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Guess who's been knitting?
2 Attachment(s)
And crocheting?
ME! :cheering:
Yes. It's true. After nearly a decade of working on KnittingHelp.com, I have finally succumb to the needles. I have knit here and there in the past, but I never got past just your basic knit stitch english style. I used Amy's videos and taught myself continental knitting and purling. My first finished project was a simple cotton dishcloth from this pattern:
From there, I was craving something a little more complex, but not too big and I made this little card holder which I gave to my daughter Erin.
Attachment 56501
So with this project I got some experience with cables, alternating knit and purl and keeping my place within the pattern repeat. I also got good at frogging my work back when I knitted from the wrong line of the pattern. It was a real confidence builder for me.
This pattern is called the Card-igan, and it's supposed to be a gift card holder. I posted it up on our FB page a few weeks:
Now I am getting into crochet a little bit. The Denise Needle folks sent us a set of their crochet hooks and I made a swatch of Tunisian simple stitch and I crocheted my first granny square. I am now working on a crochet hat for Erin. Here's the a pic of the progress.
Attachment 56502
I'm very excited to be doing all this. It feels like I have come full circle. Seeing that I am married to an expert knitter and have a house full of yarn at my disposal, I figured I would take full advantage of the situation. I am also giving Amy some insights into the mind of the beginning knitter which is useful for her video concepts. Only good things can come of all this.
So in closing, you may end up hearing more from me as I post my progress here on KH. With all this knitting and crocheting, I just hope it leaves enough time to work on all my KH website projects. :mrgreen:
Good on you! Great looking card-igan (nifty idea, that) and hat--I would never suspect that you're a beginner.
And just WOW! You're learning to knit and crochet in quick succession here. Very impressive indeed.
I'm looking forward to seeing more of your completed projects, and I'm glad that not only are you keeping our beloved site up and running, but now you're also a part of the wonderful crafts of knitting and crochet!
By the way, Amy actually shares her yarn with you? Now THAT must be true love! (Would I share my yarn with my husband? Hmmmmm??? Thinking . . . thinking . . . he might have to go get his own!)
It's impossible not to share your excitement, enthusiasm and joy at you first projects! Congrats on such terrific knitting and crocheting, The hat and the cardy look wonderful.
:thumbsup: Sheldon, that's terrific, you're even knitting the *right* way! LOL I knit Continental and for me it's the right way because it works. Your projects look really wonderful. I expect to hear about a baby blanket, sweater, or something soon. How many kids can say that Daddy knitted their first blanket? Crochet is cool too. I'm glad you're also enjoying that. Erin will be lovely in her new hat. She's lovely anyway, what better way to show off your new skills?
Amy likes to say that there is no right or wrong way when it comes to English vs. Continental. The right way is which ever way works for you. Previously, when I have knit I did do English, just because the mechanics made it easier to get the yarn through. But watching Amy speedily knitting continental and effortlessly switching between knit and purl stitches compelled me to learn continental.
Congratulations, Sheldon! I saw the picture of you knitting on FB and was hoping you'd share with the forum! :thumbsup:
That's fantastic! I like how it *only* took you 10 years to get more serious about it! :happydance:
I've thought the same thing about crocheters preferrring Continental, but really I'm not at all sure anymore. It seems from reading here that there may well be just as many who prefer English. I hope you realize I was kidding when I said you're knitting the *right* way. The only right way to knit is the way that works best for the individual knitter. As long as the yarn gets round the needle and and pulled through to form a new stitch, it's right, right? I wouldn't care if someone used their teeth and toes somehow, if it worked, it would be right. I've been envious of people who can knit both Continental and English, but now I can actually knit and purl English and feel pretty darned good about it. Purling English was nearly impossible for me, the knit stitch was something I could almost do reasonably well. I must soon try two colors of yarn since that's why I was determined to learn both. After I get more comfortable with what I've already learned I just might try Portugese knitting. Tunisian crochet is calling my name too, and it's getting louder so I think I just might start another Tunisian project soon. I'm not really an addict to yarn arts, I can put it down and walk away any time I want. It will be waiting for me when I come back. :mrgreen:
Has anyone else here tried interlocking crochet? I found it really interesting and rather fun. I made a hot pink and bright yellow blanket for my GD. With those colors, I couldn't get it finished and away from me fast enough but she loves it.
I'm really liking your card-igan and think this is a good way for me to learn something new in knitting on a small scale. I'm very interested in cable but it's been intimidating me for so long! Crocheting is my comfort zone, so when knitting gets me down I go back to crochet. What I need is smaller things so it won't irritate me...your card-gan should do that, thanks!
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Recalls: Roost Birch Bark Wrapped Candles (fire, probably not a good idea to put a candle inside a flammable container), Bon-Ton Children's Bath Robes (burn), Coffee Masters Chipper With Coffee Biscotti (undeclared protein derived from milk, eggs, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and/or soybeans allergens), 2001 Chevy Silverados and GMC Sierras (defective crankshaft), 2007 Chevy Equinox and Pontiac Torrent (increased risk of head injury), 2001 Saturn L Series (timing chain separating), Tiffin RVs (refrigeration coolant leaks), 2004-2007 SUZUKI / GS500 and 2002-2007 SUZUKI / GZ250 (reflectors not reflecting enough).
There is some kind of formatting problem where this story (and several others in the past) has no headline or category, so when it doesn't start with a complete sentence like this it's hard to decipher.
I presume this is a list of recent recalls?
@douglips: Nah, its a list of recommended things to purchase :)
It looks like a list of recalled items to me.
The recall on the Silverado and Sierra is for a crankshaft position sensor, not the crankshaft: this device tells the computer when to fire the spark plugs. A faulty sensor will make the truck run rough: much less scary than anything that could be wrong with a crankshaft.
@kingedwin: Thats what I was going to say. Thats at least a $5000 difference in severity of repair right there.
I read that as "Bark Wrapped Candies." Nothing like some wood to satisfy my sweet tooth.

subset: commoncrawl


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Physicists SCORE for third world
May 31, 2007
A curious phenomenon responsible for the "singing" made by hot glass vessels during the glass blowing process could soon provide the world's poorest communities with everyday conveniences such as a cooker, a fridge and a generator -- all combined within one unit and powered by simple biomass fuels such as wood.
Scientists have long known that sound waves can be generated by irregularly heating a pressurized gas. Now, a new £2m project called SCORE (Stove for COoking, Refrigeration and Electricity supply) is aiming to exploit this "thermoacoustic" principle to develop an affordable and versatile wood-powered generator that will be capable of both cooking and cooling food across the developing world where access to power is severely limited.
The project is being run by leading UK and US researchers along with the charity Practical Action, industry and universities across Africa and Asia. "Though the physical principles are well-understood and the technology has been used before to provide power sources or cooling units on satellites, there has been no research into producing a combined device that can be mass-produced at a reasonable price," said SCORE researcher Mark Johnson of the University of Nottingham.
In the planned appliance, wood is burnt beneath a gas-filled pipe containing a porous "stack" of small parallel channels. As the gas heats up, it creates a temperature gradient across the stack. This causes the gas molecules to oscillate back and forth against the channel walls, exchanging heat and producing areas of high and low gas pressure, which generate intense sound waves like a singing kettle. Then, as the gas is constantly shifting to and fro between the hot and cold sections of the pipe, it begins to "rhythmically" compress and rarefy, thus enhancing the sound waves.
These sound waves can be harnessed in a linear alternator – akin to a loudspeaker operating in reverse – which converts them into electricity. However, they can also be passed to another thermoacoustic engine working backwards to generate a cooling effect. Here, the gas effectively picks up heat from one end of the pipe, transports it, and drops it off at the other. The ensuing cool part can then be used as a refrigerator. Not surprisingly, the heat from the burning wood can also be used as a conventional cooker.
According to SCORE project director Paul Riley, the use of thermoacoustics avoids moving parts, which will make the device far more reliable than petrol or diesel generators. Moreover, it will produce fewer pollutants and use wood far more efficiently than open fires, which are the primary cooking method for two billion people worldwide. The target is to produce the device for a mere £15 to £20 – less than a tenth of what it currently costs to supply electricity to a rural area.
Riley and his colleagues are now recruiting researchers so the technology can be refined. They hope to produce their first prototype in 18 months, with field trials and mass distribution of the devices in target communities by the end of the five-year project.
About the author
Bob Swarup is a science writer based in London, UK


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Love in the Time of Cholera
by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Character Role Analysis
The Central Love Triangle
Love in the Time of Cholera is almost exclusively the story of Fermina Daza and the two men who love her, Florentino Ariza and Dr. Juvenal Urbino de la Calle. While some might prefer one character over the other two, we'd argue that all three are the protagonists of the novel. Take note of the way each character makes his or her first appearance – Fermina is inserted into a story about Dr. Urbino, and Florentino is inserted into Fermina's story. The three are so intertwined that it's impossible to regard them separately.


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Take a sneak peek at the new NIST.gov and let us know what you think!
(Please note: some content may not be complete on the beta site.).
NIST Authors in Bold
|Richard D. Peacock; Kevin B. McGrattan; Bryan W. Klein; Walter W. Jones; Paul A. Reneke;
|CFAST - Consolidated Model of Fire Growth and Smoke Transport (Version 6), Software and Experimental Validation Guide
|June 12, 2009
|This supplement to the CFAST Technical Reference Guide provides details of the software development process for CFAST and accompanying validation for the model. It is based in part on the Standard Guide for Evaluating the Predictive Capability of Deterministic Fire Models, ASTM E 1355. The model evaluation process consists of two main components: verification and validation. Verification is a process to check the correctness of the solution of the governing equations. Verification does not imply that the governing equations are appropriate; only that the equations are being solved correctly. Validation is a process to determine the appropriateness of the governing equations as a mathematical model of the physical phenomena of interest. Typically, validation involves comparing model results with experimental measurement. Differences that cannot be explained in terms of numerical errors in the model or uncertainty in the measurements are attributed to the assumptions and simplifications of the physical model. Evaluation is critical to establishing both the acceptable uses and limitations of a model. Throughout its development, CFAST has undergone various forms of evaluation, both at NIST and beyond. This Supplement provides a survey of validation work conducted to date to evaluate CFAST. Documentation of CFAST Verification is contained in the CFAST Technical Reference Guide
|Special Publication (NIST SP) - 1086
|207 pp.
|Fire growth, smoke transport, computer models, fire models, fire research, hazard assessment, toxicity
|Research Areas:
|Fire Modeling
|PDF version:
|Click here to retrieve PDF version of paper (6MB)


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Steven Fishberger, MD
Director, Pediatric Electrophysiology and Arrhythmia service
Departments & Organizations
Yale New Haven Children's Hospital Series - Surgical Advances in Children's Care
Dr. Fishberger joined the Section of Pediatric is 2008 and has quickly built a robust clinical practice in the diagnosis and management of infants, children and adolescents affected by arrhythmia. He sees patients in a weekly Arrhythmia Clinic and performs electrophysiologic studies in children of all ages. He is also expertly trained in the treatment of arrhythmia by radiofrequency ablation, pacemaker and ICD implantation, and lead extraction. Dr. Fishberger also evaluates and manages pediatric patients with pacemakers and defibrillators.
Education & Training
|Stony Brook School of Medicine, New York (1988)
|State University of New York at Binghamton (1984)
|Massachusetts General Hospital
|Children's Hospital of Boston
|Children's Hospital of Boston
|Children's Hospital National Medical Center


text:
Take a sneak peek at the new NIST.gov and let us know what you think!
(Please note: some content may not be complete on the beta site.).
NIST Authors in Bold
|H J. Kretzschmar; J R. Cooper; A Dittmann; Daniel G. Friend; J S. Gallagher; Allan H. Harvey; K Knobloch; Radim Mares; Kiyoshi Miyagawa; N Okita; I. Stocker; W Wagner; I Weber;
|Supplemental backward equations T(pkh), v(p,h), and T(p,s), v(p,s) for the critical and supercritical regions (region 3) of the industrial formulation
|January 07, 2009
|In modeling steam power cycles, thermodynamic properties as functions of the variables ( ), p h or ( ), p s are required in the critical and supercritical regions (region 3 of IAPWSIF97). It is difficult to perform these calculations with IAPWS-IF97, because they require two-dimensional iterations calculated from the IAPWS-IF97 fundamental equation. While these calculations are not frequently required in region 3, the relatively large computing time required for two-dimensional iteration can be significant in process modeling. Therefore, the International Association for the Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS) adopted backward equations for temperature and specific volume as functions of pressure and enthalpy ( ), T p h, ( ) , v p h and also as functions of pressure and entropy ( ), T p s, ( ), v p s as a supplement to the IAPWS Industrial Formulation 1997 for the Thermodynamic Properties of Water and Steam (IAPWS-IF97) in 2003. These backward equations were issued as "Supplementary Release on Backward Equation! for the Functions ( ), T p h, ( ), v p h and ( ), T p s, ( ), v p s for Region 3 of the IAPWS Industrial Formulation 1997 for the Thermodynamic Properties of Water and Steam". By using the new backward equations, two-dimensional iterations of the IAPWS-IF97 basic equation can be avoided. The numerical consistencies of temperature and specific volume obtained in this way are sufficient for most calculations for heat cycles, boiler, and turbines. In addition, the paper provides equations for the saturation pressure as a function of enthalpy ( ) 3sat p h and as a function of entropy ( 3sat p s for the saturated liquid and saturated vapor boundaries of region 3. Using these equations, it may be determined without iteration whether a state point is located in the single-phase region or in the two-phase region. This paper summarizes the need and the requirements for the equation and gives complete numerical information. In addition, the numerical consistency with the IAPWS-IF97 basic equation, consistency along subregion boundaries, and computational speed are discussed.
|Journal of Engineering for Gas Turbines and Power-Transactions of the ASME
|pp. 294 - 303
|calculation,steam,thermodynamic properties,water
|Research Areas:
|PDF version:
|Click here to retrieve PDF version of paper (9MB)


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Walt Disney has dropped its bid to trademark "Dia de los Muertos" following a public outcry characterizing the company's move as culturally insensitive.
The company filed 10 applications with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for "Dia de los Muertos," including applications pertaining to toys, cereals and jewelry. The May 1 filings came in anticipation of an untitled movie about the Latin American holiday, known in English as Day of the Dead.
"As we have previously announced, Disney-Pixar is developing an animated feature inspired by the Mexican holiday Dia de los Muertos," a studio spokesperson said in a statement. "Disney's trademark filing was intended to protect any potential title for our film and related activities. It has since been determined that the title of the film will change and therefore we are withdrawing our trademark filing."
Those observing the centuries-old holiday, with roots in indigenous Aztec culture, honor the dead by building altars, decorating graves and holding processions. Day of the Dead, traditionally celebrated in early November -- often the day after Halloween -- is observed in Mexico and other parts of Latin America, as well as in Europe and the United States.
"This is a case of bad judgment, where the legal strategy clouded common sense," said Christopher V. Carani, partner at the Chicago intellectual property firm McAndrews, Held & Malloy.
A petition to stop Disney from trademarking "Dia de los Muertos" went up on the website Change.org Tuesday, a day after the website Stitch Kingdom reported the filings. The petition closed Wednesday with 21,277 signatures.
"Our spiritual traditions are for everyone, not for companies like Walt Disney to trademark and exploit," wrote Grace Sesma, the petition's creator. "I am deeply offended and dismayed that a family-oriented company like Walt Disney would seek to own the rights to something that is the rightful heritage of the people of Mexico."
"This is a sacred tradition. It's not for sale," wrote Consuelo Alba of Watsonville.
The trademark application was "odd" to Evonne Gallardo, executive director of the Los Angeles art center Self Help Graphics. The center puts on one of the largest Day of the Dead celebrations in Los Angeles, an event Disney has sponsored.
"The right thing to do is not to attempt to trademark a cultural and spiritual celebration," Gallardo said. "I have yet to see a trademark on Christmas or Hanukkah."
In fact, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has 558 records for trademarks with the word "Christmas" in it, for such products as "Merry Christmas Honey!," "Christmas Whiskey" and even "Fleece Navidad."
And Disney isn't the first group to try to trademark "Dia de los Muertos." The Valence Group, based in Houston, in 2007 applied for and received a trademark for "Dia de los Muertos" for "entertainment services, namely, the continuing production and exhibition of live theater production, stage plays and musical shows."
It's also not the first time Disney has drawn criticism for a trademark application. In 2011 it withdrew its application to trademark "Seal Team 6," the name of the military unit that tracked and killed Osama bin Laden. Less than a week after the Navy SEALs team's successful mission, Disney applied for a patent with plans to produce toys and entertainment.
After the Navy filed its own trademark claim, Disney withdrew its application.
The Disney-Pixar movie has been listed on some film websites as "Untitled Dia De Los Muertos Project."
"Day of the Dead" is already the title of several films -- including horror director George Romero's 1985 "Night of the Living Dead" sequel and a 2008 film about flesh-eating demons. "Dia De Los Muertos" has also been used by a variety of film and TV projects.


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Hitting the ground running.
Category: People
Photo and caption by Daniel Rochat
This is from the 2012 Luxton Pro Rodeo in Langford, British Columbia. I came away with many great shots of this rodeo, but I just love the intensity and concern of the other cowboys in the background of this one. I'm sure this particular cowboy broke some sort of sprinting record!
Location: Langford, British Columbia Canada
More People Entries »
By Aidas Banaitis
By Rachel Glogowski
By Sameer Masand


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"Sell" recommendation from Hedgeye pushes Kinder Morgan yield to 6.75% and I say "Buy"
The run up in U.S. interest rates and worries in the weeks leading up to tomorrow's Federal Reserve decision on whether or not to begin reducing the central bank's monthly purchases of $85 billion of Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities hasn't been kind to dividend stocks, REITs (real estate investment trusts) or MLPs (master limited partnerships.) In fact pretty much anything that trades on yield has tumbled.
For example, units of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), a member of my dividend income portfolio http://jubakpicks.com/jubak-dividend-income-portfolio/ , had fallen from $83.35 on August 28 to $81.32 on September 10. That's a pull back of about 2.4%.
But the damage has gotten a lot worse in the last few days. On September 11 an analyst with Hedgeye Risk Management told Fox Business Network that Kinder Morgan was a house of cards," that "Kinder Morgan's issues are very concerning," and that "there are some very misleading statements with some of the non-GAAP financials." Investors should sell Kinder Morgan. (The analyst, Kevin Kaiser, seems to have been talking about all the Kinder Morgan companies: Kinder Morgan (KMI,) the general partner; Kinder Morgan Management (KMR), which pays distributions in shares rather than in cash; and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners (KMP), the cash-distributing MLP.)
On that blast the units of Kinder Morgan Energy Partners have dropped to $78.17 at the close on September 17, a drop of another 3.9%.
Since I was about to recommend buying Kinder Morgan Energy Partners on the drop—since the yield has climbed to 6.75%–I thought it would be a good idea to dig into the report and Kinder Morgan.
My conclusion: I'm still recommending that you buy the units at this yield.
If I wanted to be really cynical, I'd say the report from Hedgeye is an effort to profit—if you sell short—by playing on general fears of a decline in yield assets in light of the possibility of rising interest rates and that Morgan Kinder Energy Partners in particular and MLPs in general make a good target because relatively few of the retail investors who own MLPs understand all of the ins and outs of this financial instrument. If I wanted to be less cynical, I'd say that the report dredged up "issues" that really aren't issues to those of us who have followed or owned Kinder Morgan Energy Partners for a long time. (I've owned Kinder Morgan Energy Partners off and on in one portfolio or another since 2005.)
What kind of issues? Well, how about the charge that there are "some very misleading statements with some of the non-GAAP financials?" If I'm reading the Hedgeye report correctly, this refers to the way that Kinder Morgan Energy Partners reports maintenance capital. The report argues that the MLP is over-distributing cash flow because it under reports maintenance capital. This argument isn't new—you can argue about what constitutes maintenance capital and growth capital. But importantly for investors Kinder Morgan has been consistent in how it treats this accounting over the years. I don't see any evidence that the MLP has been shifting accounting treatments year to year in order to pump up cash flow from this source. Nor do I see signs that Kinder Morgan is starving its existing assets of maintenance capital in order to pump up cash flow. The report's argument gets pretty convoluted here with charges that the company keeps maintenance capital spending low—either in fact or through accounting—to increase the distributions flowing to Kinder Morgan, the general partner, and Richard Kinder, the CEO of Kinder Morgan and cites accidents at Kinder Morgan's pipelines as evidence of underspending. (The accounting here is interesting—if you're an accounting geek since maintenance capital spending is deducted from distributable cash flow while growth or expansion capital spending isn't.) But Kinder Morgan's accounting practice and accident record seems within industry norms.
One of the telltale flaws in the Hedgeye report comes here when the analyst pulls in a comparison with Chevron (CVX) and Exxon Mobil (XON) to argue that Kinder Morgan's maintenance capital spending should be larger than it is. Kinder Morgan Energy Partners shows way less in capital spending than those oil companies, which, the report argues is a clear sign that something is wrong with Kinder Morgan Energy Partners accounting. Or, it could be, that Chevron and Exxon Mobil are oil companies with huge budgets for finding oil and developing oil fields and Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is mostly a pipeline company.
Apples and oranges. If the report knows that, the argument is intentionally deceptive. If it doesn't, then we don't need to pay attention to this report.
I think the report is aware of this problem because it tries to haul in Kinder Morgan's energy production revenue—about 30,000 barrels a day right now—so that it can argue that Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is actually like Chevron. And then to bring in the argument that you shouldn't invest in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners because oil prices could fall and that would endanger cash flow. And the report tries to find something sinister in the MLP's oil production revenue by arguing that 1) most people don't know about it, and 2) the company hasn't disclosed the danger of falling oil prices. I can't speak to what most people know about Kinder Morgan Energy Partners' revenue from energy production—it's pretty clear in its financials—but I do know that management has been upfront about the possibility that oil prices could fall. If Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is a "house of cards" on these grounds, then so is Exxon Mobil. Kinder Morgan management has, in fact, pursued a strategy of investing in natural gas pipelines, in order to reduce its exposure to a possible decline in oil prices and slowing growth in its CO2 unit, once the big growth driver.
I think there are important questions to ask about Kinder Morgan Energy Partners before you invest. The key ones in this environment are can the company continue to raise capital to invest in new assets (since that's what drives growing cash distributions) at a reasonable price and is the company able to find investment opportunities that generate a high return on investment? Historically, Kinder Morgan has been able to do both of these tasks very well and it looks like the company should be able to continue meeting those challenges for the foreseeable future.
My only knock on Kinder Morgan Energy Partners is that, as a investor favorite in the pipeline MLP space, the units can get pricy. Thanks to the report from Hedgeye Risk Management that's not a problem right now, however.
Full disclosure: I don't own shares of any of the companies mentioned in this post in my personal portfolio. When in 2010 I started the mutual fund I manage, Jubak Global Equity Fund http://jubakfund.com/ , I liquidated all my individual stock holdings and put the money into the fund. The fund did not own shares of any company mentioned in this post as of the end of June. For a complete list of the fund's holdings as of the end of June see the fund's portfolio at http://jubakfund.com/about-the-fund/holdings/
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August 25, 2015
An Editorial Intern's Summer at ASI
Editorial Intern and guest blogger Alexandra Steel discusses her time at ASI
Here's me, with ASI's president/CEO, Tim Andrews!
After graduating in December, I went through the common thoughts that a recent college graduate has – the ones filled with utter confusion trying to figure out what to do next. I was sitting at my computer day in and day out applying to jobs I wanted (and even those I didn't), as well as trying to network with as many people as I could. When I first heard about ASI, I immediately checked to see what openings they had and ended up applying for a temporary job. Thanks to a fellow Bloomsburg Husky, I was able to get my resume directly to HR. However, the positions were filled and I was back to square one. About a month later, I received the email from Michele Bell about ASI's Editorial internship. I knew I couldn't have found a better opportunity and was so thankful all those other jobs I had applied to didn't work out.
When I was told I would be spending a week – prior to me starting at ASI — in New York being trained by the Dow Jones News Fund for business journalism, I was thrilled. I knew this would be an experience I'd never forget and take with me into my career. I stayed in the NYU dorms with about 15 other students from all over (as far as Hawaii), with a beautiful view looking over Manhattan. It was a non-stop week filled with various assignments, guest speakers and lectures, and tours to The New York Stock Exchange and The Metropolitan Museum of Art for an "Empty Met" tour, as well as numerous other experiences. I left with a much greater knowledge of business and what it takes to work in media.
On my first day at ASI, I was very nervous (naturally); I'd never been in a major work environment before and didn't know much about the promotional product industry. However, I fell into place quickly, and after asking Sara Lavenduski – a former Editorial intern who's now a full-time staffer — an infinite number of questions, got the hang of things. I was given many assignments during the tenure of my internship, such as trend articles, product descriptions, and even assisting with the big fashion photoshoot for Stitches and Wearables. Having a love for all things fashion and always dreaming of helping behind the scenes, the photoshoot was by far my favorite assignment. I was given a lot of responsibility to order clothes and accessories and keep everything organized. With all of our early preparation, the shoot went very smoothly producing amazing photos. (See a behind-the-scene video shoot here.)
The entire Editorial department works incredibly hard and their work shows in the award-winning magazines … not to mention they have the most fun. Shout out to the designers who kept me laughing day in and day out back in our little art annex! I was also able to participate in Editorial's summer outing, where we went to Parx Casino to watch live horse races. Not many people can say they got to call that a workday! ASI is truly one of the best places to work, hands down.
My time at ASI has left me with more experience than I could have imagined. I feel much more confident continuing on into my career with the knowledge I gained during my three months here. A huge thank you to Michele for giving me the chance to show everyone what I can do – this has been a terrific summer for me. If you're lucky, you might even get a chance to be on the cover of one of the magazines, like I was!
April 9, 2015
ASI Promocar- Pennsylvania Welcomes You
Filed under: Fun, Uncategorized
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
The ASI Promocar finished its eight-day cross-country promotional tour this week, traveling a total of 3,144 miles across 13 states, with stops in eight cities and towns, featuring a countless number of personal encounters (extraterrestrial and otherwise).
Everywhere the #ASIpromocar stopped throughout ASI's "Driving Serious Fun" PR campaign, people took photos of the promo-covered car and asked questions, leading to innumerable conversations about the high-impact value of promotional items and the $21.5 billion ad specialty industry.
And since everyone loves free stuff, we also gave away a trunkful of logoed giveaways, along with Promocar T-shirts, to remember us by.
The point of driving a moving billboard across America was simple: to motivate end-users to consider advertising with promo products the next time they need to get the word out. Throughout the trip, reactions were overwhelmingly positive.
The Promocar made people smile, laugh, wave and give a thumbs up, at truck stops, rest areas, restaurants, tourist attractions and especially along on the open road (by passengers, not drivers).
The Promocar also garnered its shared of press coverage, from a story in the Los Angeles Times (daily readership: 1.5 million) to a photo in Arkansas' Press Argus-Courier (circ. 4,300).
I know some industry people (and co-workers) think the Promocar is silly, but I challenge them to produce a better conversation starter – or advertising vehicle. Instead of dismissing the freebies glued to the car, people marveled at their staying power (we lost a total of six lightweight items). Viewers were also keen on the wide variety of giveaways decorating the 2002 Mazda, inside and out, from standards like logoed pens and keychains all the way to branded touch gloves and USBs.
At a time when so many of us bury our faces in our devices, or communicate strictly electronically, it was wonderful to meet face-to-face with people of all ages, races and occupations. That kind of personal interaction is a big part of why ASI continues to host brick-and-mortar trade shows across the country. It works!
Every chance we got during the Promocar trip, we pitched the value of promo products – usually in response to the question "Why'd you do that to your car?" It always felt more like a friendly chat than a sales pitch, which I think made it more effective.
My co-pilot and I enjoyed innumerable moments during our mad dash across America, driving six to 13 hours a day, stopping each night in a different city or small town, from Flagstaff, AZ to tiny Floyd, VA. We met hundreds of warm, wonderful people and saw an amazing assortment of weird, wacky roadside attractions. Below are a few of our favorite encounters:
Final Promocar story:
In Virginia, a stern-faced man approaches, looking like he wants to take a swing at us or report us to the local police. Instead, he shocks us by pulling out his camera and saying, "It's beautiful. Beautiful. All the signs and stuff. It's neat."
Pointing to the antique ceramic Hawaiian ukulele man glued to the dashboard (the Promocar's mascot, Bobby, so named because he bob, bob, bobbed along the entire drive), the man adds, "I really like that little man in there bouncing around. Makes it look good."
When we tell him we expect to arrive home in N.J. the next day he says firmly, "You'll make it."
Except for one flat tire, we did – without incident and after enjoying the goodwill and encouragement of a ton of well-wishing strangers. The ASI Promocar certainly won't change the world or go viral. But it made a lot of people smile and gave any number of road-weary travelers something else to write home about – and to remember us by.
I'll take it.
–Dawn Marie
April 8, 2015
ASI Promocar – Couchsurfing My Way Cross-Country
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
When I told a co-worker I planned to stay with strangers as part of the couchsurfing.com experience throughout my 2,700-mile ASI Promocar trip across America, he said "You're nuts!"
His reaction was understandable. To many people, the idea of checking into someone's home (or bus, barn, trailer, tent, villa etc.) instead of a hotel is a little, well, nutty. But since couchsurfing is free and I'm part of an industry based on freebies, it made perfect sense to me.
While traveling from California to N.J. as part of ASI's "Driving Serious Fun" PR campaign, my co-pilot and I stayed with fellow couchsurfers in Memphis, Tennessee; Asheville, North Carolina; and Floyd, Virginia. Each experience was unique – and ultimately wonderful.
The website's motto is simple: "We envision a world made better by travel and travel made richer by connection. Couchsurfers share their lives with the people they encounter, fostering cultural exchange and mutual respect."
The website and the experience is taking off, growing to a global community of 10 million people in more than 200,000 cities who "share their life, their world, their journey."
We couchsurfed in whatever city we could find a willing host. When we couldn't, we opted for Airbnb, another social sharing experience that differs from couchsurfing in that you stay in people's homes, but pay reduced rates for your room. With both sites, hosts and guests review the experience, so you can check out each other beforehand and decide if you'd be a good overnight fit.
As one of our hosts said, "If you check into a hotel you turn on the TV." Instead, we were turned on to the true stories of peoples' lives. In turn, they got to share the #ASIpromocar experience and hear about our adventures on the road.
In Memphis, we met Aaron and Ashley, young schoolteachers who live in a middle-class neighborhood a few miles from downtown. They had 310 positive references and Aaron has been a member since 2005, hosting over 500 people to date.
I admit, driving up to their house we were nervous. For one, we were of a different generation. And, although I'd warned them about the Promocar, reading about it in an email and having a car covered in colorful promotional products parked in your driveway in full view of your neighbors are two very different things. We needn't have worried.
Some couchsurfers pass in the night, barely interacting. Others, like us, get to enjoy Friday night art walk in a hip Memphis neighborhood and enjoy dinner afterward at the most unusual wine bistro I've ever visited, the Greencork Self-Serve Wine Bar.
Later on, Ashley and Aaron shared stories about teaching impoverished Memphis schoolchildren and even showed us their wedding photos. We learned the story behind the white top hat and bow tie each of their guests put on for a photo (there was this bison, see…aww, never mind — you had to be there).
We had such a wonderful experience, we hated to leave. But more adventures lie ahead.
The sun rose over Memphis as we hit the road, finally eating the mini cinnamon donuts we got at Graceland, bound for Asheville and our second couch surfing experience at a gorgeous modern home high on a hill with a view to still your heart.
Patty, a retired executive assistant, knitter and writer, and Steve, a bass player with a music room to die for and a wall full of amazing photos taken by his father, immediately made us feel at home. After giving us a great tour of downtown Asheville, we enjoyed delicious Southern food at Tupelo Honey Café, featuring the best fried shrimp and collard greens I've ever tasted.
Our third and final couchsurfing experience took place in tiny Floyd, VA (population 425), known for its strong music and literary scene and proximity to the historic Blue Ridge Parkway.
In Floyd, we were greeted by Tara and her red-haired toddler son, Rowan, two mutts and an assortment of clucking, pecking chickens. Tara offered us homemade egg salad and fresh-baked pumpkin pie and told us all about living in Floyd, the challenges and the joys. Rowan – the cutest child I've ever seen –showed us his room, his fish and his toys.
It was the sweetest experience of our entire trip.
We spent the night in a converted room above the barn in a comfortable bed with a wipe-open view of surrounding cow and sheep fields. At sunrise, instead of a jarring alarm clock, we wake to the sounds of the farm. Moo!
It's our last night on the road. Tomorrow, we finally sleep in our very own bed.
–Dawn Marie
April 7, 2015
ASI Promocar – Turning Heads at Starbucks
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
It's easy after a while to forget you're driving a car covered in a riot of products and paint. You pull into a gas station late at night and tell the tattooed clerk (to a one they are almost always tattooed, always pleasant, always young) and ask for X dollars on pump Y.
They glance outside to confirm the pump number, then do a slow double take. They pause, I'm sure wondering if they even want to know, and then ask any number of variations on "Do you have balls on your car?"
If I'm too tired to explain I say, simply, yes, ma'am I do, and leave it at that. Not a single one asks me why I have balls on my car. I guess when you work the midnight shift in a one-store town you've pretty much seen it all, including the ASI Promocar.
At a Starbucks outside Roanoke, the clerk at the drive-through window says nothing until she's handed over the last item. "OK," she says, "Do I have to ask you about your car?"
You do, I say, and explain the wow and the why. Like everyone we've met along this cross-country "Driving Serious Fun" tour to spread the word about the $21.5 billion promo products industry, she wishes us the best of luck and safe travels home.
Fifty hours of driving down. Just eight more or so to go.
–Dawn Marie
April 7, 2015
ASI Promocar – Fitting Right In At Graceland
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
We start singing Paul Simon's ode to Elvis, "Graceland," soon as we cross the state line, so excited to see the home of the King himself, chanting "I'm going to Graceland/Graceland/In Memphis Tennessee" over and over as we drive closer and closer.
Elvis bought the 1939 mansion (named after a female member of the original farm family that owned it) in 1957, when he was 22 and riding high on his first sonic boom of super-stardom.
Back then, the surprisingly modest mansion was one of the few houses in a largely rural community. How times have changed. Today, Elvis' old nabe is littered with low-rent businesses and strip malls. His new next door neighbor is a BJs fast food joint featuring buffet style wings and things.
You arrive at the Graceland experience after turning off Elvis Presley Boulevard into a huge parking lot across the street from the gated mansion. The first thing we see after entering the ticket area before boarding shuttles is a sign that says "Before Elvis, there was nothing. — John Lennon." It's the perfect introduction.
As we wait for our tour to start we kill time at the restaurant, ordering Elvis' favorite sandwich: the fried peanut butter and banana, topping it off with a bag full of mini cinnamon donuts, figuring Elvis himself would approve. Everywhere we look, we see people carrying plastic blue and white Elvis gift bags. I imagine if you don't buy at least one souvenir, you're barred from leaving. I opt for T-shirts, mugs and rockin' Elvis tights.
Standing in line a biker chick overhears a 70-something woman recount the time she saw the King in Memphis when she was a teenager. "You met Elvis?" she says, reaching out her hand. "I gotta touch you." The older woman's eyes still shine as she recounts his flashy white pantsuit and the way he twirled his cape as he strode into the audience of screaming, mostly female fans. By the time she's finished her story she's drawn a crowd. Tell it, sister, tell it! "I saw him," she says of her brush with Elvis. "I thought I would die."
It's official: We are among devout worshippers in the House of Elvis. And there's no place I'd rather be.
Best laugh: Asking Graceland employees Racquel and Shawonda about the large sign that says "I shot Elvis." They crack up when I say, shocked, "Elvis was shot?!? How'd I miss that?" Turns out it's an exhibit of photos people have taken of Elvis over the years. "Yeah," Showanda says, "We should probably change that name." Branding is indeed everything.
There are no longer any tour guides at Graceland. These days you're handed an iPad you hang around your neck and a pair of earphones. As you pass through themed rooms like the Jungle Room (with it famous green shag carpet, elaborately carved wooden furniture and Polynesian monkey ceramics), you're supposed to scroll through the screens for more info or tap on your favorites.
I don't get the point of looking at a screen when I'm standing in front of the actual scene so I largely ignore the device. I'm enthralled, however, by the audio since it features narration by Elvis' and Priscilla's daughter, Lisa Marie. Her heartfelt stories of growing up in the house, hanging in the kitchen and joining the musicians jamming in the basement rec room are both fascinating and unexpectedly touching. She was nine when her daddy died at age 42 of an apparent heart attack suffered in Graceland's bathroom, which is not shown on the tour.
With so many Fat Elvis punch lines crowding your memory, it's easy to forget Presley – who started singing at age 10 – was a son, husband and beloved father, as well as one of the most masterful musicians of our time.
When you walk into the adjacent trophy and racquetball buildings, with the floor to ceilings framed gold and platinum records, headless costumed dummy and encased Grammy Awards (surprisingly, he won just three, and all for Gospel recordings) you're gob-smacked by the breadth of his musical reach and his influence on everyone from Bob Dylan to Elvis Costello and Bono.
I couldn't help but wonder if any of the hundreds of plaques and awards were made by ASI members, since the awards segment of the promo products industry is so huge. One gift in the museum portion of the tour that caught my eye was a large RCA TV with a plaque on top that his record company gave him. And I don't fail to spot the Elvis mug on his father Vernon's desk in an office that looks as if he just stubbed out his last cigarette.
It's easy to understand why the official website describes Graceland as the "Embodiment of the American dream — a poor small town boy who reached super stardom and changed pop culture and the world forever. Other than his daughter and his music, Graceland was probably Elvis' greatest pride and joy."
We treat the site with the respect it deserves, making sure before we leave to park by the outside stone wall, where legions of fans have signed their name near the legendary custom gates that feature twin guitar players and an array of musical notes.
There, we meet the self-proclaimed "freebie man," who's traveling with his wife as part of a 25th anniversary celebration. He loves anything free, he says, happily taking a "Driving Serious Fun" T-shirt and enthusiastically signing the car just like he did the wall.
For my part I sign the wall "#ASIpromocar 2015." Somehow, I think Elvis would approve.
–Dawn Marie
April 6, 2015
ASI Promocar – Airbnb in Arizona
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
If you haven't heard of or used Airbnb yet, you soon will.
Like Zipcar or Uber, it's part of the new shared society, whereby people with, say, a car or a room to rent, monetize it for a lower cost than a traditional hotel room. Airbnb has been around since 2008 and calls itself a community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique accommodations in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries — online or from a mobile phone.
In LA, thanks to Airbnb, we stayed in our own beautiful room in a gorgeous hilltop home owned by Shida, a dancer from Iran. In Santa Fe, we enjoyed an immaculate adobe. And in Flagstaff, we joined Kari and Jeff around their dining room table at the Contemporary Mining Camp House, an amazing house they built themselves, set amid ponderosa pines on ancient buffalo fields, hearing about the 9-month world tour they took with their two kids in tow.
Yes, it's a little disconcerting at first, driving up to a stranger's home on the strength of a few emails – especially when it's late at night, you've just driven 400 miles and you're driving a Promocar. You hope they're not mild-mannered ax murderers and they hope that, despite your unusual choice of automobile, you're not lunatics.
Shortly after our arrival, while sharing tales from the road, Jeff got round to asking me about the products on the Mazda now parked in his driveway.
"They're all promotional products," I replied, preparing to launch into an explanation of the industry when he said, astonished, "I was in that industry! Maurer and Associates." The company, started by his dad, revolved chiefly around apparel, specializing in golf tournaments. "I bet I can even remember my ASI number," he said, rattling it off. "We always looked for items that weren't being carried. There were so many to choose from."
Tell me about it.
After such positive experiences with Airbnb, I can't imagine staying at an expensive hotel again. You meet incredible people, hear amazing stories and experience neighborhoods and cities first hand, just like a local.
And sometimes, even your host's cat feels comfortable enough to jump in your car as you're preparing to once again hit the open road.
–Dawn Marie
April 3, 2015
ASI Promocar at the Cadillac Ranch
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
Life sure is full of incredible coincidences, especially on a 2700 mile road trip in the ASI Promocar.
Spent the night at the Contemporary Mining Camp House in Flagstaff, AZ with Kari and Jeff, who are part of the AirBnB community. They spent nearly four years building their house, set amid ponderosa pines on ancient buffalo fields, and made partially of reclaimed material like old railroad tracks. Recently returned from a 9-month world tour with their two kids in tow, we were sharing tales from the road when Jeff asked about the products on the Mazda now parked in their driveway.
"They're all promotional products," I replied, preparing to launch into an explanation of the industry when he said, astonished, "I was in that industry! Maurer and Associates." The company, started by his dad, was centered around apparel, specializing in golf tournaments. "I bet I can even remember my ASI number," he said, rattling it off. "We always looked for items that weren't being carried. There were so many to choose from."
Tell me about it!
The next day, the Promocar made it to an automobile mecca: the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX, which features 10 classic Caddys buried nose first in a field off Interstate 40, all now covered in spray paint from tagging tourists.
As we approached, a couple asked us to take their photo. Of all things, what's the man carrying? A promotional mug from Santa Fe.
Returning to the #ASIpromocar we find a Chinese man enthusiastically filming every inch. "He's CK," his American tour guide explained. "He's famous in China. Very big star. With China Auto Sports Club. He loves your car."
Then, CK gave me a gift — his very own promotional product — a sticker from the CASC, which he's handing out to everyone he meets on his own cross-country tour of America, in the time-honored freebie fashion.
Before we parted, they both signed the car, joining the legions who've already left their mark on the Promocar. So far, in addition to sigs from numerous US residents, we've collected autographs from Honduras, Mexico and New Zeland.
Small world indeed.
–Dawn Marie
April 2, 2015
ASI Promocar – Desert Days
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
The ASI Promocar is nothing if not a conversation starter. Pull into any gas station, trading post or coffee shop along Interstate 40 in a zippy little Mazda covered inside and out in a wild assortment of logoed items and people will gather 'round like moths to a flame. Out come the cameras – and the questions.
"Why'd you do that to your car?"
Feeling a little like a Walmart pitchman selling ginsu knives, I spring into action, ready with answers, freebies and questions of my own:
"Tell me this – how many promo products like the ones you see on this car do you own?"
It's a light bulb moment – and it goes off every single time, during every single roadside spiel.
"Yup," I tell the Long Island family of four traveling to Phoenix for their daughter's wedding, "This is a $21.5 billion industry – for good reason. Promotional products are an affordable, high-impact item any smart business can use to put their company name, slogan or event front and center in a user's mind."
"What's the last TV commercial you remember?" I ask. "Can't think of it, eh? But you sure remembered the name of the bank that gave you that great pen you use all the time, didn't you?"
ASI could send out a hundred press releases touting promo products' terrific recall and ROI without ever scoring the kind of one-on-one, face-to-face affirmation I'm experiencing every day on the road about products people use, enjoy and, above all, remember.
And in this day and age, when so many of our shared experiences are electronic, it's downright refreshing to look people in the eye, shake their hands and laugh over something silly like the zombie stress ball glued to the Promocar's driver's side door.
For a week, the #ASIpromocar gets to be a mobile roadside attraction, in the spirit of Arizona's Wigwam Motel and the giant golf ball in California's Mojave Desert. It's good old American fun, which I'm betting we can all use a dose of now and again.
–Dawn Marie
April 1, 2015
Newflash! Aliens Abscond With ASI Promocar
Filed under: Fun
Roadside extra-terrestrial overcomes driver, drives off in company art car on its 2,700 mile journey across the U.S.
April Fool's! The ASI Promocar is safe and already in New Mexico, bound today for Arkansas on its cross-country promotional tour. The car has been very popular with everyone who sees it. You can follow it, along with rightful driver Dawn Marie, on ASI Central, ASI Central's Facebook, Tim's Blog and Instagram.
–Dawn Marie
March 31, 2015
ASI Promocar Stops At The Laurel Canyon Country Store
Filed under: Fun
Guest blogger Dawn Marie is ASI's PR manager and creator and driver of the ASI Promocar, part of a year-long PR campaign to drive attention to the promo products industry.
The century-old Laurel Canyon Country Store is a storied landmark where everyone from Joni Mitchell to Mama Cass and Jim Morrison has guzzled coffee and shopped for groceries. It is the epitome of California cool. Naturally, I drove the #ASIpromocar there to check out their promo products – and ogle celebs. Turns out, it's like a museum for ad specialties: A Kennedy bumper sticker and Fred Astaire dance flyer under glass on the counter. Recyclable bags. And of course, T-shirts.
I got a cappuccino and a bag and took a ton of photos. Oddly, not one person asked for my autograph.
–Dawn Marie


text:
'Once in a Lullaby' and the Analog/Digital Divide
Jonathan Kalafer is the director and producer of "Once in a Lullaby"
It was clear from the first shoot with PS22 Chorus Director Gregg Breinberg that we had amazing chemistry. He was instantly comfortable with my camera and I was comfortable with him, the students, and the school setting. Shooting Greg directing the chorus felt like I was jamming in a band I had been in for years; it brought to mind the telepathic artistic communication you hear seasoned bands reference, allowing us to co-create in the moment. It's a documentary filmmakers dream come true and it translated into some amazing moments in "Once in a Lullaby".
Perhaps this was because Gregg Breinberg and I have a lot in common. We are both public school teachers in urban neighborhoods. We both relish collaborating with our students on non-traditional creative projects. We both use video sharing sites, social media and the web as platforms for showcasing and archiving student work. And, we're both from the generation that really straddled the digital divide. We grew up and entered adulthood in an analog world, but we were still young enough when the Internet started taking over our culture to be early adopters. We aren't digital natives but we were among that first wave of immigrants. Having one foot in both the "analog" and the "digital" has drastically shaped the way I see the world, my teaching, and it is one of the lenses I've used in shooting this film.
Early in the documentary there is a scene where Gregg is disclosing the genesis of the PS22 Chorus' presence on the web. We see him in his home office/studio uploading a video to YouTube and scanning the stats for his blog. In the background, occupying an entire wall, is his collection of home-recorded VHS video cassettes (Gregg is a huge classic film buff). It is a moment where this analog/digital juxtaposition is crucially communicated through mise-en-scene and one where Gregg is identified as a first wave digital immigrant. It also encapsulates the novelty that something like YouTube has for those of us who have archived video with analog technology; it is a novelty and appreciation of power that I think is largely lost on our digital native students.
This analog/digital juxtaposition is a key element in the main action of the film. Bruce Cohen, the Producer of that year's Oscar show, along with Don Mischer and The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences chose the PS22 Chorus as the grand finale of the Oscar Ceremony. It was a particularly significant risk in that they felt strongly enough about it to create a "finale", something that hadn't previously existed as part of the show. On the one hand, it was the 21st century version of the quintessential Hollywood "discovery" story, where the talent is discovered on YouTube instead of working at a gas station or waiting tables. However, it is different in a very important way: those videos were discovered and loved by audiences at the same time as Hollywood discovered them. It was very intriguing to see Hollywood acknowledging these stars of new media at an event dedicated to acknowledging classic cinema forms. Their risk paid off, as it was widely lauded as an "ultimate Oscar moment".
As a filmmaker the digital divide creates interesting material for exploration, but as a teacher the digital divide has created as many challenges as opportunities. Over the past decade I've witnessed an out-of-control classroom shift from the students sitting in circles and talking or throwing spit balls, to one where the students are sitting quietly listening to earphones, entranced, and fiddling with a small device. As a teacher with this digital-divide-duality perspective I have come to the conclusion that my job is as much about teaching students pre-information age communication skills, as it is making sure that I am using information-age tools in reaching them. While we make the most of our students' ability to interact with the entire planet through technology we must also ensure that they are able to interact face-to-face with the student sitting next to them.
"Once in a Lullaby" premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival on Sunday, April 29th at 3pm.


text:
From Latin affaber ("workmanlike"), from ad + faber.
affabrous (comparative more affabrous, superlative most affabrous)
- (rare, poetic) Executed in a workmanlike manner; ingeniously made.
- (Can we find and add a quotation of Bailey to this entry?)
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster's Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.


text:
Been here? Rate It!
Specktakel: Food from all over the world
How about Crocodile Dundee salad, South African butternut King mussels, Californian rare grill tuna tataki, Caribbean fruit soup ......
The list goes on. It's just food from all over the world.
When I revisited Haarlem in 2014 I was pleased to see the restaurant was still there.
Business hours:
Mo-Su: 5:30PM - 10PM
Favorite Dish: Greek-sigara
New Zealand's lamb roast
Mississippi Mudcake
Address: Spekstraat 4 - 2011 HM Haarlem
Directions: First street South of the Grote Markt
Phone: +31-23-5323841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl
- Wine Tasting
- Food and Dining
- Beer Tasting
Specktakel: international
open: from 17:00 ; kitchen open till 22:00 hour
Lunch: from 12:00 till 16:00 hour only on saturday.
nice dishes with food.
Favorite Dish: i had a combination menu for 25 euro
first (see picture)
Japanese red tuna carpaccio
thais roasted duckbrest
mississippi mudcake
Address: Spekstraat 4
Phone: +31-23-5323841
Specktakel: Outstanding
Although from the United States, I make it a point to visit colleagues and friends in the Netherlands on a nearly annual basis. When my travels take me to Haarlem--which they invariably do--I will always stop with guests for a meal here. The food is outstanding, the service friendly but not intrusive, and the prices very reasonable.
Address: Spekstraat 4
Directions: Behind the Vleeshal and Verweyhal on Grote Markt
Phone: 023-5323841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl/Add to your Trip Planner
Specktakel: The world's most tasty dishes on your plate.
I like this restaurant a lot.
It's situated in the old town center and it has a very nice garden behind the building. Just ask and they will show you.
The (waiting) personnel is very friendly. They won't disappoint you.
They serve dishes from all over the world for example: Australian Kangaroo beef, Japanese duck, Thai smokey butterfish and Marrocan Lambracks. The menu changes every couple of months.
Also the deserts are very spectaculair. And over all: You'll get enough food.
The dishes are served in a very spectaculair way. For example: Lot's of Japanese dishes are served in a authentic Japanese "steambasket"
They have a wine menu as well. You can choose from lot's of different wine's from all over the world for example South African wine. But they also serve other drinks like sangria, sake, Thai, Japanes and Australian beer.
A three course menu starts at Euro 25,00.
Favorite Dish: My favorite dish at the moment is Australian lemon peppered roo-burger. It's a kangaroo burger with garlicbread, bushpeppersalsa and rocket leaves. But as I allready said, the menu changes every couple of months.
I like this dish so much because it's very spicey and the combination of the diverse ingredients is very special.
Address: Spekstraat 4
Directions: Behind the Vleeshal and Verweyhal wich are situated on the Grote Markt.
Phone: 023-5323841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl/
Brooklyned (VT name, his name is Ed) was my partner at table and a talkative pleasant one, who clearly loved the Dutch food and felt very at ease with VT friends he had never seen or heard of before.......
He is from New York...........
We had a great dinner, lots of fun and isn't that what meetings are for??
Address: Spekstraat 4
Directions: Behind the Vleeshal and Verweyhal on Grote Markt
Phone: 023-5323841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl/
Restaurant Specktakel: some of the dishes you get served
In the very heart of Haarlem city, you will find this resto with its varied international cuisine.
You can have a combined meal at the price of 25 Euro.
Favorite Dish: My mean dish was South African antilope roastbeaf, with sweet potatoes and peanuts and fine green beans.
In one sentence: it was delicious!
Address: Spekstraat 4, Haarlem
- Family Travel
- Food and Dining
Specktakel: International cuisine
Het specktakel is an international restaurant with dishes from Africa, America, Australia...
Every 2 months they change their menu.
You can have a combined menu for a fixed price of 25 Euro.
I can highly recomend this restaurant!
Favorite Dish: I think I will have to show that in a next tip!
Thanks to Martin where I found the website address!
(so have a look at his page too!)
Address: Spekstraat 4, Haarlem
Directions: Just around the corner of the Market square at the opposite side of the back of the Vleeshal (meat hall).
Phone: +31-(0)23-5323841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl/
- Family Travel
- Food and Dining
Specktakel: Great all around the world oriented restaurant
Every two months the menu in this restaurant changes. There is a great choice in international oriented dishes. They range from South Africa, Australia and Japan. Everyne will find something they like. You can choose 3 courses for a set price of €25.00. Which is a very good deal, since the price of a starter and a main course together is also €25.00, so basically you get the dessert for free! All the dishes are very well presented on plates that represent a country. You can take a look in the travelogues to see how some dishes are served or take a look at the restaurants internet page.
Favorite Dish: The menu I had was:
-Japanese red tuna carpaccio
-South African antiloop-roastbeef
-Carribean fruit soup
Everything tasted truly marvelous and I can recommend this restaurant to anyone for a great culinary experience!
Address: Spekstraat 4
Directions: This restaurant is found behind the Vleeshal and Grote Kerk.
Phone: 023-5323841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl/
- Food and Dining
This place is extremely fine, a real surprise!
We were seated around a large table, writing cards (many!) talking and drinking while waiting for one of the waitresses.
In the meantime we had time to have a look around and impolite or not, I always want to have a good look, how else can I tell about the place??
There is s summer "binnentuin", large patio with 50 seats.
OPEN: it is opened daily!
Price: 3 course diner 25 eur (dexcl. drinks)
Favorite Dish: They always offer you a 3 course menue and for each course you can choose from quite a list of dishes with the most funny names like: Crocodile Dundee Salad
South African butternut kingmussel
Greek sigara these are all starters..
S. African Antilope steak
Thay duck breast
Californian rare grilled tuna tataki etc...
Mississippi mudcake
Crème Amarula
Carribean fruitsoup
Lemonello tiramisu
AUSTRALIAN STYLE POTATOE WEDGES with garlic yoghurt...
There is also a VEGGIE card and on request special diet dishes..
Address: Spekstraat 4 HAARLEM
Directions: see your city plan.....
Haarlem is so near to Amsterdam, do go there by car or pref. by train (parking)....
Phone: 023 53 23 841
Website: http://www.specktakel.nl
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text:
"V S Rawat" wrote..
> my 3b3 is hanging every now and then. much more than all netscape and ff
> had every hung in last 10 years.
> and then it restarts and all options settings are gone, all extensions
> reinstall with blank or default settings.
> I am fed up.
> anyway. it is again opening javascript encoded link in a separated small
> window which were previously opening in new tab in the same window.
> how to use it in single window, multiple tabs mode?
Scandisk is in the subject, but is not in the question, does scandisk
keep getting errors. Same for word hangs and your version.
Please include everything in the question.
Backing up your user files, would include your profile, do you
have backup? If you do, you could have restored your profile
with Firefox down (of course Firefox should have been down also
when backing up, guess I'm not good on that part).
Would you check to see if you have multiple profiles, and switched
your profile. Check your profile to see if you have multiple files
-- files ending with sequential numbers.
Make sure that you don't have hidden files, or read only files
(write protected files) from a restore from a backup to removable device (CD) .
See http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/firefox/profile.htm
As far as Tabs go, your main setting is in Tools, Options, Tabs
New pages open in Tabs, and each of the four items following also checked.
on the "Tabs Option" link in
also see
Tabbed Browsing in Firefox
Location: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/firefox/tabs.htm
Companion: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/firefox/tabs_config.htm
David McRitchie, extensions I use are briefly documented on my site
Firefox Custom: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/firefox/firefox.htm


text:
Book your room at I Triangoli Residence
Get an overview of this hotelSuburban Rome apartment in Ostia with restaurant
Located in Ostia, this apartment is within 9 mi (15 km) of Euroma2, Museum of Roman Civilization, and White Gallery. Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls and Baths of Caracalla are also within 12 mi (20 km).
Property Features
This apartment features a restaurant, a bar/lounge, and self parking. WiFi in public areas is free. Other amenities include meeting rooms, concierge services, and laundry facilities.
Room Amenities
All 80 apartments offer free WiFi and free wired Internet, plus kitchenettes and LCD TVs with satellite channels. Other amenities available to guests include room service, hair dryers, and safes.Would you like to give us feedback? Share it! Opens in a new window
I Triangoli Residencevia Ermanno Wolf Ferrari, 285 Rome RM 00124
Hotel Amenities
Hotel Amenities
The apartment offers a restaurant. A bar/lounge is on site where guests can unwind with a drink. High-speed wired and wireless Internet access is complimentary. Event facilities measuring 1237 square feet (115 square meters) include meeting rooms. For a surcharge, a roundtrip airport shuttle (available on request) is offered to guests. This business-friendly apartment also offers multilingual staff, concierge services, and complimentary newspapers in the lobby. Parking is available onsite for a surcharge.
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Airport transportation (surcharge)
- Total number of rooms - 80
- Number of floors - 5
- Breakfast available (surcharge)
- Free newspapers in lobby
- Laundry facilities
- Meeting rooms
- Multilingual staff
- Restaurant
- Conference space size (feet) - 1237
- Self parking (surcharge)
- Conference space size (meters) - 115
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Bar/lounge
- Concierge services
- Free WiFi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
- Number of meeting rooms - 2
Family Friendly Amenities
- Family Hotel
- Free Wi-Fi
- Kitchenette
- Laundry facilities
- Babysitting or childcare (surcharge)
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi , Free wired high-speed Internet
Self parking (surcharge)
Room Amenities
- Air conditioning
- Kitchenette
- Daily housekeeping
- Private bathroom
- Free toiletries
- Hair dryer
- Shower only
- In-room safe
- Satellite TV service
- Room service
- Free cribs/infant beds
- Free WiFi
- Free wired high-speed Internet
Where to Eat
I Triangoli Residence has a restaurant on site.
Room service is available.
Hotel Policies
Check-in time starts at 2 PM
Special check-in instructions:
Check-out time is noon
Payment types
- Pets allowed
- Restrictions apply
- For more information contact the property at the number on the booking confirmation
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
No rollaway/extra beds available
Parking height restrictions apply
- A tax is imposed by the city: EUR 4 per person, per night, up to 10 nights. This tax does not apply to children under 10 years of age.
Optional extras
- Breakfast fee: EUR 8 per person (approximately)
- Self parking fee: EUR 5 per night
- A kitchen/kitchenette is available for an additional fee
Hotel Name
- I Triangoli Residence Apartment Rome
- I Triangoli Residence Apartment
- I Triangoli Residence Rome
- I Triangoli Residence
We should mention
Cash transactions at this property cannot exceed EUR 2999.99, due to national regulations. For further details, please contact the property using information in the booking confirmation. Guests can arrange to bring pets by contacting the property directly, using the contact information on the booking confirmation.


text:
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2012 Lady Royals Classic SeedsPosted Friday, December 7, 2012, at 1:34 PM
Here is the bracket for the 2012 Lady Royals Classic.
Dexter is the top seed and defending champions.
A couple changes for this year include Sikeston leaving and Chaffee taking its place. Also, note that the schedule now stretches for a week instead of the four or five days in the past. It all starts Saturday, Dec. 15 with the opening round and concludes a week later on Saturday, Dec. 22 with championship night.
Here are the seeds and their current records as of Friday afternoon:
Showing comments in chronological order
[Show most recent comments first]
I like the idea of playing the tournament on two Saturdays instead of one!
-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 2:08 PM
I do question that Neelyville was seeded over Clearwater because didn't Clearwater beat Neelyville 65-48 on Dec. 3rd. I might be wrong, but that's the score that was posted on mosports.
-- Posted by sm0723 on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 2:12 PM
Yes Clearwater did beat Neelyville by 17 so I question this as well.
-- Posted by impax21 on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 2:49 PM
Sounds like the seedings are definitely debatable this season. Any predictions regarding which team will win the tournament?
-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 2:56 PM
Dexter is going to be tought to beat this year! I wouldnt count out New Madrid or Clearwater. Clearwater has sophomore who had around 40 points last nigth in clearwaters win over Lesterville.
-- Posted by impax21 on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 3:01 PM
Is Clearwater a serious contender for the state final four impax21?
-- Posted by Dustin Ward on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 3:02 PM
That I do not know. They definitely have potentialy. They are well coached however they dont have a deep bench.
-- Posted by impax21 on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 3:05 PM
Yes, I heard she has scored 30+ in all 3 clearwater victories this season.
-- Posted by impax21 on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 3:06 PM
Morris has had games of 30, 36 and 39 points so far this year. In last night's game, she had eight 3s.
I think Neelyville was given a slight edge by the coaches over Clearwater based on a little harder schedule. Neelyville won the Lady Dawg Classic and has beaten Twin Rivers twice. Last night, they beat Twin Rivers after losing freshman point guard Shelby Moon to injury in the opening moments and Kayla Maupin had four fouls at halftime. All credit due though, Clearwater beat Neelyville handily Monday night.
Clearwater is very much improved but two of its wins were blowouts over East Carter and Lesterville.
-- Posted by DARsports on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 3:43 PM
Looks like the tournament should be a good one!
-- Posted by impax21 on Fri, Dec 7, 2012, at 3:48 PM
dexter will win it without a dought. they are for real.
-- Posted by exoball on Sun, Dec 9, 2012, at 8:29 AM
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Rob Tate has been with the Daily American Republic in Poplar Bluff, Mo. since August 2008 and is currently the assistant sports editor. Rob was born and raised in Clawson, Mich., just 14 miles north of Detroit and is an avid Tigers, Lions, Pistons, Red Wings and University of Michigan fan. He has also adopted the Rams and Mizzou to his favorites since moving to Missouri. He is a 2008 graduate of Oakland (Mich.) University where he received his bachelor of arts in journalism. Rob and his wife Sara live in Poplar Bluff.
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text:
PPL Electric Utilities customers will be offered money-saving incentives to reduce consumption in the years ahead, says company spokesman Ryan Hill.
PPL Electric and other companies are mandated by a new state law to reduce electric usage by 3 percent by mid 2013. That is equivalent to the service territory's 1.2 million residential customers going one month without power, Hill said.
"It set pretty tough target for utilities to meet," said Hill.
To encourage conservation, PPL will roll out financial incentives. The company will pay customers $35 to get rid of an old, energy-guzzling refrigerator or freezer. PPL also will offer cash rebates for those who buy newer energy efficient appliances with the "Energy Star" label.
PPL Electric also will issue coupons to buy energy-saving fluorescent light bulbs at a discount.
Customers should watch the PPL Web site and bills for details.
Location, ST | website.com


text:
We were in need of a new syrup for Friday Morning Waffles. My last creation was a bomb; a goopy, grainy, bitter mess (I blame the peaches, anybody found a way to use up icky mushy peaches?) Usually fresh berries and whipped cream suffice, only one problem, berry season is gone. We have done syrups from frozen berries and those are nice too. But for this morning I came up with a nice buttery topping that was such a treat. I can see this going well on a lot of things… hot cereal, ice cream, brownies, vegetables.For the waffles I used the same recipe as my soaked pancakes, sometimes changing up the grains to spelt and oats. Make sure you have a nice, clean, nonstick waffle iron that gets really hot to prevent sticking. Even with all that, I still spray the iron before the fist one goes on, just for good measure.
1/3 cup sucanat
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup soaked and dehydrated pecans
2 bananas, sliced
Melt sugar and salt in butter until smooth. Add vanilla, pecans and bananas. Heat through and serve.


text:
Good bye to blogging
I was going to end this blog next month in June the 15,my birthday.For some reason I feel I should end it now.I don't want to blog anymore,I'll still read other peoples blogs and leave comments and who knows I may even open up a new blog,except I wouldn't be so free in sharing like I did with this one.
Next month I should get my divorce certificate and it would be exactly one year since I started a new chapter in my life.The year has been long and hard.I want to leave behind a few points I 'think' I have understood….
1) The art of being happy is one that has to always be taken care of,at times you will fall and even fall in to a deep ditch,don't be ashamed to ask for help
2) We all make mistakes,the question is how do we react when the mistake is done? despair? hopelessness? hating ourselves? learning from our mistakes? …the most powerful tool I have found that works is in prayer..each time I pray,it humbles me and brings me a peace of mind.Through prayer I also find a solutions.
3) A woman means nothing to a man unless she is his wife.
4) My self respect,my integrity means more to me than anything in this world,no one deserves to take it away from me.
5) As a parent my responsbility comes first to my daughter.
6) Fake it until you make it ! Like for example even if you think your ugly,tell yourself every single day that your beautiful,until comes a day you will believe it and people will see it.
7) Be charitable with the people,its so rewarding.Ie,help a friend when she is down,help a woman on the street with her bags,bake a cake for your neighbour….
8) Pray,pray and pray,I really can not stress this enough to anyone,nothing works like prayer.
9) Never give up ! ,I once said to a woman that what I REALLY REALLY REALLY,want is to be so close to Allah and become his friend BUT I don't feel I can ever be that,then I thought no,I may not be that now,or in a week or two weeks,but that does not mean I give up,I have to keep trying till I get there,I may even have to change my friends,I may even have to change my tactics but one thing for sure,never give up. So what ever it is you want,don't give up on it.
10) If you want to start increasing an act of worship,start slowly and build on it.Create a schedule that works for YOU.
11) Be sincere with your self first,so then you can be sincere to others.
12) Have a bad habit? Have one to many bad habits? ok,give up one a month…..if that doesn't work then try giving up one every two months and ask a close friend of yours to monitor you.Don't be hard on yourself with regards to your bad habit,it won't change anything,instead think long term,you will slowly give it up.
13) Finally the last and final one,Love yourself,be kind to yourself and be grateful for everything you have.Every time you feel really low,call a good positive friend and get them to remind you of all the good things you have in your life.We are all humans at the end of the day and we will always need constant reminding.
That's it I guess,these points are a reminder for myself first,than to everyone else
Some really good websites
The kalmullah one I have been listening to the lectures there recently and really benefiting.
A death in the familly
I think about death nearly every day,I know I'm morbid! I don't really talk about death but the thought of death keeps me going,I know one day 'all' of this will be over,I guess that's the comfort that death gives me.Than my mum calls me and tells me that my Bibi has died in Iraq.My Bibi died this morning.I didn't cry,I didn't feel anything.I have never met her,that made me feel sad.
Baba had booked himself a flight that leaves at 7.20pm so I went over to day and spent the day with him.Baba was totally fine and said he will be back in a month.I felt sad about him leaving,but he wants to be there for the burial.Whenever my dad leaves the country I feel nervous at whether he will be back. A father gives a child a feeling of security, even though I'm a grown woman,my dad gives me a feeling of security that no one has been able to give me.
If I lost my dad I don't think I would know how to manage.Its strange that I am writing this but it really hit me to day that my dad means a lot to me.I'm the odd one out of the family,in one way I feel part of the family but then as soon as some one passes away in the family they start to raise eyebrows at me and question our religious differences.
Shias do things differently when some one dies and they want me to join them.I can't compromise my religious beliefs even if it is for my familly,it really hurts when I say 'no.' Baba says 'may one day Allah guide you' and I say 'yes if I am wrong may Allah guid me.'
Life is such an illusion….
I woke up this morning feeling exhausted,I think its due to over exercising,so to day I gave myself a break from it.I decided to take my daughter to the shopping centre.I have not been there in a long time,the weather is not great and I thought lets go for a coffee and buy some staples from the stationery shop.
I understand why women enjoy shopping,I like material things to and at the same time I don't.I find shops very depressing and at the same time when I see something I like I do want to buy it.I guess one may ask why I have so many mixed feelings towards shopping centres?
Well its like this,on one hand I like looking nice,so I buy nice clothes,accessories and toiletries.Than the other side of me , sees how material things are just so temporary.Shopping centres look so delightful to the eyes,the goods on the shelves look so attractive and the clothes they place on the mannequins,are all ways to attract you to come inside and buy.
How many times have I bought something,that at first it felt so great to own,then after a few days or maximum a few weeks,that pleasurable feeling is no more.Material things deceive you,they promise you happiness,popularity and beauty,but like everything it fades away.
I noticed this even with food.I love cooking because I enjoy creating new flavours,recently I got so bored of food,that I had to think up new recipes.I missed the Italian smell of sun dried tomatoes,Basil,Parmesan cheese and Pasta.As I was cooking to day,I thought how temporary food gives you pleasure.Soon I would get bored of such flavours and go back to Arabic food.
Life is such an illusion,you constantly struggle to stay happy,you constantly struggle to stay at peace with yourself.You have to work hard to keep your life together.There's a hadeeth that the pleasure of this life is a good spouse,spacious home and a vehicle that you can travel with.
So I guess when I make dua I will ask Allah for those things.There is one thing I am sure of I will never trust anything to make me happy,nor will I allow myself to be deluded by life,although its not always easy.
No one notices when I am broken…
People ask about me
they wonder were I get my strength from
they see me smile and wonder why?
they view me as strong
and assume I'm always happy
but they don't notice me
when I'm broken
they think I have a wonderful life
they think I'm strong
but they don't know the chaos
that goes on
within me
they never saw the tears
I have shed
nor the thoughts that torment me
I look blissful to the people
but they don't see how broken I really am….
What does it mean to be a woman?
I wonder, what does it really mean to be a woman?
is it the strength we have to put on?
is it the feminism that we are fed?
is it the submissiveness to man ?
Can I be a pious woman,with out being trampled on?
can I be loved with out being used?
what has Allah defined the woman?
the daughter,sister,mother and wife…
can I be a perfect role in every one of them?
do I have to lose my character for me to be accepted?
what makes a great a woman?
her beauty? her personality? her strength?
I guess in time I will understand where my place really is
I ask Allah to make me ,shape me how he wants me to be…
Which one are you?
There was a point where I literally had enough of living,where I felt so tired and thought ENOUGH! What is worse is that I'm only in my 20's and feeling this way.Anyways I came across this email that really put things in perspective for me and hope it will to for you…….
"A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggl ing. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners.
She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl.
She pulled the eggs out and pl aced them in a bowl.
Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.
Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied. Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma. The daughter then asked, "Wha t does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity .. boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot tha t seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, wh en things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches"
My parent's curtains :)
My parents are re doing the whole house.I think it is about time to! They want me to sew all of there curtains.The first task they have given me is to sew the curtains in the living room.Now curtains are easy to make,parents are not easy to please! hehehehh I took them shopping to all the Haberdashery stores I know that sold quality curtain material.
My dad as usual had no interest in designs, all he wanted was a nice piece of material that did the job.Me and my mum how ever were talking about designing the place and really changing those tacky curtain runners,that you attach the curtains to.My dad how ever was like 'no,it means I have to change the whole thing' bla bla bla ,I then go to my mum 'its your house! your the woman,your going to design it and make it nice, don't worry I'll talk to Baba.'
We looked at these beautiful accessory's that you can add to the curtain,then we talked about a whole different design for the window. I haven't sewn curtains much,I told my family 'look its going to take time,I need to make sure of what I'm doing.' I sat with my neighbour last night with curtain material,she fell in love with it.She used to work in a curtain factory and she has full experience with curtains.
Then came the measuring of the windows,you would think that was a simple task,length and width.They have told me the measurements so many times,that now I have resorted to going down there myself and taking my measuring tape out. I can't wait till there done.I'm not only known as the girl in the family that brings cheer to the house,I will also be known as the decorator!
That's the curtain material so typical Iraqi.
Behind every great child is a great mother
I have totally dropped the idea of studying midwifery.The idea of not being there for my daughter,I just can't take that.I gave it much thought,I thought about all my dreams that I had as a mother.I have to get my priorities right and check my intentions.If I study it is going to have to fit around my daughter.
Although a friend of mine,thinks I should drop the whole idea of education.At first I was furious with her,then I reflected and told her that is not a very wise move.We don't know what is going to happen tomorrow,I feel the need to always prepare myself for the worse.My daughter will always come first,then my education…then everything else after that.
I remembered all my dreams I had for my daughter,then thought about how am I going to achieve them? how am I going to organise my life around her? how is it going to work? If I have to work,what type of work would I take up,with out it affecting my daughter.
I started to get stressed at first,being a parent is the hardest job and in my opinion a huge responsibility.This is another human being, a little one that needs watering and regular maintenance,until adulthood.I want to imagine my daughter as an adult,who do I want her to be? A beautiful image came to my mind of who I want her to be.I have so many fears for her,due to the fact she is a girl,and girls are not like boys….
The things I do
For the past few weeks my very close friend had made several comments,including past comments that I had been ignoring.Then I had the last straw of it,I was seriously even thinking of cutting contact,but on peace terms.I had kept it bottled up,then yesterday I exploded! I sent her a text message,completely in in anger.I didn't txt back because I was so tired and I would only type rubbish.
Then to day she texted me later on in the day asking me if I had calmed down and so on.I texted her back saying yes and explaining to her why I exploded on her.I have a bad habit which I only do with 'her',she says things that sometimes really gets on my nerves,then I ask myself why am I friends with her? Then I block out her 'comments' then one day I literally explode,which is usually due to another comment that triggers it off.
As usual she is left confused like 'what was that all about?' I am seriously thinking of ending our friendship,we both don't understand each other ,I also feel we are not good for each other,I am surprised at myself for even considering this option.I just sometimes get so stressed out by her comments,she always states her opinion like they are a fact,it drives me nuts! I also sometimes feel put down by her,which I really don't need.
There are a lot of good qualities about her….hmm I don't really know what to do.I think I need a break,from our friendship.


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I landed at LAX at 5 am this morning, following a mele kelikimaka pre-Christmas on the Big Island. If only I had known that Nate 'n Al has opened in Terminal 2.
Bloggish reports:
The company in charge of the food overhaul at LAX, HMS Host, called the more than 66-year-old restaurant "a landmark in Los Angeles and one of the best delicatessens in the world," LAist reported.
"Nate 'n Al epitomizes comfort food," the HMS Host statement continued, "which is just what the LAX traveler needs before or after a flight."
No word on whether Larry King will be trekking down to Terminal 2 for his daily (or almost daily) bowl of blueberries, which is reportedly what the veteran newsman orders when he visits Nate 'n Al in Beverly Hills.
Get hungry here.
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text:
A book as sweet as its name implies! Young children will be enthralled with the these sweet, simple stories and colorful illustrations, as well as the activities that follow each story. This gentle, beautifully written book focuses on many aspects of a young child's life and accurately portrays the vivid imagination of many children. With an emphasis on performing mitzvos, sharing, paying attention to traffic safety, and other golden lessons, this book will be enjoyed by all who read it.
Additional Information
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text:
Menthol e Juice Flavors
Looking to enjoy the cool and refreshing flavor that menthol is known for? We have a variety of menthol e juice flavors from sweet and fruity to classic peppermint. If you are a fan of menthol cigarettes, you will certainly enjoy our line of menthol flavored e juice. Use promo code: EJUICE15 for 15% Off All e Juice bottles.


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Discover a selection of top forums elves camarilla on the internet. Come to share your passion on forums elves camarilla and meet other fans of elves camarilla. Then, why don't you create your own forum of elves camarilla ?
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