytona, blue with blue interior. More information coming soon!... More
- 1 of 56 early production GT Hawks special ordered to Super Hawk specifications before it was technically available from the factory- Specially built... More
Complete body-off restoration in the mid 1990's, smooth running 169CID 6 cylinder with manual 3 speed transmission. Working overdrive for freeway cruising, five new... More
This 1952 Studebaker Champion Starlight Coupe, # G1140432, is an excellent driver purchased from the 3rd owner. At the time they were using it... More
This 1949 Studebaker Champion 2 door, #476012, is a 3 owner California vehicle that comes with most of its history documentation, Black Plate, and... More
This 1948 Studebaker Champion Business Coupe, # G389158, is something special that you do not find every day. A barn find from Alabama with... More
This 1947 Studebaker G28 Business Coupe, # G280979, is an original 3rd owner car that has been kept in storage when not in use... More
1966 Studebaker Daytona Sports Sedan.This low mileage car (20602) underwent a complete body off frame restoration in 2011. It has a rebuilt 283 V8... More
All-original, 1955 Studebaker President Speedster. This beautiful, well-maintained Studebaker, was purchased by its first owner, a daily driver, in Salt Lake City, Utah, in... More
Found rust-free in a North Carolina barn in 2011, this beauty was brought to Florida and just had a three year, frame off restoration completed. The... More
1932 Studebaker 2 Ton flatbed, Fully restored to original condition. New tires, all new wiring, glass, interior, paint, and wood bed. Engine, accessories, brakes,... More
1950 Studebaker 1/2 ton p/u, good runer, good condition. 327 Chevy, turbo 400 transmission, chevy s/w rear a rare and unusual pickup. originally a central... More
1955 Studebaker President, VERY clean and a great driving car Three on the tree Manual transmission with overdrive 2 door Coupe Rebuilt AM radio Light Green and Cream color Great... More
1963 Studebaker Avanti Two-door coupe, R-1 - A car is only original once... This automobile, an early-1963 car, was produced in October of 1962, and... More
1963 Studebaker AvantiTo be OFFERED AT AUCTION. Estimate:$ 25,000 - $ 30,000 Since 1953 Studebaker had not released a new car design,... More
1951 Studebaker Champion ConvertibleTo be OFFERED AT AUCTION. Estimate:$ 40,000 - $ 50,000 ... More
1953 Studebaker Champion Custom CoupeTo be OFFERED AT AUCTION. Estimate:$ 45,000 - $ 50,000 ... More
1959 Studebaker Silver HawkTo be OFFERED AT AUCTION. Estimate:$ 20,000 - $ 25,000 When Studebaker updated the styling of its 1956 cars,... More
1951 Studebaker Commander ConvertibleTo be OFFERED AT AUCTION. Estimate:$ 50,000 - $ 70,000 Boasting First by Far with a Postwar Car, Studebaker... More
1940 Studebaker Commander Two-Door Club SedanTo be OFFERED AT AUCTION. Estimate:$ 20,000 - $ 30,000 The recently-introduced Champion was Studebaker's best seller... More
1951 Studebaker Commander1951 Studebaker Commander Land Cruiser Model Exterior in Mint conditionReo-Green exterior plus a Grey cloth and Tan Carpet interiorEquipped with a 232... More
1964 Studebaker Avanti R-1 automatic w/ 289 4bbl. Haggerty rating "good". This car has been in my family for 23 years. Always garage kept.... More
1963 Studebaker Avanti complete frame off restoration. Brand new rebuilt Chevrolet 400/400 HP with racing cam 100 actual miles on rebuild. Interior completely redone. ... More


text:
Watch Live
Show Clips
News Clips
FN Radio Live
Fox News
Fox Business
Fox News Latino
Fox News Radio
Fox Nation
Fox News Insider
Expand Menu
Fox News
Fox News
Watch Live
Show Clips
News Clips
Fox News Radio
Logout Provider
Popout player →
Enlarge player →
powered by
E.D. Link to Heart Health
May. 02, 2011 - 2:16 - Men with erectile dysfunction should visit doctor
Interact with the Show
← Back to Browse Live


text:
Watch Live
Show Clips
News Clips
Fox News
Fox Business
Fox News Latino
Fox News Radio
Fox Nation
Fox News Insider
Expand Menu
Fox Business
Fox Business
Watch Live
Show Clips
News Clips
Logout Provider
Popout player →
Enlarge player →
powered by
The Benefits of Gay Marriage for Business, Society
Jun. 22, 2011 - 3:18 - Witeck-Combs CEO Bob Witeck on why gay marriage benefits businesses.
Interact with the Show
← Back to Browse Live


text:
Relating CEO Talent to Performance
Winter 2004
By: Vandana Allman
This article explores the age old question of nature versus nurture: Do we perform well because of our innate characteristics or rather because of the environments we construct, environments that are designed to "pull" high performance out of their inhabitants? Much has been said and written about the external contributions of environment to high performance. Here, however, the authors examine the intrinsic quality of talent. We all have it – but are some of us truly "born" to be leaders?
Please Sign in to rate this.
This morning when you looked into the mirror, did you think to yourself, "I am the perfect fit for my role as CEO of my association?" It's very likely most of you hesitated before answering or agreeing with this statement.
If you believe you are the right fit for your current role, on what basis did you make that determination? How is it you know that you are the right fit for the demanding role of association CEO? In fact, how does one even go about measuring something such as fit?
For those of you who answered "no," how does it feel to be in a role where you may not fit well? Is it uncomfortable? Do you struggle to make it through the day?
Talent – and how that talent is developed and productively applied in a person's role in an organization – is one of the most important aspects of effective leadership. Talent has incredible influence on performance outcomes that affect the organization's bottom line.
What Is Talent? And Do You Have It?
Talent is one of the most often used – as well as most often misunderstood – constructs in contemporary management literature. The Gallup Organization defines talent – in its two books First, Break All the Rules (Simon & Schuster, 1999) and Now, Discover Your Strengths (Simon & Schuster, 2001) – as "a recurring pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that can be productively applied to achieve consistent, near-perfect performance." Gallup developed this definition of talent based on completed interviews with 40,000 leaders, prospective leaders, and others who manage people across the globe and who have proven and measurable performance results. Our research over the past 30 years concludes that talent is both measurable and predictive.
Everyone has talent. You are born with talent. Neurological and cognitive research suggests that by the age of three, children develop patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that strongly shape how they approach and behave in their world. As a person's brain further develops, the body begins pruning those pathways that are less used and widens those that are more developed. As Dr. Harry Chugani, professor of pediatrics, neurology, and radiology at Wayne State University, notes, "Roads with the most traffic get widened. The ones that are rarely used fall into disrepair." Those widened pathways quickly become the templates of the thoughts, feelings, and patterns of our lives.
This is the essence of talent. And when a person becomes aware of his or her talents and begins to consciously develop those talents, they become strengths. And developing those strengths lead to better performance in all areas of life.
But how do you measure talent? Is it even measurable? Gallup research concludes that talent not only is measurable but also can be predictive of success in a role. Instead of attempting to define differences in performance by a set of competencies, Gallup research examined why and how great managers were intrinsically different from other managers – not how they did their job differently than their peers. Those managing through competencies alone follow pre-established steps that, if adhered to, will lead to success (e.g., best practices). Great managers, on the other hand, define their desired outcome and depend solely on their talent and the talents of others whom they manage to achieve that outcome.
Score Yourself
Our research uncovered that great leaders and managers possess and hone certain traits that others do not. On a scale from one to five, with five being "strongly agree," how would you respond to these dimensions?
I have above average self-awareness about my talents;
I constantly and consistently develop and sharpen my talents into strengths;
I actively encourage and help others discover their talents so as to position them for success;
I have developed systems to manage my weaknesses so I can spend more time on areas that allow my strengths to shine.
The more than 40,000 managers Gallup interviewed who consistently had performed superbly seemed to innately "know" their talents and could cite specific instances in which they positioned themselves for success by using their talents. These managers were acutely aware that their ability to excel in particular skills was a direct result of their talents.
Talent as a Causative Agent
Here's how talent leads to an outcome. The CEO of one of the fastest-growing pizza franchises in history explained in fascinating detail how he could determine special formulas that made his product unique: He could read his financial and operational reports in seconds and determine where the best opportunities existed and which problems could derail the expansion. Once he identified his talent, he could exploit that talent to reach his – and his board's – desired outcomes. In all cases, individual talents accounted greatly in why these leaders achieved higher levels of successful outcomes in almost every part of their lives.
Gallup's research suggests that talent – and a person's ability to take advantage of that talent – is much more predictive of future success than any other factor, including skills and knowledge. Leaders must understand that talent can be defined, refined, and developed to create actions that lead to world-class performance. Self-awareness of one's talent must be part of a leader's overall performance reviews.
Gallup's research also concludes that the more closely a person's natural abilities align with the demand of a particular role, the higher that person's likelihood of measurable success in that role will be. More simply put, how your talents synchronize with the demands of the role within the organization you lead drives more meaningful and measurable performance.
Based on the recent performance of associations in general, a case could me made that many of the people leading associations are not the right fit for their roles, if that assumption were made based solely on measures such as membership retention and revenues. And until a better fit can be found, these associations will not achieve performance that will allow the organizations to survive, let alone thrive, in the future.
Your Individual Fit
Gallup estimated there are more than 10 million managers in the American workforce today, but only about 10 percent of those managers are actually the right fit for their role.
In our research, we examined leader and manager performance at the workgroup level, measuring the effect the individual manager had on his or her direct reports and how well the managers performed based on a number of stringent and measurable individual performance metrics. Measuring at the lowest level possible is essential, because it singles out the best and worst individual performance rather than aggregating results into overall averages that can hide or distort the best and worst performance. In addition, we tracked manager performance over time, comparing that performance with how closely those managers scored their "fit to role" or how they scored against a set selection criteria. Each manager completed a selection interview as part of an effort to validate the most predictive questions in selecting the best fits to the demands of the role.
Those managers who consistently and quantifiably outperformed their peers took a markedly talent-driven approach to four basic managerial activities, as illustrated in the table below:
|Basic Manager Activity
|Conventional Manager
|High-Performing Manager
|Selecting Staff
|Select staff for skills and past experience, not on talent
|Select staff for talent first, then skills and knowledge
|Setting expectations
|Define the right steps
|Define the right outcomes
|Help each staff person to overcome weakness
|Focus staff on talents while managing weaknesses
|Help each person learn and get promoted
|Help people discover where they fit best to make an impact on the organization
allup tested hundreds of questions with the highest-performing managers to uncover which items best correlated to past performance and predicted future performance. Based on the general roles a leader must play in every organization, Gallup statistically validated a series of questions that were predictive of success. We discovered that the questions with the most predictive validity could be categorized into seven demands of leadership (narrowed to focus for association/not-for-profit leadership):
Visioning. Excels in reworking the future of an association; ability to paint a picture that is different than the past; constantly reminding members of why they are a part of this association and the difference membership is making; helping a broad constituency feel a part of something larger than themselves; creating a brand that has implications for their business at a local level.
Mentoring. Creates good networking opportunities for association members to find others in like positions; facilitates and encourages meetings that give members the opportunity to connect with and be coached by people outside their own organization; has better career understanding in the field of associations.
Constituency building. Effectively builds their associations through recruiting of staff and members; keen awareness of details of membership (helps to keep it strong and growing); fully understands their role in lobbying and what their association intends to contribute to various areas of influence.
Maximizing values. Consistently emphasizes the purpose and reason for the association; makes clear the emotional connection for why people are members; clearly articulates the mission and reason for the association being in business and important to the membership.
Challenging experience. Driven by challenges such as any type of turnaround, whether it be growth, financial, or reinvention; highly attracted to the opportunity of leading an organization out of trouble or making it larger so that it could survive, flourish, and live out its mission.
Making sense of experience. Takes previous learning and builds on it; looks at one situation and realizes application to another; expert in utilizing their talents, skills, and backgrounds in various scenarios; looks for opportunity to build experience for self and others in the organizational structure.
Awareness of self. Keen awareness of their individual talents, skills, and knowledge; constantly refines and develops strengths with each experience; shares talent and strengths mindset with others to help in development; makes judgments based on best fit and most probable successful outcomes; secure in taking risks.
The key to measuring performance is defining what "world-class" performance is. The aforementioned provides a context to not only assess but also effectively manage the demands of leadership. It also serves as a road map toward increased self-awareness.
Developing Talent: Maximizing What You Have
The first step in better self-awareness is creating a language around talent. Gallup developed a catalog of the 34 most prominent and apparent talents found in the most effective leaders. We calculate that there are more than 33 million different combinations of unique talents in the world today. Each person's individual talents are certainly unique – both the rank order of the 34 talents and the intensity of each talent – and how these talents blend is even more unique. This means that when people share the same talent themes, it is very likely those themes have different strengths that manifest themselves differently.
What if two people have exactly the same top-five themes? If one of those individuals is an excellent salesperson, doesn't that mean that the second individual also would be an excellent salesperson for that same company? The answer, surprisingly, is not necessarily. Predictive success in a job doesn't depend on a person's top themes. Great variation exists in the specific talents. A person's success is about the theme combinations and their dynamics as well as the level of exposure to real-life "practice." Strengths and themes are only a starting point.
Learning from Your Peers
For this article, The Gallup Organization (with the assistance of the Center for Association Leadership) selected 12 association leaders to complete a leadership assessment. Gallup set forth the following strict criteria when selecting the leaders to participate in this study:
The leader must have measurable results that could be compared and analyzed. These measures ranged from revenue growth, membership retention, and association growth.
The leader must have measurable results within his or her organization that exceed the performance of associations in general.
The leaders had to be recognized by peers as exemplifying world-class performance.
After narrowing the field to 12 top-performing leaders, each leader was asked to complete a Gallup StrengthsFinder assessment. Each leader received a report that rank ordered the talents from one to 34, with one being the most prevalent talent and 34 being the least prevalent. In situations where two talents had the same prevalence, the talents appeared in alphabetical order.
Each leader was then asked to complete a 90-minute telephone interview containing the questions that had predictive and concurrent validity in assessing and linking to the demands of leadership.
This research aimed to two objectives: to educate these leaders about their talents and how they can develop those talents to improved performance, and to measure how closely leaders compared to the 40,000 leaders and prospective leaders on achieving and exceeding the demands of leadership.
Findings From Association CEOs
Improved self-awareness could propel performance. The leaders we interviewed did not always have a clear perspective or could not clearly describe how they worked within the various demands of leadership.
No one leader was the same. The talent dimensions looked very different in each person we spoke to, despite that all participants had the same basic roles and responsibilities. This reinforces the notion that leaders with the same talents will perform very differently – mostly because each leader demonstrates his or talents in different ways.
The will to "make a difference every day" drives leaders.
Each leader valued the opportunity to make a difference every day as a key aspect of his or her role. This desire seems to be central to many leaders in the association world. journal of association leadership
Mistakes facilitate learning. Each leader mentioned the value of learning from mistakes and recognizing that he or she does not have all the answers.
A passive approach to developing leaders inside the
organization. The focus on member needs versus staff development needs was a constant theme. This balance needs to change so that staff can begin to maximize their talents and be better positioned to serve members.
What Every Board Needs to Know About Finding and Developing Leaders
Selecting leaders for a particular role is one of the most important responsibilities of boards and executives – and a candidate may have the talent to perform in a role but may not be the "best" fit for the role. In order to increase the likelihood of success in hiring association leaders, talent has to be measured, assessed, and certainly considered as a critical factor. Here are some things to remember.
- There is no cookie-cutter approach to hiring great leaders or great managers – talent comes in many different packages. But talent must be accounted for in the hiring process.
- Be very clear about expectations and outcomes for all roles. Role is not just about tasks; it's about the demands of leadership. Job descriptions and anecdotal experiences often miss the true roles and responsibilities, thereby hampering the interviewing process.
- The right fit comes when the individual's talents, skills, and knowledge meet the demands of the role now and in the future. Begin focusing on the talent of your people and uncover how self-aware leaders are about the role of their talents in your organization.
- Make developing individual talents within the organization a priority. Help your association create opportunities for employees to become more self-aware of their talents, and allow them to explore options that would increase their likelihood of "fit" in a role.
- When a fit looks strained, intervene quickly. If it can be remedied, do so quickly. If not, begin searching for the talent that is a closer fit.
Creating a Strengths-Based Organization
Two of the most important roles any leader has in an organization are selecting people who will positively contribute to the growth of the organization and developing the talent, skills, and knowledge of each and every staff person in the organization. Selecting talent for a role is a very different activity from developing talent, skills, and knowledge in a role. The first step as a leader is to assess your current talent base, determine where the gaps exist, and then reposition your talent to increase performance. In cases where the gap is too wide, you may need to seek another solution.
One of the best predictors of future success of any organization is whether the leadership of the organization, management, and front-line staff all possess the right talent-to-role fit, demonstrating consistent, world-class performance. How they position talent within their organization is a clear indicator of possible success.
The key to becoming a talent-based organization rests on perfecting how you develop that talent to grow in the future. In a very real way, talent is a part of both the selection and development processes. Under-standing a person's talents guides employers in making better hiring decisions and helps them bring exceptional performers into the organization. Understanding how to develop those talents into strengths also can help employees refine the way they do their jobs and considerably enhance their performance.
An organization that selects and develops people on the basis of their individual talents is likely to gain a competitive advantage through a stronger talent base and better use of human assets. Associations are more likely to be able to develop a cohesive team of productive, engaged members that will lead to better business outcomes.
Being a right fit in your role requires deeper self-awareness of your talents and strengths. By developing your talents – and the talent of others – around the roles you need to perform, those recurring pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors will lead to higher productivity and achievement of consistent, near-perfect performance.
Vandana Allman is strengths practice leader for The Gallup Organization. She can be reached at 202-715-3100.
Rate this item:
Please Sign in to rate this.
More Articles From Winter 2004 Issue
Living Strategy: Guiding Your Association through the Rugged Landscape Ahead
Customers' Customer Analysis and Demand-Driven Association Strategies
Relating CEO Talent to Performance
Envisioning Dramatic Change Without Limitations
Top ^
Subscribe to updates
To JOURNAL OF ASSOCIATION LEADERSHIP
To ASAE & The Center home
|About Us
Volunteer Groups
ASAE U Online
|Associations Now
Models & Samples
|Find a Job
Post a Job
Board of Directors
Standards of Conduct
|Get Started
Get Connected
Get Involved
Buyers' Guide
Endorsed Business Solutions
American Society of Association Executives™ (ASAE), 1575 I St. NW, Washington, DC 20005
|Social Media | Advertise | ASAE Foundation | Site Map | Contact Us | Privacy Notice


text:
Creating miracle mushroom spore syringes can be quite a immense amount of exciting. Spore syringes may be used to inject cubensis spores on a slip with regard to looking at, or regarding augmenting upon specific nations around the world where doing so will be legal. The most important thing you need to keep worrying about is being very careful not to contaminate your spore syringe. The spore syringe by itself consists of two significant items: spores and also h2o… easy correct? nicely, it's possible.
To obtain sterile h2o first thing to do will be masse any mason container (i love to utilize pint jars since they are simpler to pull h2o coming from later) along with tap or even distilled drinking water (preferable). Then stress cook the water at 12-15 PSI within a pressure oven (see canning) regarding 15 minutes. And then allow them fully cool and place the covered cisterns filled up with clean and sterile drinking water aside. The next phase is to obtain clean and sterile mushroom spores. This is easier said than done. If your accumulating all of them through the wild an individual gather the mushroom ahead of the limit opens and apply it with hydrogen peroxide. Make an effort to harvest the actual mushroom prior to the actual veil arrives. After that provide the mushroom twenty four hours in a plastic material tub easily wiped together with alcohol and after that as soon as the veil fractures reduce the actual mushroom 'cap' down as near to the cover as you possibly can. You can put limit with gills facing downwards on to a piece of foil with regard to 24-48 several hours by having an upside cup along with it (to prevent drying). I like to spray the interior in the a glass together with clean h2o just before putting this the limit. Following the forty eight hrs roughly you'll have mushroom spores around the evade.
Right now take the foil as well as the mason vessel and go in top of your HEPA flow hood or even make use of a clean glovebox!
Discard the particular mushroom cap and also clean the gathered spores to the francmason jar and provide an excellent tremble. Now suck up the actual psilocybe cubensis spore smooth into the shroom syringe! Cover it and you surely have a totally prepared to go spore syringe! Remember that you do not want to let the spore drinking water sit inside the mason vessel too long. Suck in 30 syringes or so well worth associated with spore drinking water as early as you make it.
This specific prevents the potential of contaminants through returning as well as up for brand spanking new spore syringes everytime probably presenting contaminants.
We hope we now have given you other great ideas and information regarding cubensis spores. If you're another fan concerning this area of interest, you can visit our web page for more info about cubensis spores right here ~ www.cubensis-spores.com/cubensis-spores.html


text:
Restaurants in Austria
Whether it's a classic culinary temple or a local haunt, these Austria restaurants are destinations in and of themselves. Read on to discover Travel + Leisure's picks for the best Austria restaurants and dining experiences. Browse our travel guides for insider information on food trucks, bakeries, cafés, coffeehouses, farm-to-table restaurants, diners, trattorias, bistros, pizzerias, ice cream parlors, tapas bars, noodle houses, sushi counters, fine dining establishments, and more.
Our global network of editors and writers selects the best restaurants in Austria to help travelers soak up the local scene and find authentic dishes. Whether highlighting an insider hot spot, a celebrity chef's newest restaurant, a hip coffeehouse, or the best place for cheap eats, Travel + Leisure takes you there, serving up the best Austria restaurant listings. Below find T+L's top picks for where to eat in Austria.
Café CentralThough it's welcomed plenty of tourists over its 137 years—not to mention habitués like Freud, Lenin, and Trotsky—the utterly grand café inside the... More
Café LandtmannThe fashionable cafe has a glass-enclosed winter garden designed by the cutting-edge Austrian firm Wehdorn Architects, that poses a striking contra... More
Café MuseumCafé Museum, designed in 1899 by pioneering architect Adolf Loos, was closed for nearly a year until new management reopened the old haunt of Egon ... More
Café PrückelA spot to linger over Viennese coffee and pastry or lunch. More
Café RitterCafé Ritter, which opened in 1867, declared bankruptcy in 2009 and an H&M clothing store was set to occupy its quarters, in a former aristocratic p... More
Café TomaselliPRICE RANGE:
Do & Co AlbertinaPRICE RANGE:This Stephansplatz eatery offers sushi alongside killer views of St. Stephen's cathedral. More
Explore restaurants in Austria for more options.


text:
Forgot Password? | Not a User? Sign up
Your browser does not support iframes.
Mt. Zion
Mt. Zion Cemetery donations may be sent to Christine Hill, 4067 Mt. Zion Rd., Willisburg KY 40078
Idle Hour Park
The shelters at Idle Hour Park will not be available during June 27-July 19, due to the Little League state tournament.
Relay for Life Fundraiser
Sometimes your journey forward leads you back home.
At least that's the case with Joseph Barber, a non-traditional (adult) student at Elizabethtown Community and Technical College's Springfield campus.
Thirty-eight-year-old Joey Livers of Lebanon was shot and killed by Kentucky State Police on Friday, according to a report released by KSP.
Troopers responded to the 8000 block of St. Joe Road just after 9:30 a.m. in response to a call in reference to a suicidal subject.
A recent incident that damaged electrical sources equipment throughout the Springfield Opera House was discussed at last week's city council meeting.
City Administrator Laurie Smith spoke to the council about the power surge that occurred on April 16 and said the city's insurance provider through the Kentucky League of Cities (KLC) has been informed of the incident.
Bob Purdom said his family isn't a special case.
Sure, several members of the Purdom family have taken up life in the military and served this great nation with pride.
Sure, their roots track back to the Korean War, World War I and II and even the Civil War.
And sure, the stories of battles, hardships and perseverance have been passed down through the generations, but he said that's just something his family has in common with millions of other Americans.
The unofficial results of the 2014 primary election in Washington County were released on Tuesday night, with the race for county clerk drawing the most attention as the votes rolled in.
In the end, Glenn Black retained his seat with a 1,157-895 tally over Billy Abell. Abell kept the race close with a 209-88 advantage at the armory, but Black was able to pull out the victory behind a 169-82 difference at the courthouse polling place and taking 109 votes to Abell's 29 in Mackville.
Nelson County
The Washington County Commanderettes faced off against the Nelson County Lady Cardinals in their 19th District Tournament semifinal matchup last Monday night, falling by a score of 19-9.
The Commanderettes would have secured a berth in the championship game and the 5th Region Tournament with a win, something they haven't accomplished since 2011.
Are numerous leaves dropping from your maple trees?
The culprit this time of year is probably the maple petiole borer.
There are several other reasons why leaves will fall from maples like squirrels, drought, and heavy aphid or scale infestations, however the characteristics of the maple petiole borer is obvious.
When petiole borers attack a leaf it looks generally healthy when it detaches from the tree.
Livestock Losses:
We had a really bad winter on livestock and lost a lot of cattle. The FSA office is taking applications for these weather-related losses.
People are beginning to hear about this opportunity, and I thought it would be good to have a little bit about the programs in this column.
Livestock disaster program enrollment opened on April 15, 2014.
These disaster programs are authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill as permanent programs and provide retroactive authority to cover losses that occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011.
Copyright © 2014
The Springfield Sun is your source for local news, sports, events and information in Springfield, KY, and the surrounding area.


text:
Friday, Jul 16th, 2010
Get your "want" lists ready! This year at San Diego
Comic-Con, IDW is offering a slew of exclusives, like True Blood #1 David Messina wrap around
cover, the Rocketeer Artists Edition, a Bloom County t-shirt and
Get the full list after the jump!
True Blood #1 Exclusive Foil Wrap Around Cover by David Messina,
$5, Limited to 1,000
The much-anticipated True Bloodcomic series, based on Alan Ball's hit HBO show, kicks off at San Diego Comic Con with not one, but two exclusive covers! This exclusive foil wrap cover features all the major characters from the series, by fan-favorite artist David Messina.
Offering back-story details on the most fan-favorite characters, True Blood #1 begins when blood and sex mix on a hot rainy night at Merlotte's. People die and dirty secrets are revealed as Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Tara, Jason, and Lafayette and are all coerced to dig deep and tell painful memories from their past-those things we all have locked within us that we never tell another living soul! Bon Temps, Louisiana has never been stranger, or more twisted, in a story co-plotted by TRUE BLOOD series creator Alan Ball, with a script by David Tischman (Bite Club) and Mariah Huehner, and lush art by David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown).
First Issue special: an exclusive pullout gatefold poster by David Messina!
Alan Ball, David Tischman & Mariah Huehner (w) • David Messina (a) • J. Scott Campbell, Joe Corroney, Andrew Currie, David Messina (c)
Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition
$100, Limited to 300
Called "enormously awesome" by Ain't It Cool News' Harry Knowles, the Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Editionis a mammoth 12" x 17" hardcover book printed in glorious black and white, reprinting every page of Stevens' famous strip at the same size as the original art.
Harry's adds: "Here you have every page of ROCKETEER originals in a perfect & magnificent presentation." Nearly every page in The Rocketeer has been scanned from Stevens' original art to ensure the best possible reproduction and highest degree of accuracy. Printed on uncoated stock and at the same size as the original art, Dave Stevens' The Rocketeer: Artist's Edition is the next best thing to holding the actual art by Dave Stevens.
Dave Stevens (w &a)
The Complete Bloom County Library Volume One, Remarqued
$100, Limited to 100
This is a very limited edition of Berkeley Breathed's Bloom County and is available only through IDW Publishing. Each copy has an exclusive sketch and signature plate, feature one of four characters from Bloom County and signed by Breathed.
Berkeley Breathed (w &a)
Doctor Who #13 Exclusive Photo Cover
$5, Limited to 300
IDW's final Tenth Doctor story starts now! This SDCC exclusive photo cover features one of the last images of the former Doctor, and kicks off "Final Sacrifice!" On a war-ravaged alien world, the Doctor and Emily fight to save Matthew from the Advocate, while avoiding a planetwide civil war and a space-and-time misplaced Edwardian Torchwood, still hunting the Doctor since The Time Machination! Everything leads to this point-but who will die?
Tony Lee (w) Matthew Dow Smith (a) Paul Grist, Smith (c)
Signed Locke & Key Ghost Keys
$25, Limited to 100
From the pages of the smash-hit series Locke & Key, now you can unlock your imagination with this one-of-a-kind 3" pewter Ghost Key! Signed by award-winning writer Joe Hill, this Comic-Con exclusive strictly limited to under 200 pieces, each with its own velvet drawstring pouch.
Joe Hill (w)!
Complete Zombies vs Robots HC
$30, Limited to 500
The complete array of Wood/Ryall tales featuring zombies, robots, and amazons... as well as ineffectual human scientists, a lone infant survivor, a barbaric zombie minotaur, and even... a giant squid? Plus, an art gallery of covers and other pin-ups, now available in a special hardcover edition only at Comic-Con!
Chris Ryall (w) Ashley Wood (a & c)
Bloom County T-Shirt
$25, Limited to 150
One of a kind t-shirt by the one and only Berkeley Breathed! Created specially for San Diego Comic Con to celebrate his Special Guest appearance, this instant-classic shirt will be available only at the IDW booth.
Berkeley Breathed (a)
Dread Island
$15, Limited to 500
Leading off IDW's Classics Mutilated line of mash-up fiction is DREAD ISLAND, a new "Monster Lit" novella by fan-favorite Joe R. Lansdale. Get your convention exclusive edition signed by Lansdale at the IDW booth #2643!
Joe R. Lansdale (w) Menton Matthews III (c)
Tiger Tea mugs
$15, Limited to 100
Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Krazy & Ignatz! These limited edition tea mugs commemorate the beloved "Tiger Tea" storyline from George Herriman's famous strip. Available only at IDW's booth #2643. Plus, stop by for a Tiger Tea party on Friday after the Krazy & Ignatz panel!
Eternal Descent #3 Exclusive Foil Cover
$5, Limited to 100
Heavy metal meets horror in this original series by musical protégé Llexi Leon. Only at Comic-Con, get an exclusive foil cover edition and meet Leon in the flesh. Eternal Descent features fantastic creatures, awesome music and cameos by leading heavy metal bands!
IDW will also be hosting a raffle for a custom Eternal Descent guitar, featuring art from the series! Get three free raffle tickets with the purchase of the convention exclusive.
Llexi Leon (w), Jason Metcalf (a) Metcalf, Santi Casas (c)
Wire Hangers #3 Exclusive Art Cover
$5, Limited to 100
One Hard-rockin' musician, Alan Robert (of the metal-crossover band, Life of Agony), gets down and dirty in issue #3 of his Wire Hangers miniseries! Evidence is piling up against Cypra, and the NYPD are close to locking up the Suicide King Killer for good. But, do they have the wrong man in their sights?
IDW will also be hosting a raffle for a custom Wire Hangers Rock Band guitar, featuring art from the series! Get three free raffle tickets with the purchase of the convention exclusive.
Alan Robert (w&a)


text:
Bernice Seamster McCraw
- Last Updated on 03:22 PM 03/08/12
Mrs. Bernice Seamster McCraw of 1100 Sam's Trail, Nathalie died Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at Henrico Doctor's Hospital in Richmond. She was born in Halifax County on April 26, 1939 and was 72 years of age. She was the daughter of the late Robert Alfred Seamster and Margaret Wade Seamster and is survived by her husband, Bernard Lacy McCraw. Mrs. McCraw was a member of First Baptist Church of Millstone.
In addition to her husband, survivors include one daughter, Rita H. Compton and fiance' John R. Merritt of Halifax; three sons, J. Michael Heath and wife Rita of Trinity, N.C., David Lee "Beanie" Heath of Halifax and Sam A. McCraw and wife Brenda of Nathalie; two sisters, Faye S. Kean of Nathalie and Joyce S. Cheek and husband Richard of Mount Laurel; eight grandchildren, January Heath of Los Angeles, Calif, Erica Salas of Dallas, Texas, Lauren C. Comer of Vernon Hill, Leigh E. Compton of Halifax, Ellen H. Fulp of Sophia, N.C., Emily Nicole Heath of Greensboro, N.C., Rachel Anne Heath of Trinity, N.C. and Brittany Coursey of Lynchburg; and one great-grandchild, Savannah Grace Compton of Timberlake, N.C.
One brother, Jerry Allen Seamster, also preceded Mrs. McCraw in death.
Funeral services will be held at First Baptist Church of Millstone on Saturday, March 10, 2012, at 2 p.m. with the Revs. Lloyd Moore and Rob Blake officiating. Burial will follow in Liberty United Church of Christ cemetery.
The family will receive friends at Powell Funeral Home on Friday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. and other times at her home.
For memorials consider the American Foundation for Donation and Transplantation, Virginia Transplant Center-Kidney, 1602 Skipwith Road, Richmond, VA 23229.
Online condolences may be directed to www.powellfunerals.com
Arrangements are by Powell Funeral Home, South Boston.


text:
The American Automotive Association pumped out Holiday Magazine to encourage Americans to set out on the country's new interstates in their fancy new cars. After the war, Curtis Publishing took over and continued to do the same. It's kind of like a Michelin Guide for the US of A without restaurant rankings and with more articles by Ernest Hemingway. (We picked up the Wisconsin issue, above, in Maine, as well as North Carolina, below. Both are amazing).
Friday, July 30, 2010
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Maine Acquisitions Pt. 1 | Bear + PO Boxes
There amongst all the books and old prints at Goose River Exchange hung this wonderful little guy. We made an offer - and now he's ours! We'll call him Camden. A very nice name for a bear. We're still tryting to find the perfect home for him and this amazing section of old post office boxes (they're about 4.5 feet tall) that we picked up from the Rockport Antiques Mall. Installation photos pending!
Monday, July 26, 2010
Scenes from Megunticook Lake and Camden and other Maine-ish Bits
And...we're back - completely blessed to have missed the inferno that was last week. We wore sweaters in the mornings, swam in the warm lake in the afternoons, ate at least five lobsters each (mostly rolls, but one, as you can see below, in full semi-soft shelled/full bodied glory) and even went sailing on a big wooden scooner. (Above is the Welcome to Camden/Rockport Arch that also welcomed everyone to Peyton Place).
Camden Harbor at dusk
Porter, making a great leap, seemingly without arms. I, unfortunately, did something similar -- but with my glasses on my face. I only realized that mistake 15 minutes later after emerging form the water and blindly crawling all over the dock in pointless search. Then I cried. Then my uncle borrowed a snorkeling mask from the neighbors and miraculously plucked them from the bottom of Megunticook Lake on his first attempt.
Commodore Al Osgood, father to my uncle Al Osgood!
Porter runs the ridge along the blueberry fields.
Vintage books in the back room of the wonderful Goose River Exchange in Camden. We made a very, very special purchase here! (It will be unveiled in the next post).
We stocked up on bacon so deeply smoked that it doesn't require refridgeration...and lots of rhubarb strawberry jam at Beth's Farm Market.
Porter chases cousin Hudson on the dock. He flees.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Scenes from Megunticook Lake | The View from the Back of the House
We're up in Maine for the week - doing as little as possible. There are itty bitty blueberries everywhere and the weather's been perfect. Tonight Porter and I are making chilled lettuce soup and skillet lemon souffle to go with our lobsters.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Tunes | Mumford and Sons
Reports from London say that these boys just significantly rocked T in the Park and Glastonbury.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Acquisition: '20s/'30s Wicker Folding Chair
On the unbearably sweaty walk home last night, I came across a guy selling a bunch of old DVDs -- and this incredible old picnic/beach wicker folding chair on East 14th Street. Praying for any number under $50, I asked how much he wanted for it. $5! I almost fell over. It's missing one of its straps, but otherwise is perfect!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Dream Floors
I actively fantasize over chicken wire tile. When I eventually own property (est. around 2035 at this rate), the kitchen and all bathroom floors will be covered in it (while the walls will be covered in subway tiles)...much like they are at the adorable Wall Street Burger Shoppe.
(The subway tiles are actually vintage - slightly yellowed with cracks).
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Saratoga Springs | James Reynolds Murals at the Gideon Putnam
I spent the past few days at a meeting up in Saratoga Springs. We didn't get much time for exploration and/or splashing in mineral water in vintage tubs - but we did have dinner next to the great Adirondack murals at the Gideon Putnam resort. Painted in 1939 by Irish artist James Reynolds, they're a complete precursor to Ludwig Bemelmans' 1953 book, Parsley (a book I never read, but an astute facebook friend pointed out).
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)