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soonermagic is moved in!!! LOTS of pics!
We've been in for about 3 weeks now and while most of our stuff is unpacked, we're still furniture shopping and tweaking, and we have no window treatments yet. So most of these pics are of empty spaces just before we moved in. Can say that we're loving the house thus far and it exceeds our highest expectations, so the pain of the too-long building process is already diminishing. For those that may not have followed our story, we tore down a house a couple of blocks from the Univ of Okla and built new, but to look as if it's a renovated 1940's era house. One of the very first tear downs here.
Here's the exterior:
Front Door (custom made of knotty alder with custom stain):
Here's the kitchen (custom, site-built cabinets):
A better shot of the island:
From kitchen back towards front door, main living space (those are walnut hardwoods):
Our Master Bath (steam shower & funky way-too-expensive bathtub):
Laundry room cubbies:
Landing (with custom bookshelves):
Future Kids Bathroom (delirium granite--green & purple--much more impressive in person):
Linen Closet Hutch (narrow room, so hard to get good angle):
Guest Bath (Red Dragon Granite):
Tiny backyard, fully landscaped (view from balcony off gameroom):
Detached Garage behind house:
What a lovely home! You should be so pleased. I love all the built ins... esp the landing.
Coach Stoops is a "native" of my area ....... still I can't root of the Sooners too much..... being a Buckeye and all!
Once again gorgeous home. Persistence has paid off!
Thanks for all the compliments. It is a very livable and comfortable home and suites us perfectly. We hope to be here for a very long time.
In response to the question about the bathtub, I've posted a link to their line of tubs. No jets, just soakers and ridiculously expensive. The only reason I ended up with it was because the builder built the shower a little to big for the tub I had speced and it was impossible to find a freestanding and modern-looking tub exactly 5 feet long. Did the builder "eat" the $3000 price difference between what was speced and this tub .... nope!
Here is a link that might be useful: WetStyle Cube Tubs
OMG. Are you willing to sell it? Wait--we don't want to move to Oklahoma. Seriously, I was in love with it starting with the front elevation. You done good!
My first house was a 1938 bungalow, bought in 1975. I loved it so much. But not the maintenance it would have eventually required.
We're doing one of the first teardowns in the area where we'll be building, too. Although we worked with an architect to design something that would look like it had been there from the beginning ('68 to '72), I'm still waiting for the neighbors to hate us from day one. Can't be a happy situation for us to disrupt their quiet neighborhood.
Pinktoes - Hopefully you'll be as surprised as we have been at how welcoming the neighbors are. They really appreciate that we tried to stay true in style to the neighborhood. Lots of folks even say, "I can't even remember what it looked like before you began remodeling." Ha! That's because we tore it down! Thanks for the compliments. Good luck on your build.
BEAUTIFUL! Everything looks so classic! I really love your stained door with the white trim. Many people have asked that question on Gardenweb (on Decorating too) Yours is a good example of how spectacular that looks. The stain is so rich!!!! Congratulations on your gorgeous new home!
Absolutely beautiful! I love all the custom touches. Lots of inspiration in your pictures for my upcoming project.
Quick question. Is that a Sharp microwave drawer in the kitchen? If so, have you used it yet and do you like it? Does it have convection or just the "warming drawer" feature?
Oh, these compliments feel so good!!!!
As for the questions:
Front Door Stain: It's a custom stain that our painter called "Boot Polish Brown," but he made it up. I gave him a picture of what I wanted and on three tries he had it perfect. It's the same stain as the island and all other stained built-ins throughout the house.
Microwave: Yes, that's the Sharp Micro Drawer. I don't really use a microwave for much ... warming my coffee every morning after it's lost its heat and my hubby uses it for his Hot Pockets. I honestly can't tell you if it has either convection or warming drawer features ... probably means I should get out the manual. I will say, I got the model where you have to push the button to open and close, not manual open and close. It takes a lot to get used to. I keep finding myself trying to shut it with a push instead of with the button. And I cringe everytime visitors pull the handle to open it. My advice is to get the maual open for sure.
I have never bothered to sign in to say "Great job." or "Really like what you have done." but I feel compelled to say the above and more! Your pictures are just utterly fabulous and every detail looks superb, jaw-droppingly wonderful. Wow. Oh and just as an aside, Go Buckeyes.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. Need I say more?
About the micro drawer, you're the second person I've heard suggest the manual door. I'm so glad to know this tidbit since this is what we are planning on (micro drawer).
Congratulations, your house is beautiful. Oh wait, I said that already. LOL
Absolutely gorgeous, sooner. I love your cabinetry, and especially the built-ins you've got on the landing (not to mention I'm very jealous of your laundry room!).
I grew up a bit to the north, and remember all the lovely old houses on tree-shaded streets. It brings up nice memories. By the way, is Skiatook still the antique capital it used to be?
oh my goodness! this is the house in my head! right now we're still on paper, but i'm telling you THIS IS MY HOUSE! so now that we've already established your impeccable taste, let's talk details (if you're willing to share): do you have a source for walnut floors, and which grade is that? i think i'm using something called common #2. what did you use on your exterior siding? we're looking into nichiha... what windows did you choose? questions, i have questions! please share the details of your lovely home. and above all enjoy it. you did a wonderful job, congratualtions!
Very nice!
Too weird... we have the same color wide plank flooring, same glass shower enclosure w/ handle and the same faucet you have on the island! You channel good taste very well... ;-)
Soonermagic...your build has been one of my favorites to watch. There was so much attention paid to the details that the whole house oozes charm & character. I definitely see why your new neighbors love you. :o)
The house is classic, comfortable, and elegant without being stuffy. You did an outstanding job!!! Can you tell I'm smitten?
I'm happy to supply whatever details ya'll ask for. So here goes:
Floors - combination of common #1 and common #2 walnut in random widths of 3, 4, 5 inch planks. No stain, just sanded and poly'ed.
Exterior Siding is Hardiplank smooth and Hardi shingle (I call it "drunken shingles" but that's certainly not its technical name). Paint is Benjamin Moore in Briarwood. The exterior white trim is real cedar (not hardi) painted to match the windows.
The windows are all Kolbe Kolbe. All downstairs windows and all windows facing the front of the house are wood on the inside and alum clad on the outside. The handful of other windows upstairs are vinyl. All windows except the kitchen window and the window above the master bath are double hung (love them). The kitchen window is a casement (adore this window) and the window above master bath is a fixed window. There are some questionable reviews on Kolbe on the windows forum, but I'm very pleased with them and they fit our budget.
Wow! It looks great! There are so many ideas that we want for our new house - built in bookcases with a window seat in between, steam shower, black/dark island with white cabinets - although we're still leaning towards our lower cabinets being black, wood floors - we're looking at brazillian walnut.
Absolutely gorgeous!! great job!
As hard as it is to congratulate a Sooner I guess this Cowboy will. :) It looks awesome. And I've been in a nice older house down by the university and yours fits right into what I remember about that home. You all did a wonderful job it's beautiful!
Oh my goodness, the wait has been well worth it. Your home is just beautiful, Sooner! There is not one thing that I feel should have been done differently! It is spectacular in every way. I love the feeling it evokes... reminds me of a house that Thomas Kinkaid (sp?) would paint... just oozes charm!
I especially like your kitchen. That is one beautiful, but subtle space. It doesn't shout "look at me" but demands to be looked upon, none the less. It's just stunning.
I too wondered if you would share your paint color selection in the main living area (where the front door is located). Love that shade on my monitor, and I'm choosing paint this weekend. :o)
Many happy years in your new, beautiful home. I imagine you will be pinching yourself for sometime to come, waking up in the magical home that you have created.
Thanks for all the positive comments on the house. We truly love it and it does feel like home ... hopefully home for a very long time and hopefully a home that we'll fill with kids (and soon!).
Some of you have asked about the main paint color (in the living and kitchen). It's Sherwin Williams' Pavillion Beige from the new Concepts in Color line. It is the perfect neutral (at least for us with the light in this house). We tried about 10 different neutrals and this was it. I didn't like it on the paint strip and didn't give it to the painter initially, but DH insisted on trying it. I'm glad we did. At first I thought it too dark (when all the white trim was covered up), but the white trim pops beautifully against it and once you fill the house with furniture it simply reads cozy (as many of you have commented!). The white, in case you're interested, is Sherwin Williams alabaster. Used it on all trim and the painted cabinets. As for the color of the stain, I have no idea what the formula is.
I second all the wonderful comments about your new home. What I really love is how the outside captures the charm of the neighborhood. I love your garage doors!! Congratulations on all your efforts.
soonermagic, these are the first pictures I've seen of your home, haven't been around much lately. Congratulations! For me it embodies the feeling of home perfectly. Not at all like what we just built, but it's the most comfortable and comforting home I've seen in a while. What a beautiful job you've done.
A much delayed post to this thread, but I'm hoping you might see it.... Would you mind sharing where you got the lights above your island and the matching chandelier. I was just looking at your pictures again and noticed them since I'm thinking of kitchen lighting now. I really like them because they have the clear glass (so I assume they give great light) but they are still beautiful.
Thanks so much!
Jaymie - I did not do matching light fixtures throughout the house. The island pendants and the dining chandlier are not matching fixtures, but do coordinate nicely. The island pendants are from westelm and are ridiculously affordable. They are my favorite low cost item in the whole house. I just checked westelm's website and it appears that they no longer sell those lights. The chandlier is by Hubbardton Forge, it's an oval fixture and I believe the glass was called rain. It's not seeded and it's not perfectly clear. The link below has opal glass, but that's not what we chose. I get a lot of compliments on the chandlier.
Here is a link that might be useful: Oval Chandlier
I love your house. Although we are not doing a tear down, we are building on an infill lot in a historical area. We have not had the plan drafted yet. We bought the lot this fall and hope to start building next summer. Your house has given me many ideas (and questions!)
1. How do you like having the hardwood floors in your master bath? When I showed my husband your pictures, he said he might like that. Our shower will be recessed off of the toilet area so we could tile just that area and use hardwood everywhere else. Like you, we are going to have a modern "spa-like" tub.
2. I noticed that your walls seem textured. Is that real plaster or is that a drywall treatment? A lot of the builders in our area are doing a knock down treatment on the walls, but I don't like it because it looks just like their ceilings. It's too uniform. I'm kinda interested in a textured wall, but I think I want smooth ceilings.
3. Does your detached garage have upstairs storage? I'm thinking about having permanent stairs to a loft area or else a stand up attic above the garage. I'm just a little concerned that it's going to make our detached garage look a little bigger than all of the others on our alley which will then result in a denial from the historical commission. Your garage looks nice. What are the dimensions of your garage? I'm thinking we will have to go long and narrow, probably 22 x 26 to fit properly on our 0.19 acre lot.
Thanks for sharing your pictures. I've only recently joined this forum, so forgive me if some of my questions have already been asked/ answered.
NCAmy - Answers to your questions:
1. I love the look of the hardwoods in the master bath. My DH and builder insisted on running the hardwoods into the bath and closet. Neither of them, though, have to clean the floors of course! I'm not concerned about splashing water ruining the floors; we're adults afterall! But, I am concerned about sanitizing the floors. In general, love taking Pinesol to a bathroom and always feel like the bathroom is fresh and clean with that Pinesol smell. Of course, that's not happeningin our master bath. For now, I'm just vacuuming with our wonderful canister vac a few times a week and mopping Method's Good for Wood on the floors every other weekend. Good for Wood makes them shiny, but I doubt it's doing much disinfecting. Another positive about having wood floors, is that the floor is never cold to the touch, as it would have been with a stone or tile floor of some type. As for your modern tub, pick it out *before* framing of the bathroom begins and make sure it will fit your space. My builder arbitrarily decided to give us a larger shower during framing, and the tub I originally picked out wouldn't fit. While I love the one we ended up with, it was absurdly expensive and the only modern tub that I could find that would fit our space.
2. Thanks for noticing the wall texture! We told our drywaller that we were trying to build a house to look as if it had been there since the 40's. He literally went to the library and researched wall texture used in the 40's. He added sand to mixture and did a medium texture hand trowel on walls and ceiling. I really love it. It is subtly unique. I agree with you that the knock down texture isn't correct for a period-inspired house. On about day 7 of applying the texture by hand, the drywaller commented to me that he has a knock down machine at home that could have completed the task in less than half the time. Oh well! That's not the look I was going for.
3. We do have attic storage above the garage. The city would not allow us to build an apartment above the garage, but we knew we needed storage. I don't have the garage dimensions on me, but its a tad bit wider than the standard two-car garage and about three feet longer than the standard two-car garage.
Good luck in your build!
I absolutely love your new home!! English cottage is one of my favorite styles. You certainly have been true to the design, right down to the carriage style garage doors!! Your interior choices are just as gorgeous.
Love the flagstone path, too. What's not to love about the exterior, interior, and garden? You certainly must have accomplished your dream. ;o)
Sniff - The sq footage is just over 2800. We have 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, a study, and a gameroom. The original floorplan had the gameroom as a fourth bedroom, but we removed the closet to make room for pool table. I don't have the floorplan with me at the office and don't recall the footprint. But, it is long and narrow.
Hi one more question, where did you get your foyer light. Love it. Thanks
Hi there!
Most of the light fixtures, including the foyer, came from http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/.
The shakes and the siding are all Hardi; the trim is all real cedar. We painted the Hardi and the garage door BM Briarwood. I don't recall the mfg of the garage door, but there are a number of companies that carry this type of "carriage style" garage door.
Oh my goodness I am so happy I clicked on gardenweb tonight or I would have missed this g-orgeous home. We are getting ready to build in Norman too! You will have to tell me who you used as some of your contractors!!! We are still designing the floorplan but would appreciate any and all advice. Our land is actually off Indian Hills/Broadway, way north on 26 acres.
Anyway, TMI----Love Love Love your house!
Jenifer - Our builder was Brent Swift. If you don't have a builder yet, check him out. Email me at tspullin at hotmail and I'll share with you our list of subs, but I wholeheartedly recommend Brent. I love Norman this time of year don't you ... the Redbud trees just about to pop and burst with color.
Terry - That statute is of the Seedsower ... specific to OU ... the fullsize Seedsower stands at one of the main entrances to the university and the Seedsower appears on the University crest. Something about sowing the seeds of knowledge ... not apples.
happykate - It was a dreadfully long process, exaberated by the fact that we lived in a hotel for the first six months and housesat for folks we really didn't know very well for the second six months. We began discussions with the builder in August 2006, the original house was torn down in September 2006, we signed the contract with the builder in October 2006. We moved in at the end of October 2007.
Our house will be feature in the local home & garden magazine next month. I'll post pics when the mag hits the stands.
Hi Soonermagic - we are working on a bathroom remodel and are running into the same issue that you had with your tub -- i.e. the only modern tub that we can find to fit our space is the Wet Cube. We like the WET, but it is very pricey. Now that you have made your purchase and lived with the WET would you buy it again? Is it worth it? Is it comfortable? Do you actually use it? Our alternative is to make a much larger steam shower and not have a tub if we decide not to go with the WET. You are the first person who we have found who actually bought the WET, so we would really appreciate your thoughts on this. Thanks much - L


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Why do good things 'cut the mustard'? The word mustard has been used to mean something excellent or superlative for almost a hundred years—the phrase 'keen as mustard' draws on the same idea of added piquancy and zest. 'Hot stuff', in other words. In America, to say something was 'the proper mustard' in the early […]
Word of the Day: frondeur - a political rebel... oxford.ly/1F1dyPH
ICYMI: Word of the Day: muliebrity - womanly qualities; womanliness oxford.ly/1xkkYxr
#QOTW: "Is it possible to succeed without any act of betrayal?" - Jean Renoir
Is it 'the police has' or 'the police have'? Learn about collective nouns in British and American English: bit.ly/pzBe3p
Word of the Day: muliebrity - womanly qualities; womanliness... oxford.ly/1xkkYxr


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Bill O'Reilly has spun his "no spin" outlook into an empire that includes the top-rated "O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Channel, a daily radio talk show, and a series of best-selling books.
His latest, "Kids Are Americans, Too," debuted at No. 8 on The New York Times best-seller list.
The conservative commentator spoke about the book, and some affairs of the day, with The Early Show co-anchor Hannah Storm Wednesday.
O'Reilly's first book for kids, "The O'Reilly Factor for Kids," was the bestselling non-fiction title for kids in 2005.
This one is a blunt look at what he says are the challenges kids face as they examine their rights as young Americans. It covers issues from religion in the classroom and dress codes at school to freedom of speech and kids' right to privacy.
O'Reilly says he hopes the book helps to empower kids across America.
He says "good kids" are being scorned these days in school, and they need to know their rights as compared to those of other kids, and adults, in the classroom, and elsewhere.
O'Reilly also urges kids and parents to discuss issues before they grow into major disagreements. That, he says, is why he wrote this book: to help further dialogue, once kids become aware of their rights.
And he says it's meant for parents' and grandparents' eyes, as well.
"I am so angry about how children are being treated in America today," O'Reilly told Storm. "Here's the latest. If you're a kid from a religious, conservative, traditional home, you go to school, you're called a geek, a moron, a nerd. The pendulum shifts. It used to be the stoners were mocked. Now, it's the straight kids are mocked. It's just a matter of our society.
"The cool kids now are the kids who are 'bad.' We see it every day, we report it every day. But kids, no matter who it is, shouldn't have to take that stuff. If you go to school, and you're 14 or 15 years old, and somebody's calling you a nerd because you go to church, that's wrong.
"So, I wrote this book for parents to put in the hand of their child and say, 'Look, you're an American. You have rights. Somebody can't browbeat you, just like somebody can't lay hands on you. Know what your rights are, and what they aren't, because they're different from the rights of Hannah Storm and Bill O'Reilly. That's what's in the book. That's what we all should be teaching our children."
O'Reilly also had some choice comments about Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg in his discussion with Storm.
To read an excerpt of "Kids Are Americans, Too," click here.
By CBSNewsCBSNovember 7, 2007, 7:32 AM
Bill O'Reilly: Kids Have Rights, Too
Copyright 2007 CBS. All rights reserved.


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Adult day services
Assisted living – Group home
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LivingWell@Home (Home & community)
Meals On Wheels
Outpatient therapy
Parish nursing
Personal emergency response
Respite care
Scheduled transportation (Home & community)
Home is a place where you should feel respected, valued, satisfied and free to be yourself. We are honored that more than 27,000 people of all beliefs and faiths call us home.
Over the past 90 years, we've become the nation's largest not-for-profit provider of senior care and services, with more than 240 centers across the United States.
Spring has sprung, but so have seasonal allergies
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A courting ritual of snowy egrets captured at Circle b bar reserve,Lakeland,Florida,USA.
Canon 7d and canon 100-400 mm lens at 400mm f 10.0 1/800s iso 320
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589 views 30 favorites 25 features as of 06/13/2013
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Great capture!!
Thanks,Irina :)
– jozi1
The word that came to mind when I viewed this unique photograph, was 'fluid', absolutely beautiful, a difficult exposure superbly handled, well done Tony!!
Thanks so much my friend for the wonderful comments,these egrets put on quite a show :)
– jozi1
And why not show off when your this gorgeous!
Thanks so much ,Laura for the kind words and feature :)
– jozi1
My pleasure,Francis :)
– jozi1
Thanks very much,Francis for the feature :)
– jozi1
Thanks,Gail :)
– jozi1
absolutely magnificent capture
Thanks much,Kathy :)
– jozi1
Such beautiful plumage! Congrats on your two features in All Around Florida.
Thanks very much Aunt Dot :)
– jozi1
Oh My Gosh……this is outstanding!!! and a definate must fave for me…
Thanks very much,trueblvr :)
– jozi1
2012/04/04 1 Image per 24hrs
Brilliant capture Tony!
Thanks very much,Maggie :)
– jozi1


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2015 Summer Staff Openings at Northern Tier
Top 5 merit badges for a spring break staycation
For Scouts and Venturers, spring break often means a supertrip — a weeklong outing that wouldn't be possible over a weekend.
But what about those Scouts staying home? They can still find time for Scouting, if they choose, by completing some spring break-friendly merit badge requirements.
Here are five merit badges for making the most out of a spring break staycation.
Each one has requirements Scouts could earn during their school-free week, and all are waymore fun than doing homework.
Know of some I missed? Let me know in the comments.
5. Salesmanship
Spring break trips — to the beach or to the slopes — can be pricy. But rather than destroying the piggy bank for a week of frivolity, an enterprising Scout might try to fill his coffers instead.
If he earns Salesmanship merit badge, he'll learn the self-confidence, motivation, friendliness and persistence needed to pull in some cold, hard cash.
For example, check out requirement 5B: "Sell your services such as lawn raking or mowing, pet watching, dog walking, snow shoveling and car washing to your neighbors. Follow up after the service has been completed and determine the customer's satisfaction."
Who knows? He may be able to fund next year's spring break trip this year.
4. Astronomy
This one's tailor made for the night owls.
Working on Astronomy merit badge during spring break means Scouts can stay up stargazing as long as they want — without suffering any ill effects at school the next day.
Maybe he'll use the free time to plan and participate in a three-hour observation session (requirement 8B) or star party (requirement 8C).
Or perhaps he'll make a nightly check-in with the moon for requirement 6B: "Sketch the phase and the daily position of the Moon, at the same hour and place, for four days in a row."
3. Golf
Is sun in the forecast? What better time than spring break for earning Golf merit badge?
Since us working stiffs have to be in the office all week, the golf courses of America should be refreshingly wide open for Scouts to swing away.
Once they've learned the rules and proper techniques, Scouts earning Golf merit badge complete the greatest requirement of all, requirement 8: "Play a minimum of two nine-hole rounds or one 18-hole round of golf with another golfer about your age and with your counselor, or an adult approved by your counselor."
2. Chess
Is rain or snow in the forecast? Here's a merit badge that's fun in any weather.
Chess merit badge is more than just seeing who can checkmate their opponent first. It covers a variety of winning tactics, including some I've never heard of: clearance sacrifice, decoy, discovered attack, double attack, fork, interposing, overloading, overprotecting, pin, remove the defender, skewer, zwischenzug.
Spring break offers a nice opportunity for Scouts to gather and complete requirement 6C: "Organize and run a chess tournament with at least four players, plus you. Have each competitor play at least two games." Set up the board, pop some popcorn and get playing.
But be warned, chess-playing parents: Once your Scout earns this one, he'll be tough to beat.
1. Model Design and Building
Why spend spring break merely watching sci-fi movies when you could create something that might appear in one?
That's Model Design and Building merit badge, and requirement 5 is awesome: "Build a special-effects model of a fantasy spacecraft that might appear in a Hollywood science-fiction movie. Determine an appropriate scale for your design—one that makes practical sense. Include a cockpit or control area, living space, storage unit, engineering spaces, and propulsion systems."
That could be one of the BSA's greatest — and least-known — merit badge requirements.
What else?
What other merit badges make sense for spring breakers? Let me know in the comments.
Other "top 5 merit badges" posts
Looking for others in my "Top 5 merit badges" series? Click here.
Posted on March 6, 2015 by in Merit Badges, Top 5 merit badges
June 1's launch of the new Cub Scout program is approaching fast.
Feeling less than prepared? The CubCast team hears you. That's why in the March 2015 edition the hosts and their guest discuss how Cubmasters and den leaders can get ready for the new Cub Scout program.
Talk about perfect timing.
The guest: Ken King, a volunteer from the Three Fires Council in St. Charles, Ill. King was a member of the task force that conceived and designed the new Cub Scout program materials that will be released in May and become active on June 1, 2015. (Bryan on Scouting readersshould remember King's name.)
You really should take 14 minutes to listen to the March 2015 CubCast. These podcasts keep getting better and better and have become essential listening for Scout leaders.
Still need convincing? Check out seven things I learned about the new Cub Scout program by listening.
7. The program materials debut May 1.
That'll give you plenty of time to check out the actual materials you'll use with your Cub Scouts. (You can also see a ton of content now at the BSA's Program Updates page.)
"Pick up a copy of the youth handbook that you'll be working with and the den leader guide that you'll need and spend some time reviewing," King says, "because the den leader guide will map out how to deliver a den meeting in great detail."
6. The new Cub Scout program will cost the same (or maybe less).
This should please a lot of you.
"The number of adventure loops required is approximately the same as the number of academic and sports loops that are earned by boys right now," King says. "The new program won't be appreciably different, and some calculations suggest it will be a little bit less than what it is right now."
5. You won't need a ton of extra materials.
You "don't need to buy additional resources — things like the Group Meeting Sparklers, the Cub Scout Songbook, (and) the How-to Book of Cub Scouting," King says. "They're all still available as extra resource materials, but everything is contained in one single den leader guide."
4. Overall pack meeting structure will look the same.
You'll "be familiar with it," King says. You've "had experience with pack meetings but, some things we've developed to help them be more successful is we have a team that's putting together new pack meeting plans."
So it's the same, only a lot better.
3. There are more opportunities for immediate recognition.
Cub Scout-age boys love instant recognition. That's been a standard at den meetings, and now it's more true at pack meetings, too.
"There's also more opportunities for recognition during pack meetings," King says, "depending on how the pack wants to organize that, boys can be recognized consistently, which will encourage them to be involved in the pack meetings and bring their families in to celebrate their successes."
2. The transition from old to new is actually really easy.
"Starting on June 1, if you're a new Tiger, a Wolf, Bear, or starting the Webelos program, just use the new program materials that are in the handbooks and materials," King says. "They're designed to make it easy to use, and when they finish their current level of program, they can just step into the next step without any problem."
Easy is good.
1. Boys working on Arrow of Light can use new or old.
Options are good.
"Boys that'll be working on their Arrow of Light" later this year have two choices, King says. "They can keep using the current program, or they have the additional option that they can apply some of their previously earned Webelos-level recognitions and their activity badges; some of those can be used for advancement in the new system."
Hear or read the March 2015 CubCast
This list is just the beginning. Hear the full CubCast here. Or read it here.
Posted on March 5, 2015 by in Cub Scouting
Tuesday Talkback: Does your troop have an adult patrol?
Boy Scouts belong to patrols; Boy Scout leaders don't.
These adults fall outside of the typical troop structure in which a senior patrol leader helms a group of patrols, each led by a patrol leader.
But in some troops, just for fun, these adults form their own patrol — if in name only. In some troops, they're called the Geezer patrol. In others, perhaps in a nod to an adult leader's place on the sidelines, they're known as the Rocking Chair patrol.
Should troops have adult patrols? If so, what makes a good name for an unofficial adult patrol? And what's the BSA's official stance on adult patrols?
Let's talk.
The BSA's stance on adult patrols
Here's the official response from the BSA's Peter Self. As usual from Peter, it's nuanced and well-crafted.
Baden-Powell was once quoted as saying, "The patrol system is not one method in which Scouting for boys can be carried on. It is the only method." As patrols are formed, it is intended that their membership will remain together throughout their Scouting years. Beginning as a new Scout patrol, they become a tightly knit unit, which is dependent upon one another and yet finds strength and independence in their brotherhood. It is in the safety and camaraderie of the patrol that lessons of leadership and cooperation are learned from each other. The patrol name and the emblem which reflects that name are two of the ways that this group uniquely identifies itself.
While adult leaders are invaluable and necessary in this growth process, they need to be accessible to each of the Scouts, in every patrol, and not insulated from the Scouts in their own tight group. For this reason you will not find mention of adult patrols in our literature and why we do not form our adult leaders into patrols in the course of our normal program operations.
Having said all of this, there is no specific statement in our literature which prohibits adults from wearing a patrol emblem, but if you compare closely the pictures of the Boy Scout uniform to the adult leader uniforms on the last two pages of the Guide to Awards and Insignia, you'll notice only a few differences. One of these is the absence of a patrol emblem on the adult uniform.
So while adult patrols aren't an official part of the BSA's program, nobody is going to stop you from forming one. Especially if it's a name and little else.
Oh, and there's no uniform police that will rip the patrol emblem from your adult leader uniform, either.
With that in mind…
Does your troop have an adult patrol? If so, what's it called?
For today's Tuesday Talkback, let's continue the conversation in the comments section.
Questions for discussion:
- Should troops have adult patrols?
- If so, what role should adult patrols serve?
- What are some of your favorite names for adult patrols? (I'm partial to the Rocking Chair patrol myself.)
Posted on March 3, 2015 by in Boy Scouting, Tuesday Talkbacks // 46 Comments
Signs, Signals and Codes merit badge requirements released
Venturer shares '5 Things Scouting Has Taught Me'
Lydia G., a 17-year-old Venturer from Virginia, is active in her church and community, but when people learn she's a Venturer, they sometimes ask, "What is that?"
Venturing, she tells them, is a youth program of the Boy Scouts of America for young men and young women who are at least 14 (or 13 and finished with the eighth grade) but not yet 21. It's all about providing positive, fun experiences for young people.
"We are unique in the fact that we are youth led," she tells them. "We plan what we want our adventures to be, and then we plan how we are going to get there."
But then they ask what she's learned from participating in Scouting.
That's when Lydia, who has earned the Venturing TRUST Award, shares this terrific piece of writing with them. It's called "5 Things Scouting Has Taught Me," and it's a nice reminder that what you do as an adult volunteer matters. The proof exists in young people like Lydia.
5 Things Scouting Has Taught Me
1. Scouting has taught me what respect and equality can look like.
2. Scouting has taught me to know who I am and to be true to myself.
3. Scouting has taught me to get out of my "bubble."
4. Scouting has taught me to savor the little things in life that I often ignore.
There is honestly nothing more breathtaking than a colorful sunset or sunrise painted by God. There is nothing more peaceful than gazing at the stars in all their glory. There is nothing more satisfying than realizing you made it through a trying day, and it feels amazing. And there is nothing sweeter than knowing you are part of something.
5. Scouting has taught me the value of teamwork.
No, this is not some new novelty to me, but if you have ever seen a group of Scouts work together, you know exactly what I am talking about. The class clowns and valedictorians, the band kids and the athletes, the CEOs and the janitors, the "well-off" and the "barely making it." People from different backgrounds, beliefs and cultures, all coming under the "umbrella" of Scouting to get something accomplished. Whether that be planning a Scout meeting or putting into motion a summer camp. We work hard, and we play hard….as a TEAM!
UP Conservation Scholarship
As part of Earth Day, Union Pacific is offering four scholarships worth $500 each to support conservation projects that high school students complete in their communities. Conservation initiatives can include (but aren't limited to) projects such as building bird houses or bat houses to improving an arboretum or a trail.
Deadline to apply is April 15, 2015.


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Archive for the 'Everyday' Category
The Election Conundrum
In Israel, elections can be held so frequently, they can make your head spin. In fact, we have elections coming up March 17, to be exact. Now, I do not enjoy politics and make a concerted effort to choose a candidate who for me, is the least problematic and whose platform mostly suits my values.
In spite of its young age, Israel has caught up with the US in one respect; it has managed to eradicate all true, visionary leaders and raise a crop of opportunist, shallow, empty, "petty politicians," to quote the late Harry Rosen of the Jewish Agency for Israel. The one for whom I voted in the last elections is no exception and he is again running in the upcoming ones.
I "liked" his Facebook page and thought that his relatively younger age would give him a fresher approach. I was very wrong. After he wrote outright that people should register for his party, I sent him a direct message. Here is an exchange I had with "him" via his public Facebook page:
Conversation started December 22
12/22, 2:06am
Hi, I voted for you in the last elections and now you want people to join the party.
Practically speaking, I need a job and have a truckload of skills and abilities, so do you have a job for me?
After some time with no answer I wrote:
You can choose to ignore me and I can, in turn do the same to you, can't I?
Chag Urim Sameach [Happy Festival of Lights, a Hanukkah greeting].
12/22, 10:38pm
George Berns (not his real name)
Hello Orit. Jerry (not his real name) here. I respond to many of George's messages because he gets 100s daily. Thanks for reaching out. It would be nice if you joined the party and influenced the next list but you don't have to if you are not interested. We do not have any job openings at the campaign if that is what you are asking (pay isn't anything to write home about). Perhaps you are referring to the government employment office? -Jerry
12/22, 11:30pm
Hi Jerry,
Yes, I can ignore George's campaign and not join his party. I can also change the settings to not see what he wants to tell the public. For some reason, I doubt that this is what he really wants.
12/22, 11:37pm
As for a job, I'm not clear to which government job, etc., you refer. I've been in Jerusalem for over 23 years and learned the hard way, that connections here have more weight than anything else. You mean to tell me that George Berns can't help me from his position as Cabinet Minister? I do not buy that and I don't mean at his campaign office.
I did vote for him in the last elections, or rather, his party. If that means nothing to him, I'll live with that.
12/24, 2:57pm
George Berns
Orit, it sounds like you are pretty frustrated. Many Israelis are. I know because I respond to thousands of these types of messages every week. There is a law that prevents government ministers from officially getting involved at the level you are suggesting. These are issues that are supposed to be dealt with by ministry officials (clerks) and not political appointments. I believe today in the news we are all reading about a particular party that did not follow those rules. I think you made the right decision to vote for us last time, I hope you do again. I understand your frustration and feel that the person that cares the most about helping you within the legal framework is the guy who hired someone to respond to your messages. Wishing you a happy last day of Hanukkah. -Jerry
12/29, 1:01pm
Aha. Well, does it occur to the ministers that if there won't be jobs, Jews won't live here? Do you know that my son never lived here for fear that he might not find a suitable source of income? Maybe George should chew on that one for a while?
For a party that is so nonchalant on whether people join or not, I just got an SMS from George's campaign headquarters, which I resent, by the way.
12/29, 8:47pm
George Berns
Unemployment was actually the lowest in the history of the state before Operation Protective Edge so it is possible we happened to be going in the right direction. -Jerry
I found Jerry very inexperienced, spouting no more than the political rhetoric one can expect from any PR intern. Who writes a potential voter who did elect his candidate in the past "but you don't have to [join our party] if you are not interested"? This to me would indicate that George is also too inexperienced and even mendacious.
I have sacrificed and invested in this country and, unlike much older and larger societies, here it makes a much bigger difference. If I'm recently unemployed through closing of our offices, is asking about a job a sign of frustration or optimism and perseverance? I think dear, young Jerry needs a reading comprehension course.
This politician's platform uses the Jewish home as its trademark. Tell me readers, can any home be run with no income? How do you raise retirement age to 67 and not care whether people have jobs or not past the age of 40? Please, enlighten me.
The Darkest Hour
Between 2:00 AM and 2:45 AM this morning, I took my reluctant seven year-0ld dog down for her walk, before retiring for the night. On any ordinary night, I might see an occasional boyfriend heading to his car to go home, a taxi dropping off a young woman returning home after a party or date, cats in various locations on top of dumpsters, under parked vehicles or curled up in the bushes. However, this morning was the coldest in many years and NOTHING was stirring. A serious snowstorm failed to arrive; instead we had strong winds, freezing temperatures and freezing rain.
The SchnitzelWith the flu that has plagued me for over a week now, I have trouble eating anything. I must eat to take medication and then it haunts me all night with demons such as acid indigestion, burping and a sulfur taste with the threat of vomiting just a hair's breath away. Apparently and ironically enough, what my system does manage to tolerate and keep down is schnitzel (breaded chicken cutlet) that I buy at the local butcher shop. I bake it in the oven so there is no added oil and then just pour some lemon juice over it with no other condiments. While serving the oven baked schnitzel into my dish, a smaller piece fell unnoticed into the sink. When I went to wash my dishes, I saw the piece, rinsed it off and while bending to put it in my dog's bowl, made a sudden decision to put it in a container and take it down with the uneaten green beans, for the street cats.
Where the Cats Live
I learned from years of living here that if I want the street cats to get the food, the only place to set it out for them is near the trees and bushes in the parking lot, otherwise very mean spirited and primitive neighbors will throw away the food. This means that, setting out with the container of food in a bag, a stick for balance and my dog in tow, practically being dragged every step, I turned left towards the parking lot instead of walking straight into the labyrinth that connects the entrances to my building.
Flashing Red Lights
Magen David Adom
No sooner did I turn and begin to tentatively negotiate the steps while balancing against the protrusions of the stone facade of the outer wall, did I see flashing red lights and then a Magen David Adom ambulance.
A second later, it moved forward and a second ambulance appeared. The paramedic asked me where 243 Hanofech Street was. I approached him and explained how to best access the building with a vehicle. They thanked me and went to answer the emergency call for assistance.
Not One But Two?
Although the neighborhood is regularly patrolled by police, when I first saw one ambulance, I thought it might be a routine sweep, just in case people fell or got stuck in the freezing weather. I then thought that perhaps they already picked up whomever needed assistance and were on their way out of the cul de sac of the parking lot. When they urgently asked where the address to which they were headed was, I had to wonder what terrible thing happened that two units were dispatched.
What, No GPS?
A close friend asked how it is that emergency services didn't find the address via GPS. I can say that people consistently get confused among the buildings in this area, for various reasons. I did not question or criticize. I was glad that without any other living creature in sight, I was able to direct them and please G-d, enable help to reach he or she who was in need.
Crazy Hours
Friends have often asked why I go out when I do. In truth, I don't know how to answer that. It depends on my dog and when she eats. Early this morning, I felt that there was a definite reason and purpose and was happy that at a time when there was no other sign of life on the street, I was able to help in some small way, even if I might never know the details of the emergency call.
I'm no hero and I don't think I'm special but, thank G-d, I have faith and let faith guide me; things happen.
Stay Warm
As I sat writing this entry, I heard a siren. I only hope that the good people survive this storm.
Tonight will be even colder and the snow that failed to fulfill the meteorologist's promise is expected to show up and accumulate, so be careful and take precautions. My dog and I have already been out and are in for the night, until tomorrow.
I recently sent my granddaughter a package of gifts chosen with great care and oh soooo much love! The package contained two books, one three stories of classic children's literature, the other with children's songs, along with two audio CD's. I also sent her a dress and package of three pairs of underpants. On a religious note, a teeny Book of Psalms.
Sending this package entailed overcoming one obstacle and then another hurdle. First, I had no box. Let me explain that I usually pad the contents thoroughly in bubble plastic and then put in a box to protect in shipping. In this case, the boxes I had or found were either too big or too small or too heavy or WHATEVER. I improvised with two bags of sturdy, brown paper, which I taped and covered with adhesive wrapping. I waited until the Canada Postal strike was over, then the lockout and then waited yet another week and a half so that my package would have better odds at not ending up in some forgotten corner in the backlog of post strike and post Canada backed up deliveries. This strategy might have helped slightly. I went even farther and actually phoned Canada Post.
Finally, the package was picked up yesterday and I was told that my granddaughter loved all the gifts but what she loved the most were the underpants, because they were purple.
As a fellow female, I totally understand this logic!
This day began well. I took the bus, still aided by my cane but before I could get into a seat, the driver stepped on the brake and I lost my balance and fell backwards. Thankfully, I did not land on the floor; a male passenger grabbed the front of my coat to prevent my fall and I managed to grab hold of a pole. My leg, however, still mending from a break not too many months ago, took a beating and even now, at night, it still hurts.
Once I got to work, the day went well, with the usual pressures. In the evening, I had an appointment to work with one of the doctors from Hadassah on some of his lectures. Before we began working, we ate dinner, during which one of my teeth broke.
This friend is someone I've known and been friends with since 1997. Today, he has a beautiful house in a suburb of Jerusalem and his wife and son are abroad until the summer. The man was so sad. When I asked him why this was so, we talked and he said the only thing that matters in this world is money. He has friends who are multi billionaires and when I asked him about them, he said that it was them who taught him that – that he's been fooled all his life into thinking differently. I suggested he find other friends and be less sad and feel better about himself.
My friend doesn't sit in his living room or invite anyone to his house because it is an icebox. He can't afford to heat the 450 sq. m., since he's supporting 2 homes; one here and the other abroad. He showers in hot water and then wraps himself in what he described as a plush terry or velour (I don't know) robe and then gets into his bed where he said he has an electric underblanket (sheet) to keep him warm.
When we finished working, I returned to my humble home. I felt very fortunate that I felt warm and even though there is clutter, for lack of enough closets, furniture as well as other reasons such as time constraints, my house looks and feels like a HOME. I have homemade cookies in a jar and cook for myself when I want and/or need. For these things I thank G-d (don't worry, I still ask for those OTHER things).
I went to Ne'eman in the Jerusalem Mall to buy some pastries known as bourekas. Another customer and I were at one register while all the employees were standing around, laughing at the other register. I called out and said "Excuse me but we would like to pay."
A very young girl came over and with her face screwed up to show her annoyance said "You could have paid over there!" I told her that when the place is open for business, the employees have to give service if customers are in the store; that they can joke as much as they want but not have people just standing and waiting for them to be good and ready to do their jobs.
She shoved my change into my hand with a look of disdain to which I responded by demanding to speak with the manager. This guy saw it coming and IMMEDIATELY came over and introduced himself. I told him what happened and added that I really don't care who her father, uncle or brother is (this comment hinting she might be related to management, which is all too common). I told him that her attitude stinks and that she should not serve customers in that way, unless he wants us all to go elsewhere.
Since that day, I have not seen her, which doesn't mean she's not there anymore. Granted, these people are paid the lowest salaries but hey, I also got minimum wage at her age and for that kind of work! I got paid minimum wage as a research assistant at a university hospital and I was grateful to have income!
I don't know what kind of weirdos are raising this crop of people with no work ethic. Even if they do not want to do this work for the rest of their lives, they should give their all while they are doing it. Most people want to be the boss but to do that, they have to learn somewhere and with attitudes like that girl's they will get NOWHERE.
Seriously, I speak as a parent of an adult child of whom I am proud.
The question arose as to why so-called professionals can get away with being unprofessional? My response was as follows.
I think older adults have brought this on themselves. Before you attack, read my theory.
I think that when older adults deny they're getting older and continue to try to dress and behave like the youngers, they lose their dignity and status and no longer set an example for younger people; whether in personal or professional life. On the one hand, they might be able to "connect" with them to some degree; on the other hand the younger sees nothing that commands respect and rejects the older.
When we were younger and just began to learn about the world; in both the personal and business realms, there were older professionals from whom to learn. We would not have gone to a bar after work to "hang out" with them but when we were faced with tasks and projects we were able to get advice and direction from people who had been there and done that long before us.
By denying getting older and not wanting too much responsibility, more mature people have also put a lot of power in the hands of younger people regarding computers. Computers became a household item and people would call or wait for the neighbor's kid or their own children and/or grandchildren. Computers have also done away with higher level literacy. Too many Blogs and websites are out there with poor grammar, bad spelling, icons and chat abbreviations. Too many parents working "out there" and not giving enough time to raising and parenting their own children.
Every maturing generation pooh poohs the younger people.
Hahahahaha! I just changed the template on my blog and have singlehandedly disabled the links that connect you to the rest of my website!
Oy, oy…now there's more for my Webmaster to do. I hope he won't mind!
I feel as though, what's the point? Why always owe so much to so many? Is this what's left? G-d forbid, I sure hope there's more than debts! Holidays are hard being alone. I especially miss my son and his family at these times moreso than on regular days. I'm invited to a family for Pesach that I've never met. The man who invited me seems to strongly fear or dislike dogs, yet my dog is also invited (to stay in the playroom). I think I better make certain that it's alright with his wife, as well and that there REALLY is no problem with bringing Pnina. If it's a big problem, I might make my own Pesach Seder and stay home. Sad.


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"serious problems with file"
Whuh? This can't be how the book was written. Imagine a book made up of hundreds of files played in sequence... now imagine setting the device to shuffle. And listening to the files in random order. Hearing major plot developments. And character details in the first 5 minutes has totally ruined the "what happens next?" Allure ....
I'll resserve judgement in case a twist comes up and clears the confusiin..... but so far im very disappointed in what s seemed like a really good story.
"not his best"
I have to throw my voice in with the other reviewers that found this book a bit dreary and depressing.. I think it's departure from Baxter's normal theme of original ideas and hard science is explained by the kitschy environmentalist subtext. It's his way of joining into the global warming clique....
My recommendation to shoppers would be to skip this book... You don't need it as background for the sequel "ark".... which begins before the chronology of "flood" ends.
"not for the lactose intolerant"
The author tries way too hard to make the "most awesomest super action superhero" The character development is like somebody throwing every type of cheese you can imagine onto a pizza. Eventually, it got cheesy enough to kill the lactose intolerant. The plot sounded cool, but got corny and predictable pretty quick.
That said... The book may have entertainment value if you're into the comic book theme. It just got too much for me . I can't get more specific without spoilers, so----
"Not a sequel"
This is not an actual sequel to the first book in the series. It runs concurrent with the original so anybody hoping for a continuation of the story will be seriously disappointed..
"Not bad, could use some editing."
Overall this is a pretty good dystopian tale. The originality of the silo habitat throws some fresh air into the genre, and some new twists to keep it interesting. There is one thing that readers may struggle with...
On a sentimentality scale of 1-10 with 1 being Vin Diesel and 10 Being Richard Simmons... the male characters in the story would score a 12. The weepy emotionally fragile men become a distracting influence on an otherwise great story.
"what a rip off!!"
I was excited to get this book because of the abrupt, unsatisfying end to the first in the series... but this book took that to an extreme. By ending this book at the plot's climax... O.S.Card is treating his readers like a dope dealer treats a drug addict. In other words: "keep them hooked but unsatisfied and they'll be back with more money"
I don't believe in refunds because "I didn't like the book"... but I will be returning this because I feel seriously ripped off.
The title is very misleading! This is NOT the 2nd book in the lost fleet series. Its a whole new chronology after the syndic war... perhaps I'm an idiot, but I felt chumped after realising the mistake
"A soporific yawn."
. Well... this book should have a "do not operate machinery while listening" disclaimer. It's almost like the author intended the book to be as dull and boring as possible. I gave it two stars because there is about 2hrs on the second part that actually followed the summary... the rest? I actually fell asleep listening.
"A must read adventure tale."
This is one of those books that grabs you from page 1, and never lets go. VERY engaging characters and peppered with my favorite foul mouthed sarcastic form of humor. The narration is spot on.... and I dearly hope that the term "pirate ninjas" becomes a standard unit of measure for space exploration. Lol. I can't wait to see more from this author on audible.
"An awe inspiring story"
The word "awe" isn't hyperbole. When I READ this book, I used a sick day so that I could keep reading. The story is that riveting. But a history lesson robs Shackleton's saga of the human angle of the story. This book brings the legend to life... and no dry textbook will bring across just how amazing the story is..
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Teen reportedly attacked by wolf
DEER RIVER, Minn. -- A 16-year-old boy was the victim of an apparent wolf attack at a campground on Lake Winnibigoshish near Deer River, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources announced Monday. The boy sustained non-life-threatening injuries, according to a DNR news release.
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2 recommendations
1 recommendation
Exactly! We shouldn't be spending tax dollars on either of them.
So we can spend money on this ridiculous shit, but god forbid we have affordable healthcare.
When you expect someone else to pay the bill in your name, and you intentionally mislabel it "health insurance", you enable the cost the skyrocket.
of a movie that came out a few years back, called minority report...
You don't honestly believe that this is confined to one administration or political party, do you?
Total Information Awareness, which was run by John Poindexter, a convicted felon.
Joe McCarthy used a technique to associate a citizen with post WW-II communism and as an enemy of the state because they were a member of the Communist Party, during the depression, when Russia was an ally, before WW-II.
Guess another one got the paywall fever. Why don't they ever check themselves, before accusing us?
Top U.S. intelligence officials gathered in the White House Situation Room in March to debate a controversial proposal. Counterterrorism officials wanted to create a government dragnet, sweeping up millions of records about U.S. citizenseven people suspected of no crime.Not everyone was on board. "This is a sea change in the way that the government interacts with the general public," Mary Ellen Callahan, chief privacy officer of the Department of Homeland Security, argued in the meeting, according to people familiar with the discussions.A week later, the attorney general signed the changes into effect.Through Freedom of Information Act requests and interviews with officials at numerous agencies, The Wall Street Journal has reconstructed the clash over the counterterrorism program within the administration of President Barack Obama. The debate was a confrontation between some who viewed it as a matter of efficiencyhow long to keep data, for instance, or where it should be storedand others who saw it as granting authority for unprecedented government surveillance of U.S. citizens.The rules now allow the little-known National Counterterrorism Center to examine the government files of U.S. citizens for possible criminal behavior, even if there is no reason to suspect them. That is a departure from past practice, which barred the agency from storing information about ordinary Americans unless a person was a terror suspect or related to an investigation.Now, NCTC can copy entire government databasesflight records, casino-employee lists, the names of Americans hosting foreign-exchange students and many others. The agency has new authority to keep data about innocent U.S. citizens for up to five years, and to analyze it for suspicious patterns of behavior. Previously, both were prohibited.The changes also allow databases of U.S. civilian information to be given to foreign governments for analysis of their own. In effect, U.S. and foreign governments would be using the information to look for clues that people might commit future crimes."It's breathtaking" in its scope, said a former senior administration official familiar with the White House debate.Counterterrorism officials say they will be circumspect with the data. "The guidelines provide rigorous oversight to protect the information that we have, for authorized and narrow purposes," said Alexander Joel, Civil Liberties Protection Officer for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the parent agency for the National Counterterrorism Center.The Fourth Amendment of the Constitution says that searches of "persons, houses, papers and effects" shouldn't be conducted without "probable cause" that a crime has been committed. But that doesn't cover records the government creates in the normal course of business with citizens.Congress specifically sought to prevent government agents from rifling through government files indiscriminately when it passed the Federal Privacy Act in 1974. The act prohibits government agencies from sharing data with each other for purposes that aren't "compatible" with the reason the data were originally collected.But the Federal Privacy Act allows agencies to exempt themselves from many requirements by placing notices in the Federal Register, the government's daily publication of proposed rules. In practice, these privacy-act notices are rarely contested by government watchdogs or members of the public. "All you have to do is publish a notice in the Federal Register and you can do whatever you want," says Robert Gellman, a privacy consultant who advises agencies on how to comply with the Privacy Act.As a result, the National Counterterrorism Center program's opponents within the administrationled by Ms. Callahan of Homeland Securitycouldn't argue that the program would violate the law. Instead, they were left to question whether the rules were good policy.Under the new rules issued in March, the National Counterterrorism Center, known as NCTC, can obtain almost any database the government collects that it says is "reasonably believed" to contain "terrorism information." The list could potentially include almost any government database, from financial forms submitted by people seeking federally backed mortgages to the health records of people who sought treatment at Veterans Administration hospitals.Previous government proposals to scrutinize massive amounts of data about innocent people have caused an uproar. In 2002, the Pentagon's research arm proposed a program called Total Information Awareness that sought to analyze both public and private databases for terror clues. It would have been far broader than the NCTC's current program, examining many nongovernmental pools of data as well."If terrorist organizations are going to plan and execute attacks against the United States, their people must engage in transactions and they will leave signatures," the program's promoter, Admiral John Poindexter, said at the time. "We must be able to pick this signal out of the noise."Adm. Poindexter's plans drew fire from across the political spectrum over the privacy implications of sorting through every single document available about U.S. citizens. Congress eventually defunded the program.The National Counterterrorism Center's ideas faced no similar public resistance. For one thing, the debate happened behind closed doors. In addition, unlike the Pentagon, the NCTC was created in 2004 specifically to use data to connect the dots in the fight against terrorism.Even after eight years in existence, the agency isn't well known. "We're still a bit of a startup and still having to prove ourselves," said director Matthew Olsen in a rare public appearance this summer at the Aspen Institute, a leadership think tank.The agency's best-known product is a database called TIDE, which stands for the Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment. TIDE contains more than 500,000 identities suspected of terror links.TIDE files are important because they are used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to compile terrorist "watchlists." These are lists that can block a person from boarding an airplane or obtaining a visa.The watchlist system failed spectacularly on Christmas Day 2009 when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a 23-year-old Nigerian man, boarded a flight to Detroit from Amsterdam wearing explosives sewn into his undergarments. He wasn't on the watchlist.He eventually pleaded guilty to terror-related charges and is imprisoned. His bomb didn't properly detonate.However, Mr. Abdulmutallab and his underwear did alter U.S. intelligence-gathering. A Senate investigation revealed that NCTC had received information about him but had failed to query other government databases about him. In a scathing finding, the Senate report said, "the NCTC was not organized adequately to fulfill its missions.""This was not a failure to collect or share intelligence," said John Brennan, the president's chief counterterrorism adviser, at a White House press conference in January 2010. "It was a failure to connect and integrate and understand the intelligence we had."As result, Mr. Obama demanded a watchlist overhaul. Agencies were ordered to send all their leads to NCTC, and NCTC was ordered to "pursue thoroughly and exhaustively terrorism threat threads."Quickly, NCTC was flooded with terror tipseach of which it was obligated to "exhaustively" pursue. By May 2010 there was a huge backlog, according a report by the Government Accountability Office.Legal obstacles emerged. NCTC analysts were permitted to query federal-agency databases only for "terrorism datapoints," say, one specific person's name, or the passengers on one particular flight. They couldn't look through the databases trolling for general "patterns." And, if they wanted to copy entire data sets, they were required to remove information about innocent U.S. people "upon discovery."But they didn't always know who was innocent. A person might seem innocent today, until new details emerge tomorrow."What we learned from Christmas Day"from the failed underwear bombwas that some information "might seem more relevant later," says Mr. Joel, the national intelligence agency's civil liberties officer. "We realized we needed it to be retained longer."Late last year, for instance, NCTC obtained an entire database from Homeland Security for analysis, according to a person familiar with the transaction. Homeland Security provided the disks on the condition that NCTC would remove all innocent U.S. person data after 30 days.After 30 days, a Homeland Security team visited and found that the data hadn't yet been removed. In fact, NCTC hadn't even finished uploading the files to its own computers, that person said. It can take weeks simply to upload and organize the mammoth data sets.Homeland Security granted a 30-day extension. That deadline was missed, too. So Homeland Security revoked NCTC's access to the data.To fix problems like these that had cropped up since the Abdulmutallab incident, NCTC proposed the major expansion of its powers that would ultimately get debated at the March meeting in the White House. It moved to ditch the requirement that it discard the innocent-person data. And it asked for broader authority to troll for patterns in the data.As early as February 2011, NCTC's proposal was raising concerns at the privacy offices of both Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, according to emails reviewed by the Journal.At the Department of Justice, Chief Privacy Officer Nancy Libin raised concerns about whether the guidelines could unfairly target innocent people, these people said. Some research suggests that, statistically speaking, there are too few terror attacks for predictive patterns to emerge. The risk, then, is that innocent behavior gets misunderstoodsay, a man buying chemicals (for a child's science fair) and a timer (for the sprinkler) sets off false alarms.An August government report indicates that, as of last year, NCTC wasn't doing predictive pattern-matching.The internal debate was more heated at Homeland Security. Ms. Callahan and colleague Margo Schlanger, who headed the 100-person Homeland Security office for civil rights and civil liberties, were concerned about the implications of turning over vast troves of data to the counterterrorism center, these people said.They and Ms. Libin at the Justice Department argued that the failure to catch Mr. Abdulmutallab wasn't caused by the lack of a suspecthe had already been flaggedbut by a failure to investigate him fully. So amassing more data about innocent people wasn't necessarily the right solution.The most sensitive Homeland Security data trove at stake was the Advanced Passenger Information System. It contains the name, gender, birth date and travel information for every airline passenger entering the U.S.Previously, Homeland Security had pledged to keep passenger data only for 12 months. But NCTC was proposing to copy and keep it for up to five years. Ms. Callahan argued this would break promises the agency had made to the public about its use of personal data, these people said.Discussions sometimes got testy, according to emails reviewed by the Journal. In one case, Ms. Callahan sent an email complaining that "examples" provided to her by an unnamed intelligence official were "complete non-sequiturs" and "non-responsive."In May 2011, Ms. Callahan and Ms. Schlanger raised their concerns with the chief of their agency, Janet Napolitano. They fired off a memo under the longwinded title, "How Best to Express the Department's Privacy and Civil Liberties Concerns over Draft Guidelines Proposed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the National Counterterrorism Center," according to an email obtained through the Freedom of Information Act. The contents of the memo, which appears to run several pages, were redacted.The two also kept pushing the NCTC officials to justify why they couldn't search for terrorism clues less invasively, these people said. "I'm not sure I'm totally prepared with the firestorm we're about to create," Ms. Schlanger emailed Ms. Callahan in November, referring to the fact that the two wanted more privacy protections. Ms. Schlanger returned to her faculty position at the University of Michigan Law School soon after but remains an adviser to Homeland Security.To resolve the issue, Homeland Security's deputy secretary, Jane Holl Lute, requested the March meeting at the White House. The second in command from Homeland Security, the Justice Department, the FBI, NCTC and the office of the director of national intelligence sat at the small conference table. Normal protocol for such meeting is for staffers such as Ms. Callahan to sit against the walls of the room and keep silent.By this point, Ms. Libin's concern that innocent people could be inadvertently targeted had been largely overruled at the Department of Justice, these people said. Colleagues there were more concerned about missing the next terrorist threat.That left Ms. Callahan as the most prominent opponent of the proposed changes. In an unusual move, Ms. Lute asked Ms. Callahan to speak about Homeland Security's privacy concerns. Ms. Callahan argued that the rules would constitute a "sea change" because, whenever citizens interact with the government, the first question asked will be, are they a terrorist?Mr. Brennan considered the arguments. And within a few days, the attorney general, Eric Holder, had signed the new guidelines. The Justice Department declined to comment about the debate over the guidelines.Under the new rules, every federal agency must negotiate terms under which it would hand over databases to NCTC. This year, Ms. Callahan left Homeland Security for private practice, and Ms. Libin left the Justice Department to join a private firm.Homeland Security is currently working out the details to give the NCTC three data setsthe airline-passenger database known as APIS; another airline-passenger database containing information about non-U.S. citizen visitors to the U.S.; and a database about people seeking refugee asylum. It previously agreed to share databases containing information about foreign-exchange students and visa applications.Once the terms are set, Homeland Security is likely to post a notice in the Federal Register. The public can submit comments to the Federal Register about proposed changes, although Homeland Security isn't required to make changes based on the comments.
we're entering an era previously only rambled about by those with tin foil headwear...
Oh 4th amendment, they haven't repealed you, just ignored you.


text: Heart Tote Bag by Alphabet Bags £13$26.51€18.65$20.93 4 customer reviews(4) In stock £6.95$14.17€9.97$11.19 delivery to United States - Receive this item 5-10 working days from dispatch International delivery available colour colour (required)red on natural cottonhot pink on natural cottongold glitter on natural cotton (+ £2)colour (required)red on natural cottonhot pink on natural cottongold glitter on natural cotton (+ $4.07)colour (required)red on natural cottonhot pink on natural cottongold glitter on natural cotton (+ €2.86)colour (required)red on natural cottonhot pink on natural cottongold glitter on natural cotton (+ $3.22) quantity by Alphabet Bags Location: Saffron Walden, GB read seller's profile see seller's complete range more items from this seller 'Exceptionally Handsome' Wash Bag £24$48.94€34.43$38.64 'Bon Voyage' Wash Bag £24$48.94€34.43$38.64 'You Look Lovely Today' Canvas Pouch £18$36.70€25.82$28.98 'Bride To Be' Tote Bag £13$26.51€18.65$20.93 'Bridesmaid' Tote Bag £13$26.51€18.65$20.93 Natural Cotton Initial Tote Bag £13$26.51€18.65$20.93 view all you may also like PRODUCT DETAILS CUSTOMER REVIEWS DELIVERY RETURNS Made in Britain ask seller a question A lovely bold heart design printed on a heavy cotton tote from Alphabet Bags. Fill with goodies and give to your loved one or keep for yourself and spread some love! Our bags have mid-length straps which are ideal for being carried by hand or over the shoulder. Our bags are designed and custom made in the UK with great care by lovely ladies and gentlemen. We only use the most terrific heavy weight cotton and all designs are screen printed by hand. They are not your typical tote! Available in red, hot pink or gold glitter. made from: Made from 100% natural cotton and screen printed by hand. For bags with red or hot pink print: hand wash and do not iron printed area. For bags with gold glitter print: Please do not wash. dimensions: H42 x W35cm product code: 122908 4 customer reviews Tue 17 Mar 2015 This is exactly what I hoped it would be. The bag is the perfect shape and size and the heart is well printed. The bag is really good quality and well made. I am really happy with this bag and use it everyday. Tue 27 Jan 2015 No comment supplied. Tue 08 Jul 2014 Previously bought for my wedding in Vegas for my wedding party, really good quality so bought gold heart back now I am married. Fri 12 Jul 2013 Excellent see all customer reviews hide some customer reviews read about our product rating system ratings guide trusted independent customer feedbackforum excellent bad good poor This product is dispatched to you by Alphabet Bags. MAINLAND UK order now and receive this item on or before price Standard Delivery Tuesday 7 April £1.75$3.56€2.51$2.81 Express Next Day 1pm Thursday 2 April £8.70$17.74€12.48$14.00 NON-MAINLAND UK estimated delivery price Highlands & Islands of Scotland 2-5 working daysfrom dispatch £1.75$3.56€2.51$2.81 Northern Ireland 2-5 working daysfrom dispatch £1.75$3.56€2.51$2.81 Other UK Islands 2-5 working daysfrom dispatch £3.95$8.05€5.66$6.36 INTERNATIONAL DELIVERY estimated delivery price Western Europe 2-5 working daysfrom dispatch £5.00$10.19€7.17$8.05 Rest of Europe 5-10 working daysfrom dispatch £5.00$10.19€7.17$8.05 USA & Canada 5-10 working daysfrom dispatch £6.95$14.17€9.97$11.19 Far East & Australasia 5-10 working daysfrom dispatch £7.25$14.78€10.40$11.67 Rest of the world 5-14 working daysfrom dispatch £7.25$14.78€10.40$11.67 You have 28 days, from receipt of cancellable goods, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item. Please note: goods that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements, perishable products and personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken are non-refundable, unless faulty. Read more about our returns policy.Should you choose to return or exchange your order you will need to deliver the item(s) to the UK, where this seller is based. Alphabet Bags's return policy


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Microsoft New Zealand chief marketing and operations officer Frazer Scott was a great person to interview for this week's Microsoft after the iPhone for the NZ Herald. Continue reading
Tag Archives: ipad
Apple's iPad is still the most important tablet. Popular with business users and consumers. Now sells more than personal computers.
Apple, Microsoft — two tablet visions
When Steve Jobs took the wraps off Apple's first iPad, he showed a new class of device. The iPad was neither a new type of PC nor was it a giant smartphone. The iPad opened new territory. Continue reading
Stalling tablet sales
Apple's Q3 2014 result showed iPad sales dropped nine percent year-on-year while Mac sales were up by 18 percent. Continue reading
Google unbundles iPad Docs
This has been a big year for iPad word processing. In March Microsoft delivered an iOS version of Word. April saw Apple update the iPad version of its Pages word processor and give the app away with new tablets. Continue reading
How Microsoft changed mobile editing with iPad Office
Before Microsoft delivered an iPad version of Word my cross-device writing tool of choice was Information Architect's iA Writer. Continue reading
iPad magazines: Predictable publisher road-crash
Adam Tinworth says magazine publishers failed with the iPad because they focused on protecting business models, not delivering a better reader experience. iPad Magazines: a predictable publisher road-crash.


text: ESPN and the USTA signed an 11-year deal worth more than $770M for rights to the entire U.S. Open tennis tournament. The two groups scheduled a press conference for this afternoon to announce the deal, which starts in '15. The move to take the entire U.S. Open to cable ends an era that has seen CBS broadcast the event every year since '68. CBS will carry its tournament package the next two years. Covington & Burling and Sports Media Advisors represented the USTA on the deal. The move fits within ESPN's strategy of bringing championship events to cable.


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March 27, 2015 10:33 PM
China: No Need for Open Internet?While state media has cited the "near flawless organization" of the Beijing Olympics in support of China's bid for the 2022 Winter Games, critics have pointed out 2008's broken promises on media freedom and other rights issues as cause for hesitation. Reuters' Ben Blanchard reports one bid official's claim that foreign attendees in 2022 would enjoy unfettered Internet access, but that the Chinese neither need nor want it: Wang Hui, ...
March 25, 2015 8:37 PM
Attack on Anti-censorship Group Snares Baidu, GitHub
On Friday, Jesse Newland posted on the blog of the code-sharing site GitHub: We are currently experiencing the largest DDoS (distributed denial ...
Phrase of the Week: Use the Internet Scientifically
The Word of the Week comes from the Grass-Mud Horse Lexicon, a glossary of terms created by Chinese netizens and encountered in online political ...
March 26, 2015 3:28 PM
China's Golden Shield: Is Cisco Systems Complicit?
In a pair of posts at Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society, Beth Van Schaack describes recently revived legal action against ...
March 25, 2015 6:40 PM
- Netizen Voices: Family Planning in Online Games
- Osnos and Hessler: To Publish Or Not in China
- GreatFire Under Attack Following WSJ Article
- Five Censorship Predictions for the Year of the Sheep...
- Will China Use Big Data as a Tool of the State?
- Leftist Website Apparently Shut Down [Correction]
- CAC Debuts an Ode to Cyber Sovereignty
- China Snuffs Out Last Online Remnants of the NY Times...
- Word of the Week: Reincarnation
- Former Propaganda Chief Deng Liqun Dies
- Critics Warn of Consequences of Ideology Campaign
- China Suspected in Anthem Healthcare Hack
- Hong Kong Protesters Seek a New Strategy
- Recommended Readings on the Chinese Internet
- Why China's Internet Calls Katy Perry "Fruit Sister"...
- Father, Son Still Fight for Free Speech in China
- China's "New Normal" of Sharpened Control...
- China Seeks Digital Control, from U.N. to CPU


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The month of August illustrated in a word banner decorated with suns in black and white.
A black and white clip art word banner for the month of July decorated with flags.
August word banner clip art in color, decorated with summer suns.
The month of August featured in a sun graphic icon in black and white.
The month of July graphic icon illustration featuring a flag in black and white.
A graphic icon illustration for the month of June featured in a flower, in black and white.
A month of July graphic icon illustration featured in a US flag, in color.
The month of June in a graphic icon illustration in a flower, in color.
A clip art illustration of a picnic, in grayscale, featuring a table cloth, picnic basket and food.
A picnic clip art illustration with a picnic basket, table cloth and food, in black and white.
An illustration of a picnic with a red and white checkered table cloth, picnic basket and food.
This beach scene clip art illustration in grayscale features a beach umbrella, sand, water and some lazy summer clouds.
Colorful image of a boy feeding bread to a duck. This is a nice image of a child participating in a spring or summer activity.


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Another quick stopover on the way to work. No, not somewhere in the American Midwest, but just off the A4146 between Milton Keynes and Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire (UK)… But the foggy scenery did remind me of the TV series we grew up with :-)
[Sony a350, Sigma 17-70@70mm, f/16 1/50sec, ISO-100; LR3]
excellent work
Thanks mate :-)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
Very appealing, George, with the curving lines and thirds and fog. I do think a literary work preceded a telly show ;(
"Little House (on the Prairie) is a series of children's books by Laura Ingalls Wilder that was published originally between 1932 and 1943, with four additional books published posthumously, in 1962, 1971, 1974 and 2006"— can you tell my dislike for the
But your photo remains lovely.
LOL – Yes, I know. I did not mean to offend the literati ;-) Given that I grew up in Greece however, with subtitled television, the literary original did not feature in my childhood (although translations of other American children's literature did). I'm glad you like the picture though :^)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
Egad, though, George. I am sorry I blurted out my dislike of the teevee. If you delete those comments, I could return to praising your photo on its merits.
gorgeous scene… nicely done…
Many thanks George :-)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
Beautiful shot George!
Thanks Nathalie, hope you are well! :-)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
Lovely atmosphere! We can sense the sun wanting to come out through the fog, very nice!
Hi Johanne, thank you :-)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
Excellent photo. The little light on the house gives it the right note of optimism….
Thank you :-) It was a ridiculously foggy day so it was nice to see anything through it :-)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
I didn't much like the books, either…. But they are a staple in American children's (especially girl's) literature, & I did read them as a kid. But I digress… this is a fine shot, evocative of much, American Midwest or Milton Keynes. The sepia tones are exactly right for this, I think. Good work.
Thank you very much Sheila, I'm happy when my shots evoke any kind of emotion :-)
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)
The sun is fighting a losing battle over there?
I love the light glinting off the side of the house … beautiful calming scene George (he said while sitting in the relative warmth of 25 degrees).
Not just losing the battle, lost the plot! :-) Major frost today and heading for snow in the weekend. Thanks Vikram, enjoy your relative warmth!
– George Parapadakis (monocotylidono)


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synclient PalmMinWidth=4 PalmDetect=1
This works excellently for me - and I have a new system with a rather large touch pad. Enjoy! And as always: Please share your experience and ideas!
Your Linux Self-Help Desk. A selection of mostly Linux related tutorials, howtos, fixes, news and more.
Post a Comment


text:
AC 19 (flat footed 15, touch 14)
SPD 30 (6 squares)
Ref 4, Fort 6, Will —
Claws x2, 7, 2d66
Tusks 7, 1d86
Ascendant campaigns can view previous versions of their pages, see what has changed (and who did it), and even restore old versions. It's like having a rewind button for your campaign.
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Apple to sell $899 20-inch aluminum iMac to schoolsApple this week quietly announced plans to begin selling an aluminum 20-inch iMac configuration to qualified educational institutions for just $899, effectively closing the book on the white 17-inch legacy model that had previously assumed a similar role.
Buyers authorized to make purchases for their educational institution can begin pre-ordering the new aluminum systems today for delivery in about a month. Each $899 20-inch iMac includes a 2.0GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 1GB of memory, 160GB hard drive, 8x double-layer SuperDrive, and a NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics subsystem.
The new offering replaces a $899 version of Apple's white 17-inch iMac that the company had held over since 2006 in an effort to allow institutions hit hard by tax revenues declines to continue to factor Macs into their refined budgets.
Interestingly, the move comes less than a month after the Mac maker issued an eNews letter promoting updates to the legacy 17-inch systems, suggesting something in the last three weeks prompted the company to upgrade the specialized $899 offering to the latest aluminum designs, which feature a display with a 3-inch wider viewing area.
The news also means that the white iMac casing, introduced in August of 2004 as the enclosure for the then cutting-edge iMac G5, has now officially been put to rest. All iMacs, both education and consumer, now use the Aluminum design introduced alongside updated iMacs in August of 2007.
Apple's new iMac lineup for educational institutions.
The new $899 iMac is available for order from the Apple Store for Education Institutions but is not available to individual educational buyers or students with access to the Apple Store for Education.
On Topic: iMac
- Killer iMac 5K Deal: Free AppleCare, Free Canon PIXMA AIO printer and $50-$150 off
- Deals: $74 off iPad Air 2s, iMac 5K with free AppleCare, 20% off 'designed by m' cases, iPhones from $99
- iPhone 6 and 6 Plus ship times drop to one day, Retina 5K iMac back in stock
- Apple iPhone 6, 6 Plus and Retina iMac ship times improve in time for holidays
- Rounding up the best Apple MacBook, iMac, Mac mini and Mac Pros deals of Black Friday 2014


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Paper size: 33.5 x 26.25 inches 85.1 x 66.7 cm)
Frame size: 35 x 27.75 x 1.75 (88.9 x 70.5 x 4.4 cm)
This edition is a color aquatint and has previously been incorrectly identified at auction as a color lithograph. Mint condition, embossed plate edge at image edge.
The imagery of this print comes from Rosenquist's painting of same title, painted in 1982 in his studio at Aripeka, Florida. The central image of this grand painting (198 inches in length) is a glossy painted red nail replicating a fountain pen with the cosmos of stars spinning around its central axis. Viewable on the artist's website.
James Rosenquist worked as a billboard painter before becoming a fine artist. In 1964, he joined the roster of POP artists at the Leo Castelli Gallery and he remains one of the most distinguished and influential artists of his generation. The artist creates visual stories by taking fragmented, oddly disproportionate images, and combining, overlapping, and putting them on canvases. He is also considered one of the foremost printmakers of our day, and, among many honors, he has been bestowed with a lifetime achievement award from the International Print Center.
Rosenquist was featured in a Retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum in New York in 2003, and is in the permanent collections of such museums as the Museum of Modern Art New York, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Chicago Art Institute, the Guggenheim Museum in NY, Bilbao, and Berlin, and many others.
Selected Public Collections:
Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin, Germany
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA
The Museum of Modern Art, New York, NY
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA
Tate Gallery, London, UK
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, NY
Paper size: 33.5 x 26.25 inches 85.1 x 66.7 cm)