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Distinguished Czechoslovakian filmmaker Karel Kachyna is best known for his psychological dramas that take piercing looks into the lives of children and young teens. Born in Vyskov, Czechoslovakia, Kachyna was among the first to graduate from Prague's film school FAMU, where he initially studied cinematography. During the early '50s, Kachyna collaborated on short and feature-length documentaries with former classmate Vojtech Jasný. The two collaborated on their fictional feature-film debut Dnes Vecer Vsechno Skonci/Everything Ends Tonight in 1954, but then went their separate ways. In 1956, Kachyna made his first solo film but did not make much impact until the early '60s, when he began collaborating with scenarist Jan Prochazka. Together the two made films that strained the boundaries of government-imposed strictures and subtly criticized the Communist Party. Favorite themes include war, the revolution, and psychological analysis of certain types of behavior. Kachyna and Prochazka's most famous films include Nadeje/Hope (1963), At Zije Republika/Long Live the Republic (1965), Kocar do Vidne/Coach to Vienna (1966), and Noc Nevesty/Night of the Bride (1967). In the late '60s, Prochazka was appointed head of the Writer's Union. Shortly following the Russian invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1969, two Kachyna and Prochazka collaborations, Smesny Pan/Funny Little Man and Ucho/The Ear (both 1969), were banned. After that, Kachyna made one last Prochazka-scripted film, an adaptation of Alan Marshall's I'm Jumping Over Puddles Again (1970), but another writer received screen credit. Prochazka died in 1971, and though Kachyna continued to make films, he never achieved the same prominence. In addition to working in feature films, Kachyna also directs television productions.
Karel KachynaActive - 1954 - 2000 | Born - May 1, 1924 | Died - Mar 12, 2004 in Prague, Czech Republic | Genres - Drama
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text: On 2008 Aug 15, at 2:23, Richard A. O'Keefe wrote: > On 15 Aug 2008, at 12:17 pm, Brandon S. Allbery KF8NH wrote: >> Actually, while I'm not sure how Linux does it, on the *BSDs pipes >> are actually socketpairs. > > This raises the question, which the documentation did not make clear > to me, > whether a "named pipe" is a pipe. One would hope it was, but > S_IFIFO and S_IFSOCK are different... They have to be: bound AF_UNIX sockets and fifos have very different semantics. That said, fifos could still be a different socket type, just as pipes are a distinct socket type. -- brandon s. allbery [solaris,freebsd,perl,pugs,haskell] allbery at kf8nh.com system administrator [openafs,heimdal,too many hats] allbery at ece.cmu.edu electrical and computer engineering, carnegie mellon university KF8NH

subset: commoncrawl


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The average dollar cost of in vitro fertilization. Should the fertility industry be more transparent about rates of success and failure? (Marketplace)
The number of resumes that Yahoo gets every week - about one for every employee - according to CEO Marissa Mayer. (Marketplace)
Satan's favorite number. Also, the flight number of a Finnair plane, which flew from Copenhagen to Helsinki today. Helsinki's airport code is HEL. And today is Friday the 13th. Have a great weekend! (lest you get too worried, the flight landed safe and sound, reaching the gate 3 minutes early). (Marketplace)


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So more than two-thirds of Australia's economic growth has come entirely from population growth, with growth in per capita terms anaemic at best, despite the huge mining investment boom over that period.
Nor does Uren's claim that migrants' "addition to demand during periods of soft growth generates more jobs than they take up" stand up to scrutiny. Sure, employment has been growing, but it has not grown at anywhere near the level required to soak-up the extra workers from immigration (see next chart).
Hence the rising unemployment:
And underemployment:
Uren has also failed to acknowledge that Australia earns its way in the world mainly by selling its fixed mineral resources (e.g. iron ore, coal, natural gas, and gold). More people means less resources per capita. A growing population also means that we must deplete our mineral resources faster, just to maintain a constant standard of living.
No, the key criteria that needs to be met in deciding whether to expand the immigration intake is: "will it improve the living standards of the pre-existing population"? The answer to this question seems to be a resounding "no".
As I noted yesterday, if all Australia is doing is growing for growth's sake, pushing against infrastructure bottlenecks, diluting our fixed endowment of minerals resources, and failing to raise the living standards of the existing population, what's the point?


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THE Fire Brigades Union is embroiled in a civil war after its general secretary Matt Wrack was revealed to have repeatedly attacked his top Scottish official.
The FBU boss bad-mouthed his own Scottish secretary John Duffy - who is currently facing a leadership challenge - and tried to stop another colleague from speaking to the press.
Wrack was told he had an "obsession" with Duffy and was warned his behaviour towards another Scottish official was becoming "tantamount to bullying and harassment".
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The damaging row can be traced to last year's decision by the firefighters union to strike against the UK Government's pension cuts.
However, the administration of pensions is devolved to Holyrood and the union's Scottish office won concessions from the SNP Government.
Union members in Scotland accepted the revised offer and agreed to shelve strike action.
It is understood Scotland's no-strike position angered Wrack, who wanted a UK-wide stance.
Duffy, a member of the SNP, has now been challenged for his job and the result of the contest is expected on Wednesday.
Emails obtained by this newspaper reveal the full extent of Wrack's sniping at the FBU leadership in Scotland - comprising Duffy and Roddy Robertson - and the pressure he has tried to exert.
In July, Wrack was incensed that the FBU in Scotland published a letter relating to the union's distinctive position on the pensions dispute.
In an email to Robertson, he wrote: "It is once again disappointing that you have acted on a pensions matter without even discussing it with me or with the national officer."
On Duffy saying that Scottish union members could get "dragged into" an overtime ban, Wrack said: "John seems to have forgotten that the Fire Brigades Union decided this campaign at a national conference and in two national ballots.
"Members in Scotland have not been 'dragged into' anything - they VOTED for industrial action."
He added: "I therefore must insist that no further comments are made to the press on the union's pension campaign without discussing it with us.
"If that means questions should be referred to Head Office - that would be preferable to the error which was made in these comments."
However, Robertson shot back: "The only one creating confusion in the membership in Scotland is you … I suggest that you take a step back as this is becoming tantamount to bullying and harassment."
Months earlier, after Scottish members agreed to shelve strike action, Wrack showed his frustration with what he called Duffy's "social partnership" approach.
In an email to Robertson, he wrote: "Social partnership weakness [sic] workers and their organisations and leads to trade union officials ending up putting forward the case for employers."
He added: "I think we need to change course as a matter of urgency."
He also blasted Duffy for accepting an OBE, saying: "I have to say I find it a huge embarrassment that an official of this union took such an honour from the British establishment at a time when we are facing the worst cuts and attacks in history."
Robertson responded: "Your obsession with John is unhealthy and clouds your judgement."
He added: "If you think that standing outside and doing our negotiations by press release is the best way forward then I will review my thinking."
Robertson concluded: "As for John getting an award, get over it."
Paul Holleran, Scottish organiser of the National Union of Journalists, said Wrack criticised the FBU officials in Scotland at an STUC fringe meeting earlier this year.
"Matt Wrack spoke about how both governments were as bad as each other. I told him the Scottish Government had tried to take a different position," said Holleran.
"At the end of the meeting, he said the problem was that his officials in Scotland were more interested in independence than standing up for their members. I told him I knew these guys well and that his [Wrack's] view was off the wall."
Duffy is being challenged for the Scottish secretary post by fellow FBU official Stephen Thomson.
The FBU has around 40,000 members across the UK.
Robertson told the Sunday Herald: "I have been chastised on more than one occasion by my general secretary about telling the members what the up-to-date position was with our negotiation in Scotland and have requested numerous times that our head office include information for the Scottish membership.
"It would appear, however, that some are happy to create a vacuum and allow those who are wishing to challenge John Duffy and myself all the space to attack us."
A spokesman for the FBU said: "Our democratically elected conference has set out our policy and approach to campaigning to defend the pensions of firefighters all across the UK. This is the policy which is implemented by the union's leadership.
"As in all organisations, there is discussion and debate in the FBU. The union and its members are united in fighting to defend our fire and rescue service against cuts, which threaten the safety of the public and of firefighters."


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Hi guys. I have an interesting issue. I have labels created dynamically at runtime in my app, and placed in a flow panel. What I need is for some of those labels to have an extra label with a single digit placed in one corner. What I have so far done is created a class which derives from a label AND has a label in it.
However when the Slide class is created, and the SetUpSlide() method called, nothing happens. The label does not appear. Whether I am going about this the wrong way or there is something wrong with my code I'm not sure. Cheers, Jacob.Code:class Slide : Label { public Label l_IndexLabel; public Slide() { l_IndexLabel = new Label(); } public void SetUpSlide() { l_IndexLabel.Text = this.Tag.ToString(); l_IndexLabel.Size = new System.Drawing.Size(10, 20); l_IndexLabel.BorderStyle = BorderStyle.FixedSingle; l_IndexLabel.Location = new System.Drawing.Point(this.Right - 10, this.Top + 20); l_IndexLabel.Show(); l_IndexLabel.BringToFront(); } }
PS. Do I need to add it (l_IndexLabel) to a collection? Even if its part of the Slide class?


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WASHINGTON, Feb. 17 (UPI) -- First-time benefit claims for unemployment insurance rose higher than expected in the week ending Feb. 12, the U.S. Department of Labor said Thursday.
After falling by an average of 39,000 for the past two weeks, first-time claims rose by 25,000 to 410,000 in the week, the department said. The four-week rolling average rose by 1,750, to 417,750.
Economists expected about 401,000 initial claims to be filed.
The U.S. Federal Reserve said Wednesday the unemployment rate, currently at 9 percent, would remain stubbornly high through 2012.
The Labor Department said the biggest increases in jobless benefits claims for the week ending Feb. 5 were reported by Michigan with 2,693 additional claims, North Carolina, which added 1,222 and New Jersey, which added 877.
For the week ending Feb. 5, the biggest decreases were reported by Florida with a decline of 4,542, followed by Texas with a decline of 3,657 and South Carolina with a decline of 2,780.


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I went to a friends wedding 2 weeks ago here. It was a very nice small venue. If someone is looking to have a small venue with close family and friends this is the place to go. They offer waiters that serve you and pic up dirt plates.. They can offer live music if you wish. All the walls have mirrors, It has a nice size dance floor with very nice restrooms and the carpet looks clean. They have a two types of things you can do for food.. Either have them serve it to you or they have like a buffet for the kids with chicken strips and fries. They also have a good PA system and a small stage for entertainment. If i werent already married i would definitely book this venue simply because its small and private and personal.
When it came time to plan my brother's wedding, I was thrilled that they asked me to handle the planning duties. We sat down and discussed what they wanted, and they really weren't sure where to begin. I suggested that we start by looking at some reception locations, and one of the facilities that we looked at was called Imagine That! After a look at a few other facilities we found that Imagine That! would be the best location because they had a helpful staff, many different banquet rooms with sizes and themes that we could choose from to suit our specific needs, and prices that were more than fair for all that they offered. When we went back to talk to them, we discovered that the room that we had wanted to book for the 150 guest reception was already booked for the weekend of the wedding. Instead of trying to charge us more, they offered us a bigger room, which is usually for a minimum of 300 guests, for the same price. We were worried about it seeming overwhelming but they assured us that they would stage the tables with a little more room around them and ensure that the room still looked full and lively. The food selection and choices for all of the other options such as chairs, linens, tables, etc. was all more of the same helpful guidance. They were patient as the bride and groom were very slow to choose what they wanted to offer their guests because they had some picky guests attending. The staff was amazingly gracious and patient in the weeks before the wedding, and they met with us the afternoon before so that we could map out everything to ensure that the band and DJ both had their own locations and that there was adequate dance room around both. The actual wedding was magical and amazing. The staff at Imagine That! accommodated our every need. They ensured that the vendors all got set up properly and that the event ran well including the serving of the hors d'oeuvres right as the guests were arriving, the serving of dinner right after the bride and groom were announced and the seating of desert shortly after the cutting of the cake. They knew that I was the contact for the planning but they rarely needed to contact me through the night which allowed me to enjoy my brother's wedding without concern, which made the night that much better for me.
Posted by admin
Planning your wedding can be overwhelming, but taking the time to choose the right venue, caterer, photographer, DJ, and other vendors will help create an unforgettable experience for you and your guests. Consider these tips as you begin your search and learn from the experiences of other brides. Read More
Posted by eventective
Planning a party can be a very stressful task and many people don't know where to start. Eventective helps walk you through the process and guide your critical decisions. Read More


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Although our minds divide and separate, and although all things appear and seem separated, we are all one. All is one. There is no division except what we enact and empower and enable. But this division is an illusion. It is not the Real. It is not the Substantial.
The Oneness has to be 'seen'. It is a revelation. It cannot be reached at through intellectual exercise. It is not the accumulation of knowledge. It is known like your breath is known. It is known like the beating of your heart. Even more, it is known like the breath of your lover's. It is known like the beating of your lover's heart against the beating of yours.
You will know it when you know it. You will recognize it when you see it.
(Many original cartoon drawings and prints are available, including this one! Email me if interested. Original drawings are $100 and prints are $25 plus shipping. Or you can look through my online gallery.)


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The last thing Louisiana needs to do is halt coastal restoration efforts, yet a group that is charged with restoring wetlands recently proposed just that. The Breaux Act Task Force, which funds some of the state's coastal restoration projects, voted last week to close the West Bay diversion project in Plaquemines Parish unless a new source of funding is found to dredge anchorages that have been filling up with sediment because of the project. The task force committed to pay for dredging in 2009 but it also approved $28.6 million to close the diversion if the dredging problem isn't resolved in three years.
The task force's decision sends the wrong signal, particularly if the state is going to be responsible for dredging costs associated with other restoration projects. The Governor's Office of Coastal Activities estimates that if dredging and maintenance costs are added to eight diversion projects approved by Congress, then the overall cost will skyrocket from $700 million to $4.9 billion. This year's state budget approved $300 million for coastal restoration, but making the state pay for dredging will quickly deplete that funding source. The answer is simple: The state shouldn't be solely responsible for dredging costs, especially when a federal agency bears a huge share of the responsibility for our vanishing coastline.
"[The task force's decision] is jaw-dropping because the Corps of Engineers received from Congress a mandate to restore coastal wetlands and treat the environment as a priority, just like navigation and flood control," says Paul Harrison, coastal Louisiana project manager for the Environmental Defense Fund. The West Bay diversion is currently the state's largest project for diverting sediment-rich Mississippi River water into areas that have experienced decades of catastrophic wetland loss. The project was completed in 2003 and is forecast to produce 10,000 acres of new marsh by 2024. That's a relatively small patch of land in a state that loses 40 square miles of marshland annually, but it's a start. As those who live in the outlying parishes know, these projects are about survival and time is of the essence.
"If we close this diversion, we're setting ourselves back by 20 years," says Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser. The task force, also known as the Coastal Wetlands Planning and Protection and Restoration Act (CWPPRA) task force, consists of five federal agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Army of Corps of Engineers. Nungesser feels the group simply followed the Corps' lead and voted to close the diversion if another entity doesn't pay for the dredging. "I'm not going to accept the Corps making a ridiculous decision just because they don't have money to dredge," says Nungesser. "Let's look for solutions."
We agree. The Corps' attempt to dodge financial responsibility for dredging is another example of its egregious indifference toward Louisiana's and the nation's environmental plight. Moreover, the Breaux Act was passed to create, protect and restore Louisiana's coastal wetlands not improve navigation.
Garret Graves, director of the Governor's Office on Coastal Activities and a nonvoting member of the task force, says the state will pay for the dredging in the short term to keep the West Bay project going. He adds that the Corps should revisit the idea of balancing navigation, flood control and coastal restoration. Like Nungesser, Graves is interested in solutions, and the West Bay diversion is part of the solution to coastal wetland loss. Graves reports that the project produces 3.7 million tons of sediment a year sediment that builds protective wetlands rather than clogs shipping channels, which the Corps otherwise would have to dredge. According to Harrison of the Environmental Defense Fund, when the Corps dredges a navigational channel, 80 percent of the material is either pumped or dumped into the Gulf of Mexico.
The diversion thus saves money, because it uses sediment productively rather than requiring expensive dredging to expel it from shipping channels and dump it into the Outer Continental Shelf. The Water Resources Development Act of 2007 directed the Corps to implement a program for the beneficial use of dredge material and authorized $100 million for the project. Is there anything more beneficial than using sediment to restore wetlands while saving the federal treasury money on dredging? "If done properly, [diversion projects] benefit navigation and that is the whole point of an integrated coastal program," Graves says.
Graves is absolutely right. As soon as possible, the task force should reconsider and overturn its decision to shut down the West Bay diversion after 2009 and rededicate itself to finding a way to fulfill its primary mission and the clear intent of the Breaux Act. In addition, the Corps of Engineers needs to recognize that coastal restoration, navigation and flood control are not mutually exclusive priorities, but necessary and integrated components of Louisiana's and America's economic, environmental and homeland security.


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Edit Article
wikiHow to Turn Down a Boy when He Asks You Out
It is difficult knowing what to say when a boy asks you out and you really don't feel for him like that. Don't panic, read these steps and let him down gently.
1Ask him why he's interested in you. There are boys in this world who just want you for your beauty, and body or because they want to be well known. Not because you're kind or smart or independent or brave or strong or courageous and etc. If it's all for the wrong reasons then politely tell him you're not interested in being in a relationship with them.
2Watch how they act when they tell you why they're interested in you. Some may act nervous and fidgety because they're lying or because they feel like they're a stalker for noticing all this. If they laugh and act like it's a joke then it's probably because they're not serious or they think it's romantic. You can usually tell the difference.
3If he is a really genuine person imagine you are in his shoes. You can't really say no and not hurt him, but if you do it gently you can remain friends.
4Calmly and gently say that you are really sorry, but you don't see him in that way. Explain that you prefer him more as just a friend(if he was a friend), but you are flattered.
5Apologize for leading him on or giving him signs, even if you didn't notice or mean to.
6Wait for his reply. Hopefully, he will react well and ask if you can still be friends, or something like that. If his reaction is sadness, try to console him and tell him that you are always there as a friend - but avoid physical contact as this could exasperate him further. If his reaction is anger and he gets violent or aggressive, just give him a sympathetic look and say "I'm sorry" and walk away from him as causally and as fast as you can. Or if you're lucky and a friend happens to near by call them out and start a conversation and act really interested with while leaving him like your friend is telling you something very interesting and amusing.
7Change the subject, where possible, and try to act like it hasn't happened. Probably talk about all the things you look for in a guy and what you don't like. And if you want to avoid him asking you out for a while(or ever) just causally say "I'm not really interested in going out right now. I would like to just be friends first before taking things up a notch" or just simply "I'm not interested in going out right now."
8Imagine you are the boy... it probably took a good while for him to build up the courage to ask you out.
9You can always tell him that you are flattered that he asked you out, but that you're not interested in pursuing something romantic with him.
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- Don't sound harsh, just be gentle and nice. You don't want to lose him as a friend, or have it get back to the person you really fancy that you are a total cow!
- Don't try to act flirty with him.
- Don't tell him you're busy, or play other such mind-games. It won't stop him, and it's really unkind. Don't expect him to take any hints. Be as direct as possible without being rude.
- Be very honest, as long as you are not mean about it.
- Do not be condescending. This is really bad to do and will only make the situation extremely awkward.
- Act calm and simply say "I am really sorry but I am not interested".
- If you feel you are truly not ready, just let him know. You don't have to make a long speech about the reasons why you don't like him or find him attractive. A short clear answer is usually best.
- Don't bring it up when talking with others - for example, in a group chat. This will just make things awkward.
- Say "no, thank you" and walk away. Don't cause any unnecessary drama.
- Say you like him but you don't see him in that way.
- It's hard to turn someone down who you really care about. If it is a close friend, and you feel really upset doing it, take a deep breath and just do it.
- Just take a deep breath. Gently say no, but don't scream it. You still might be able to be friends, but just act normal the next day.
- NEVER spread gossips about him. There's little point in giving him a hard time. He's likely to think other women in your group would say no as well.
- Never reply by asking "Why?" This confuses the boy and might be taken as highly offensive.
- Even if you know it's coming don't be too mean, for instance saying "I'm not that desperate yet." That may manipulate to other boys, and you may never get a really good chance again.
Article Info
Categories: Dealing with Unwanted Dates
In other languages:
Español: rechazar a un chico si te invita a salir, Italiano: Dire di No a un Ragazzo che Ti ha Chiesto di Uscire, Русский: отказать парню, когда он приглашает вас на свидание, Português: Dispensar um Garoto que te Chamou para Sair
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 247,157 times.
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Wow, this plate has been a long time in the making! I told you that I got a couple of boxes of clear cullet (scrap) glass with my kiln. As with fabric scraps I am fascinated with the possibilities with scrap glass. Here's how I got this new piece made.
I started with my 6" tile mold and filled it with 15 ounces of glass bits and powder. I fused that to get a flat 6" tile to serve as the center for my plate.
The effect I was after was a flat center and a textured edge. I put the tile on the kiln shelf and placed large chunks all around it. My square mold is about 10" square and the piece of kiln paper under the glass is 10". I allowed room for the glass to expand.
Here's a close up view prior to firing.
Here's the result. When I fired the tile the powder must have some white glass in it so it didn't fire clear. That's OK, I like that effect. I also like the organic shape of the edge of the plate but it fired flatter than I wanted. I decided to go ahead and slump it. I put more chunks on top of the edges for the slumping in hopes of getting the bumpy texture that I wanted. (I intended to get a photo of that too but forgot.)
Here's the finished plate. Sweet! I really love this.
I got the bumpy edge that I wanted too. Now this isn't a success yet. There's a great probability that the glass is not all the same COE. How will I know? Over time cracks will develop. I'll just have to see how it turns out. Regardless, it was a great lesson and taught me even more about the kiln and which firing schedules are good for what types of effects.


text: Walmart has the Darth Vader and Son Hardcover Book by Jeffrey Brown for $8.47 with free in-store pickup or $2 shipping to home. This 64-page picture book shows what life might have been like for young Luke had his father been involved in his life. Amazon has it for $8.59 with free shipping on orders $25+. Gets awesome reviews and might make the cutest son-to-father or father-to-son Valentine's Day gift ever.


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Overstated posted on 31/07/2012 by Mulan Nala
Saying that FreshaFlush prevents the need for bleaching toilets and replaces flushing blocks is an overstatement and seems to say that it will keep the loo clean It so far has not prevented the need to bleach and I cannot see any difference at all Maybe it prevents limescale in the long term but I cant tell So far it seems to do nothing Maybe if you have a dog that drinks from the loo it says the water is cleaner but keeping the loo sit closed is a cheaper option


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Tears ran down Zephyr's face as his chest heaved, fighting for each and every breath. Derrick Brooks sprinted to Kim's side and leaned over the young wind rider for a moment. He shook his head slowly. "He's broken several ribs, and they've ruptured his lung. He pushed himself too hard, there's nothing we can do to save him now. All we can do it ease his passing."
"No!" Kim snapped. "We still need him! He's one of us! He… There's got to be a way. Come on, Zeph. Come on, please. Just hang on, all right?"
"I may be able to save him."
Kim whirled to see Sei with the other Unicorn Knights. The unicorns' coats no longer glittered, for they were stained with dirt and ash. They looked ready to collapse from exhaustion, and their riders were binding each other's wounds. Sei knelt opposite Kim and took Zephyr's hand in his. The elf prince brushed a gentle hand over Zephyr's sweat-soaked forehead, pushing a lock of sandy hair out of the way. "I know of a single spell with the power to cheat death. I can use it to save Zephyr."
Delphia placed her hand on the elf's shoulder. "Sei…"
Kim stared hard at him. "The cost for the spell must be enormous."
"It is. To take a life from Death, I must give it another in its place. My own. The cost of this spell is my own immortality. I will live out the rest of my days as a mortal, and when my time comes, and old age has ravaged me, I will pass away into the Void." Sei reached up and intertwined his fingers with Delphia's. "But a life like that is not without its benefits." Delphia bent down and gently kissed his forehead.
Kim's shoulders heaved with a sob. "Thank you…"
Sei muttered the opening incantation of the spell and his hands began to glow with silver light. He held them over Zephyr's body and closed his eyes. The light grew ever more radiant, until it was bright enough to sear the eyes of those present. Nick watched from a safe distance, fascinated as the light washed over Zephyr, slowly resetting his bones and closing his wounds. He stood spellbound until Evara bumped him gently with her nose.
"Rescalo is slipping away. He wants to see you."
Nick followed his partner to where the High King lay, stubbornly clinging to life. Michael cradled his head on his lap, and Lexa and Lucian knelt beside him. Rescalo held up the Silver Crown. "Nick… are you all right?"
"Don't," Nick murmured. "Necro, Rescalo, don't ask me that. I'm fine. But you… you died to save me."
"I've been cheating death for too long. I knew this was coming. I made a deal, you see. With the god of death. My life was forfeit many years ago, and I've spent the past year and a half on borrowed time. No." He winced and placed a hand on the gaping wound in his chest. "I did not have very long left; at least I was able to use my time to protect you." He shook the Silver Crown. "Take it back, Nick. You're the Custodian. It's time to pick a new High King."
Nick reverently took the circlet, replacing it on his swordbelt. Then, he placed his hands on Lexa and Lucian's shoulders. "Would you like us to give you a little time?" he managed to say. "To say… to say goodbye?" His voice broke, and the tears began to flow.
Lucian nodded solemnly. "Thank you, Nick. Yes, just a little while. We won't be long."
Michael eased Rescalo's head into Lexa's arms, and the twins waited until the fire mage and the archangel departed. Lexa shook her head slowly. "All this time. All this time, you were alive and with us, but you never said a thing."
"I had to. To protect you. No, that's not right." Rescalo let out a pained gasp. "I was a coward. I did it to protect myself. I'm sorry, so sorry."
Lucian held his older brother's hand. "We don't fault you. You don't need to apologize, we forgive you anyway."
Rescalo ran his knuckle along Lucian's cheekbone, brushing away a tear. "Th-Thank you. That's more than I… more than I deserve. I'm sorry, for all I put you through. For all I put… all I put Ureono and the world through."
Lexa and Lucian were weeping openly now. Rescalo grimaced. His wound was agony, but he knew he would be beyond pain before long. He stared up at his younger siblings, crying at their tears. "Do you remember the song that Mother used to sing to you when you were small? The lullaby?"
He hummed softly. "I will away to the hills and mountains, to the land by the river in my new built home. I am this land and this land is me, my home is in Rinshonan where I am free."
Lexa and Lucian sang through their tears, joining Rescalo for the second verse. "Over the hills and far away, I pray you'll return to me one day. Promise me you'll be home soon, guided by the light of the sun and the grace of the moon."
Rescalo cried out in pain, clutching his siblings' hands. His nails bit into their palms, but they did not mind. When he lurched into a sitting position, they held him close, offering what comfort they could. He hugged them back and his trembling subsided. "I can see them," he whispered. "Mother and Father. They're waiting for me."
"Tell them we miss them," Lexa sobbed.
"And we'll be together again, someday." Lucian added.
Rescalo nodded, his tears mixing with the blood and dirt on his face. "I love you both. I love you both so much." And then, the tension left his body. Lexa and Lucian laid their brother's corpse down. They held each other and cried until they had no tears left.
The Reversal camped on the plains around Domines that night as the living mourned the dead. Nick sat silently, staring into the campfire before him. He pulled his legs up close to his chest and wrapped his right arm around them, trying not to scratch at any of the bandages that were wrapped around his aching body. His left hand slowly rubbed the pommel of his scimitar.
So, you're really in there, brother?
The sword pulsed with warmth. Yes. Before I died, a piece of me was sealed into the blade. I have always been, and will always be with you.
Nick blinked back a fresh surge of tears. Thank you. He sighed. Why didn't you show yourself sooner?
I could not. I was weak. It was only in your hour of greatest need that I could summon the strength to show myself again. And even so, I may not be able to for a long while.
Can you at least talk to me?
Nick heard a low rumbling in his mind, and he very nearly lost all vestige of self-control. He had not realized how much he missed Flayme's gravelly voice. It strains me, but if you wish it, I will try.
I missed you, Flayme.
And I you. You cannot fathom how it pained me to know you were so close, and yet I could not reach you.
Nick thought back to when he knelt by Flayme as he died, knowing he was powerless to do anything to save the dragon. I think I might have an idea.
Flayme fell silent and Nick stared across the fire to where Skralsvon and Lyca were sitting. The were-panther had treated Nick with cold aloofness for the duration of their brief acquaintance, standing idly by while Skralsvon and Nick greeted each other after so long apart. Lyca had his head pillowed on Skralsvon's shoulder, and glanced up as the werewolf chieftain sighed.
"You can't believe she's gone, can you?"
Skralsvon shook his head. "By the moon, Kilani always seemed so… indomitable. Now that she's dead, I… I don't know how it could have happened."
Lyca made a soft noise. "I miss her too."
Nick sensed more than saw two bodies sit down next to him. He glanced to his right and inclined his head to Sin'rezo and Hurino, the captain of the Reversal's small Dwarven contingent. The elf scholar forced a smile. "I thought you might be with Retäv," he said. "The Aliterians are celebrating his coronation."
"I'm not in much of a celebratory mood," Nick replied. "Sitting through Xande's funeral was about all I could bear."
"Why do you think they're celebrating?" Sin'rezo challenged. "They're finding the light in the darkness, the change that can come from great despair."
"It's not that I'm not happy for Retäv. I am, really. But I'm so tired. And we lost so many. I guess I'm too shocked to do much of anything, same as everyone else. I'm still coming to terms with how many we lost, and I think a lot of other soldiers feel the same. Right now, we're too stunned to be alive to feel the loss of our friends. That will come tomorrow, after we've had time to let it sink in that they won't be coming back."
Sin'rezo patted the fire mage's hand. "Sometimes, grieving is healthy. We mourn to come to terms with the grief, and in time, we can move past it. We live on in the name of those who have fallen, carrying on their legacy."
"Enough of that talk!" Hurino muttered, taking a swig from his flagon of ale. He offered it to Nick, but the fire mage politely declined. Skralsvon raised his hand and Hurino passed him the cup. The werewolf tilted it back and drained it. The dwarf grinned as he opened another bottle. "So tell me, Blazingheart, how many did you take down today?"
"Enough," Nick replied with a sigh. "I'm weary of fighting."
"Weary of fighting!" Hurino cried. "Listen to yourself! The best innovation happens in times of war! Why, my people were never more productive than in the wars of the Dwarf Kings of old! How do you think you humans figured out the steam engines that power your precious airships? If it weren't for Oinstron the Graybeard—"
"And how," Sin'rezo interrupted, "did Oinstron the Graybeard meet his end? Was it in his hall, surrounded by his wives and children?"
"Well, you see…"
"No, if I remember my histories correctly, he was crushed by one of his tanks, was he not?"
"Yes, but…"
"Hurino, it is the fallacy of the civilized races that we need the threat of war to reach our fullest potential."
"You said 'our'," Hurino remarked. "Elves too?"
"Of course. My people developed very little in the centuries following the fall of Twilus, and it was only after we emerged from our exile in the Hidden Land that we began to consider new spells. I am not proud of it, but the elves are just as guilty of this flaw as humans, dwarves, centaurs or were-kin."
Hurino grunted, obviously satisfied. He rose with a groan, massaging his stocky legs. "Well then. We've had a long enough day, have we not? I'm going to go find myself a bed if it's all the same to you."
Sin'rezo flashed him a brief but very genuine smile. "Good night, my friend."
Hurino lurched off into the darkness of the camp, passing by Delphia and Sei on their way to the fire. The dwarf gave the elf prince a brief but polite bow before carrying on his way. The fortune teller and the elf sat down at the edge of the light, Delphia's hand on Sei's arm. Nick raised an eyebrow. "You look… different."
"Different?" Sei asked.
"Less… elven, I suppose," said the fire mage, struggling to find the words to explain. "There was an air about you before, something foreign. It isn't gone, not really, but it's less pronounced. You look… more like Retäv."
Sei smiled. "I look more like Retäv did when we left him in Casinoria, so long ago."
Sin'rezo nodded. "Surely you've seen the change too, Nick. The burdens of command have changed Retäv. He carries himself differently now. He has grown to fit his new role."
Nick nodded as he came to understanding. There had been a new light in Retäv's eyes, a stronger edge in his voice, more purpose to his step. The titles he inherited from Xande did indeed suit him well. Sei laughed softly. "Strange to think that my brother and I have switched places so completely. When we first met, I was a prince and he nothing but a traveling warrior. And now, look at us. He is a lord and I am a mere knight."
"Not just a knight," Delphia said. "A Unicorn Knight."
Nick half-listened to their chatter as the night wore on. Other soldiers came and left their fire, talking for a time before moving on their way. The aches began to fade from his limbs as his eyelids drifted lower and lower. Sin'rezo's strong, steady arms caught Nick as he pitched backward. The elf scholar laid the fire mage out on the ground gently, brushing a hand over his eyelids.
"Sleep now, Nicotorex. Rest your tired body, for when the sun crests the eastern hills, it marks not just the dawning of a new day, but a new age as well. Sleep, and may your dreams be untroubled."
A smile touched Nick's lips. "Good night, Sin'rezo. Good night, Sei and Delphia. Good night, Skralsvon and Lyca."
"Good night, Nick. We shall see you in the morning." Sin'rezo smoothed the hair away from Nick's eyes and the fire mage felt his consciousness slip. He fell asleep watching the fire flicker as Skralsvon tossed on another piece of firewood. It would blaze against the darkness, standing vigil until the dawn.


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Scientists positive there's negativity in space
Two teams of astronomers have identified the signal of a new negatively charged molecule in space, only the third found in the cosmos.
By contrast, researchers have found about 130 neutral and 12 positively charged molecules in space.
Along with its two anion siblings, the newly found molecule, octatetraynyl, could be among the building blocks of the organic molecules that make up living things.
Even more interestingly, the two teams found the anion in entirely different places in the cosmos.
Octatetraynyl is an odd little string of eight carbon atoms and a single hydrogen atom, written as C8H-.
Its negative charge comes from the molecule having one electron more than is needed to balance the positive protons in all the atoms' nuclei.
It's not the sort of molecule that would last long on earth, where there are all sorts of reactive molecules ready to make it neutral.
"Some of the things we're detecting in space you'd never find on earth," says Dr Anthony Remijan of the US National Radio Astronomy Observatory.
Hard to find
That's what makes them hard to find in space, he says. Not having them here, we are hard put to know what they will look like. That has made the hunt a long and multi-disciplinary process.
The search began in the 1990s, when radio astronomers surveying the sky noticed some unusual lines showing up in spectrums of radio signal, Remijan says.
Such lines are usually the calling cards of specific compounds, which absorb or emit very narrow radio bands. But in this case, no one knew of any compounds that produced such lines.
Other researchers, including Professor Eric Herbst of Ohio State University, had already done some calculations and made models about what sorts of compounds might produce certain radio lines.
But it took actual laboratory tests on synthetic versions of the molecules to verify what kind of radio lines anions would make.
For octatetraynyl, that lab work was completed only last year.
Finally, radio astronomers went looking specifically for octatetraynyl's laboratory-tested lines.
A Harvard University team looked at a cold, dark gas cloud and a team from the National Radio Astronomy Observatory looked in the tenuous outer envelope of a dying star.
Both teams used the National Science Foundation's giant Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, which sees the universe in radio waves.
Both teams found octatetraynyl.
"[They're] not so different physically," says Herbst of the two space environments. They have similar temperatures and densities, he says, though the way the anion was created could be different.
But how do the molecules get their extra electron?
"One mechanism is a two-body process," says Herbst. In other words, a free-flying electron simply slams into a molecule and sticks.
Will more anions be discovered in space?
"There are many other candidates," Herbst says. "But they have to be measured in the laboratory first."
Then radio astronomers will know what to look for.


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Man from Auntie delivers vision
10:40am Wednesday 23rd January 2013
10:40am Wednesday 23rd January 2013
FORMER BBC chairman Gavyn Davie, gave a speech in Oxford last night.
The speech, A 2020 Vision for the BBC, was delivered at the Said Business School on the night before the Oxford Media Convention, which opens today.
Mr Davies was discussing the future of the public service broadcaster and was introduced by current BBC Trust chairman and Oxford University Chancellor Lord Patten.
© Copyright 2001-2017 Newsquest Media Group


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Originally published September 6, 2010 at 6:38 PM | Page modified September 6, 2010 at 6:58 PM
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Gates, Buffett traveling to China to challenge wealthy to donate to charity?
Billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will publicly explain the purpose of their planned visit to China after a newspaper reported that a number of wealthy Chinese individuals declined to attend an event hosted by the two due to concerns they'd be asked to give their money to charity.
Billionaires Bill Gates and Warren Buffett will publicly explain the purpose of their planned visit to China after a newspaper reported that a number of wealthy Chinese individuals declined to attend an event hosted by the two due to concerns they'd be asked to give their money to charity.
Gates and Buffett, respectively the world's second- and third-richest people, will write a letter that may be released as early as this week detailing why they've invited Chinese billionaires to a private event during a visit to the Asian nation at the end of the month, Zhang Jing, a spokesman in the Beijing office of the Seattle-based Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said Monday.
"Our biggest intention for this month's China trip is to learn how to do philanthropy in China," Zhang said. "We would like to learn how to propel the charity business in such a big developing nation."
Microsoft co-founder Gates and Berkshire Hathaway CEO Buffett, who Forbes Magazine estimates are worth a combined $100 billion, have been pressing billionaires to pledge at least half of their fortunes to charity.
Buffett has said that he and the Gateses contacted between 70 and 80 people on the Forbes list of 400 wealthiest Americans and that about half agreed to sign on.
The Beijing-based Economic Observer newspaper reported Sept. 2 that "a small number" of wealthy Chinese declined an invitation to attend a private gathering with Gates and Buffett in the capital, with some calling to ask if they'd be asked to pledge a donation at the event. The report cited Ray Yip, head of the Gates foundation's Beijing branch.
Wang Chuanfu, chairman of automaker BYD Co., which is backed by Buffett; Zhang Xin, chief executive officer of property developer Soho China Ltd.; and Zong Qinghou, chairman of drinks group Hangzhou Wahaha, were among those invited, the newspaper said on its website. The report didn't identify the individuals who decided not to attend.
"So far, there are a small number of guests who are not able to turn up, but that's quite a normal thing," Zhang from the foundation said, declining to say who had been invited.
The Economic Observer reported on Sept. 3 that Buffett and Gates will also travel to Shanghai and the southern province of Guangdong. The two will visit companies in which Buffett holds a stake, the newspaper said, citing people it didn't identify.
Information from The Seattle Times archives is included in this report.
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The New York Association of Consulting Engineers (NYACE) inducted its new officers and board of directors for 2003/2004 at an award ceremony in the Yale Club.
Gary E. Loesch, P.E., DEE, a principal and executive vice president of the Melville, Long Island, firm of H2M Group: Holzmacher McLendon & Murrell, P.C., will assume the duties of the president on July 1, succeeding Michael S. Della Rocca, P.E., president of the STV Group, New York City, who now will serve as NYACEs national director. As the national director, he will be the liaison between the NYACE and the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC), the associations national organization.
Loesch, with more than 28 years of experience in the fields of engineering, architecture, planning and environmental science, has been a very active participant in the governance of professional engineering organizations. Until recently, he was chairman of the Quality Management Committee and a trustee of the ACECPAC (ACECs Political Action Committee). He is a director of the NYACE and former president of the Long Island Chapter of the CEC/NYS, which merged with the NYACE in 2000, as well as former chairman of CEC/NYSs Legislative and Environmental committees. He served as an officer, director or committee member of several Long Island groups, including the Design Professional Coalition of Long Island, the Long Island Association/LIA and the Long Island Chapter of the New York State Water Environment Association. An expert in the area of wastewater and water supply, Loesch currently is responsible for coordinating the engineering and architectural activities of H2M Group, as well as developing and implementing its quality control and training programs.
Joining Loesch on the Executive Committee are Andrew J. Ciancia, P.E., president-elect, Langan Engineering & Environmental Services; Charles J. Franzese, P.E., treasurer, Hunt Engineers, Architects & Land Surveyors; Michael F. Leydecker, P.E., secretary, LaBella Associates; and vice presidents Bradley J. Fisher, P.E., Friedman Fisher Associates; F. Claire Fisher, P.E., Fisher Associates; and Neal J. Forshner, P.E., CTE Engineers.
The directors inducted in the meeting represent the eight regions that comprise the NYACE. The number of employees per firm in the region determines representation on the board for each region. In addition to the members of the Executive Committee, the new directors, all licensed professional engineers, are Lee W. Abramson, Hatch Mott MacDonald; Joseph R. Amato, Cameron Engineering & Associates; Ronald W. Centola, Dewberry-Goodkind, Inc.; Lewis Damrauer, Lizardos Engineering Associates, Del B. Dausman, C&S Engineers, Inc.; Albert J. DiBernardo, Earthtech/TAMS; John M. Dionisio, DMJM+HARRIS; Mark J. Edsall, McGoey, Hauser and Edsall Consulting Engineers; Robert M. Eschbacher, Eschbacher Engineering; Sergio Esteban, LaBella Associates; John W. Franz, Jr., Camp Dresser & McKee; Keith Giles, Greenman-Pedersen, Inc.; Gregory A. Kelly, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.; Bruce Lilker, Lilker Associates Consulting Engineers; Dale T. Moeller, Parsons Brinckerhoff Quade & Douglas, Inc.; David Palmer, Arup; John J. Stankunas, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., Barbara Thayer, Barbara Thayer, P.C. and Joel Weinstein, Thornton-Tomasetti Engineers.


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A bevy of famously glam models looked so androgynous at Alexander Wang's show on Saturday, they were hardly recognizable. You'll be shocked to see that these beauties were present on the catwalk.
Filed under candice swanepoel , fashion week , hilary rhoda , karlie kloss , new york fashion week


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Finally got the Valentine's décor down! Luckily, I designed my "LOVE" signs to just be flipped around for the next holiday – St. Patrick's Day! If it's not super easy, it may not get down around here, ya know.
I also wanted to replace the heart art that I made last month. So I put together this little sign. And I thought I'd share it here too. The quote beneath it reads "A best friend is like a four leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have." Who doesn't feel that way about the people they love?
CLICK HERE to download a printable version of this for your home.
Tagged: decor
Project No. 9 – St. Patrick's Day art
Project No. 1
Remember my pledge? Welp, project number one is complete and I'm here to report substantial progress on the quilt I started as well.
With I had to take down my Halloween mantel decorations, the mantel was looking sorta bare. So I put together this super simple, quick "Fall" banner.
See – easy, right? Just cut some squares of burlap, hand lettered the FALL letters and hot-glued on some rick rack. I would like to add some sort of garland or foliage to the mantel still, but this was a quick fix.
In other fall décor news, guess which 11-month old has been dining on my decorative balls? Seriously!! What the heck?? We are constantly taking these away from him. I am being really stubborn though and keeping them on the table, hoping he'll eventually learn that they are not toys (or food!).
And I have completed the quilt top I started. Next, I need to find a backing fabric and get it all quilted together. This part of the process always overwhelms me, so starting is the biggest step.
Last night I had bunco with the girls and came home to find that the hubby had helped the kids make me a little turkey craft. How sweet was that?! They made it out of their hands and were SUPER proud of themselves. I love those kiddos!
Comments Off on Project No. 1
Graham's room.
When I was pregnant, we had the task of determining where to put our kids with the addition of the new baby. We contemplated putting the baby in with one of the older kids, moving the older kids in together or moving our oldest downstairs to her own room. In the end, we decided to keep them all separate by moving Lilah into what was once our guest/toy room downstairs.
This meant that we moved Graham into Lilah's old room (keeping the nursery for the pending baby). Not only was it decorated for a girl, it was DISGUSTING. The walls were beyond nasty. The first thing we did was paint it and it immediately felt beautiful. The wall color didn't change that much, we just painted it a little bit warmer gray.
We didn't have to buy any furniture, thankfully. We are borrowing the crib from family, and we weren't moving the dresser and play table to Lilah's new room. The super cool "G" toy box was built by my incredibly talented brother last year for Graham's birthday. We love it because there is no hinged lid to come crashing up and down. The two doors slide back and forth perfectly.
The license plates belonged to Brady's grandfather and had been stashed in our garage for years. I was happy to use them – and surprised to find four that matched the colors in the room!
The growth chart was made by Graham's aunt Casi – it was also a gift last year for his birthday. Don't we have the most talented family??
I painted/collaged these canvases a while back for the kids' toy room. They are modeled after these prints. The two globes were auction finds and just needed a coat of paint – they had gold hardware on them before.
And I made the "Oh, the places you'll go" sign. I have always loved that Dr. Seuss book and with the globes below, it just made sense. You can't tell it in these photos, but I used sheets of lined notebook paper to make the letters – they are decoupaged on. We had this huge canvas hanging in our garage that was from Brady's college days. He and his college roommates had it hanging at their house and whenever they had a party, guest would sign it. See below for the before. You might notice my name in big red marker in the middle – that is from our early dating days
And the little guy has loved his room. Of course, it is always WAY messier than this. He is really into trains now, so there is constantly a layer of little train cars and tracks covering the floor. It's a dangerous place to walk.
And we are happy with the way that we separated our kids. Lilah has been sleeping great downstairs and surprisingly, has never once questioned being so far away from us. I guess she's too little to realize it. I'm just glad that the two older ones are sleeping all night, cause this baby boy is not!
With a new baby coming in December, we have been talking lots about where to put all these kids! We have three bedrooms upstairs and one (plus and office) downstairs. Currently, each kid has their own room, and the extra room downstairs is for guest and toys. So, the big decision is: do we combine a couple kids so that they can all be upstairs with us? OR, do we move Lilah downstairs so they can each have their own space. And most importantly, their own sleeping privacy.
We go back and forth on the decision. But it's looking like we are going to move, Lilah, who will be 3-and-a-half, downstairs. Then Graham will go from his nursery to Lilah's current room.
So, this leaves me with a big redecorating project! I get easily overwhelmed with just one room, so doing the two is definetly throwing me. First step will be to paint both the spaces. Lilah's room is especially gross – I am looking forward to covering that mess up!
I have been doing a little research for ideas and colors to use, keeping in mind that I don't want to spend much money on these rooms. Fortunately, we don't need to buy much furniture, except another crib for Graham. There are lots of nice places to look for inspiration out there, like OhDeeDo or Flickr for example. These can make me want to go over the top, but I am going to try to keep myself grounded.
Today I came across this mural that I am wondering if I could do something similar to for Graham's room. I am loving the font and subtle color variations they used. Seems simple enough, right? Stay tuned for future updates on this project!
The Fourth, firecrackers and floods.
Happy 4th to everybody! If you live anywhere near me, you probably had the same Forth of July experience that we did: WET. A couple months ago, we had booked three nights in cabins at Cheney Lake for this holiday weekend and were very much looking forward to it. Might as well have stayed at home because we didn't even ONCE get in the water. It rained and rained and rained!! The rain wasn't too big of deal for the first day or so – we made the best of it by playing cards and games of washers and french darts in between the rain showers. But by the third day, Sunday, we were tired of it. So when the water started flooding the campground we were in, we bolted. Sad, but much better to be back on dry ground. So we celebrated my baby brother's 16th birthday (16!?!?! What?!?!) at my folks' house.
We still had a great time + we got to light fireworks, which were prohibited at the state park. We even painted faces and got some decent pictures of the little kiddos. They were all kinds of cheesy, which was a nice change!
Next up, a week of birthdays (Brady's, mine, and hopefully a new Krehbiel baby!) and four whole days with no kids! Brady's kind parents are keeping them for us…Yay!!!!!
Out on a limb.
Last fall, I was yearning for a family tree for our wall. I looked all over the web and never really found one that I thought was right. So, one night I got inspired and made my own. I knew I wanted it to be organic, or able to grow, should we decide to have another baby (a whole different post altogether!). I ended up with this piece which still puts a smile on my face when I walk past every day. The visual representation of what my life has become is so meaningful to me and a great reminder of my little family. It just feels so comfortable.
Soon after, my MIL's birthday was approaching, so I made one for her. This one was much more involved because it was three generations but really cool to see come together. She has four kids who are each married + eight grandkids. The family is not done growing, so it needed to have room for up to 22 people. It ended up taking longer than I hoped and became her Christmas present. Aside from a few typos (typical, Kylie), she seemed genuinely happy with it.
Then my friend, Lindsey, hit me up for another one as a Christmas gift for her mom. I was happy to help, especially because her family is small (read: more simple to make).
So there you have it. Three family trees. And I've decided I really enjoyed the process so much that I am going to take a chance and see if I can find anybody else to pay me to make them See my etsy shop here. I'd love to hear what you think!
The hostess with the mostest.
Our little guy is about to turn one. And as I'm trying to keep my mind off the fact that my baby is that old, I've been diving into planning his birthday celebration. We are actually baptizing him the same day, plus, it's Valentine's Day. So, lots to celebrate!
Have you seen many of the fabulous dessert tables and event design that is out there these days?? It's incredible! So much attention to detail – it's fabulous! Don't believe me? Check some of this out:
This Ragedy Ann party is blowing me away. How cute is this???
And how about this little boy's party??? Can somebody come pick my jaw up off the floor?
And a very sweet, yet hip, baby shower.
A A beach party that makes me long for summer days.
A super fun peppermint party.
Amy Atlas is like the mother of all dessert table design. (didn't know there was such thing, did ya?) Wanna be amazed? Go check out her portfolio.
A little different than the birthday parties I was raised on. And while I am in love with all of this and would kill to be able to pull something like that off, I am aware of the fact that it is all overkill. Graham is only one, will never remember and will probably take a nap through half the party anyways. But, a girl can dream, right?
Since his party is on Valentine's, we're going with a "King of Hearts" theme. Today's project was to make a crown for the little guy. I had a couple of other kids underfoot who wanted their own crowns, so they got some of my "prototypes".
Christmas is over. Big sigh of relief. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas. I do. I love the giving and the receiving. The baking. The decorating. The celebrating. The family traditions. The wonder and magic of the Christmas story and Santa and Rudolf and all the things that my daughter got excited for.
However, I am always ready for it to be over. And I'm guessing I'm not the only one. Ready to start eating healthy. Ready to get that tree down. Ready to stop spending, wrapping and packing.
So when I took down our holiday decorations on Monday, I felt very good. Until Brady came home from work and proclaimed that the house looked "empty". Hmmm. I guess I agreed cause all of a sudden I was inspired to dig out some decor for the next holiday: Valentines. Only to realize that we didn't have much. So, I thought I would get creative.
I pulled out some leftover cardboard, cut four 14×14″ pieces and started painting, cutting and ModgePodge-ing. Oh, how I love hands-on art! Incredibly more rewarding than working on a computer, which is what I do most days.
And when I looked at them this morning, I started thinking that maybe I could turn them over and use the other side for St. Pattys!! LOVE = LUCK??
Lilah's room.
This is where Lilah sleeps. And plays dolls. And sits in timeout. And gets dressed. And dances to the Mickey Mouse song on the table. And just about anything her little imaginative mind can think of.
She's been in this room for about a year – we moved her out of her "nursery" shortly before Graham was scheduled to arrive.
We didn't paint the room or spend much money on it. Almost everything in there we already had – the only real purchase for it was a dresser. Which I'm hoping will hold all her clothes for many years. The little table with bins was a gift (came from Target) and we are borrowing the crib from her cousins in KC. We haven't made the leap from the crib to the big-girl bed yet. Mostly because we're scared. No, scratch that – terrified. Of what will happen when she realizes that she doesn't have to stay in her bed after we shut the door at night. So far, she has never tried to climb out on her own (knock on wood) – only with help from her cousin when he spends the night. I am secretly hoping that she'll never realize that she could climb out on her own and we can keep her in there until she's 18. Sure would help her daddy sleep better at night, I bet!
My favorite part of the room are these two letterpress prints. I think they are super cool without being extremely girly or childish. I actually bought them before I even had kids cause I loved them so much. They came from Land of Nod – which has lots of art and décor that fits that same description. When she first started sleeping in this room, we had several incidents with her knocking these off the wall. But, Daddy fixed the broken frames, attached them more firmly and now they stay put.
And this is the kind of mess that is generally going on in there. Except all over the floor, too. And all over the house, really. Which reminds me of one of my favorite quotes:
"Cleaning when children are small is like shoveling snow in a snowstorm."
So, so true.
Shelf makeover.
I've had this photo shelf for quite some time – it was a gift from a friend back in college. Over the years, it's hung on many walls and held a variety of photos. I hung it in my daughter's room last year when we moved her out of the nursery. And I've been meaning to put some photos of her in the frames and have never gotten around to it. (As if I don't have a MILLION pictures of her.)
Anyways, got a wild hair to do something other that photos. And since I'm sorta addicting to monogramming things, I went with her initials (Lilah Mae Rott). Clever, huh? I used up some random scraps of fabric, layered two pieces together and hand-stitched the letters. Cut away the center and ta-da! the bottom fabric is revealed. Pretty. Simple. Pretty simple.
Kinda funny that her initials are L and R. Looks like "left" and "right".
Stick around – cause while I was in her room tidying-up, I snapped some shots of the rest of it…I'll be sharing those soon, too.


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Walnut Creek's Ruth Bancroft is a national authority on drought-resistant gardening. Twice a month, she and her staff share their knowledge with readers.
Many kinds of succulent plants have thick leaves arranged in rosettes, and the similarity of their forms can make them hard to tell apart.
Such plants can be found in various families; a good example is Dyckia brevifolia from southern Brazil, which belongs to the bromeliad family. Perhaps the most familiar bromeliad is the pineapple. Unlike it, the great majority of cultivated bromeliads are grown as ornamentals.
Plants in the genus Dyckia are found in the southeastern part of South America — Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina and Bolivia. They are known as "terrestrial bromeliads," while those that grow perched on the branches of trees, rather than in the ground, are the epiphytic bromeliads. The latter often are quite limited in their tolerance for cold, but many dyckias endure temperatures down to the mid-20s. This makes them suitable for gardens in our area.
In recent years, Dyckia breeders have created several hybrids with silvery or purple leaves, but D. brevifolia is a bright glossy green, except in full sun, where it often becomes yellowish-green. The form growing at the Ruth Bancroft Garden has leaves that seldom exceed 4 inches. The green or yellow-green of the leaf surface contrasts with the undersides, which have lengthwise silvery stripes.
Though the rosettes of leaves do not get large, D. brevifolia makes offsets. Over time, it may grow into a clump several feet across. If it eventually exceeds the space you wish to allot for it, some of the heads can be removed, re-rooted and planted elsewhere.
Dyckia brevifolia first blooms in the spring, with flower spikes up to 3 feet or so in height. At the bud stage, the flowers look like little yellow or orange footballs. When open, the tips of the three petals flare outward. This plant typically blooms several times over the year, finally stopping for a rest in the fall. An unfussy plant, it requires only occasional watering during summer months. As with other succulents, good drainage is important.
Email questions on drought-resistant plants to email@example.com.


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Surely it is the long and difficult war in Iraq that has prompted a revival of interest of Bertolt Brecht's masterpiece Mother Courage and Her Children. From Meryl Streep's ebullient heroine last summer in New York's Central Park to a production at Berkeley Rep, the idea that war is indeed hell is in the air.
Now, the Gamm Theatre has brought Brecht's burr-under-the-saddle play to a tiny stage where Mother Courage does not exactly reign, but where a talented force of actors, composers, and designers have fought this tough-to-do work to a draw.
This Mother Courage is often laugh-out-loud funny. It channels Brecht's drive, his implacable hatred of capitalism, his belief that the Christian church is corrupt beyond redemption, and hurls it all at the audience with both steely resolve and flights of fancy.
The actors, as staged by artistic director Tony Estrella, come at playgoers from all angles. The band (playing the both gritty and whimsical music composed by Charles Cofone) appears mysteriously from behind and within the audience. Doors slide, windows open; everything is a surprise. Near the end, when poor, dear Kattrin, Mother Courage's mute daughter (eloquently, gustily played by Casey Seymour Kim) bangs that famous drum to warn townspeople of yet another terrible attack, the actor is high above the crowd, barely seen in Patrick Lynch's tangled design. But she's heard. And a point is made: somebody, anybody, has got to do something about the horror of war.
That is not going to be Mother Courage herself, of course. The character Brecht wrote was a scarred survivor, a woman who, while admirably wanting to protect her children from devastation, really had no idea how to do it. In Brecht's view, she was a salty, rough, war profiteer; a representative of his belief that generals, higher-ups, and business people loved war for the profit and power it might bring them. Thus, any actor playing Mother Courage must walk a fine line between showing the audience her character's essential rapacity yet not fall into the trap of making her endearing -- a Mary Tyler Moore-type trapped in an awful situation.
In the past, I've only seen one actress successfully walk that tightrope: Linda Hunt at the old Boston Shakespeare Company. At the Gamm, veteran Providence actor Wendy Overly gives us a Mother Courage who is as much a burlesque performer as a battlefield survivor. She has sparky-eyed charm as she trundles her sugar-bowl frame around the stage pulling her wagon. Overly's got the life force: you know her Mother Courage is up to the task of surviving. But you wish that the knife-edge, only occasionally shown to us, was more visible.
Other actors -- Rae Mancini as a rose-cheeked, black gartered hoot of a hooker, and Chris Byrnes as a hollowed-out priest, contribute much to the production. But this Mother Courage, as with them all, lives or dies on its bleak outlook. There's no running away from the essential polemic of the play -- that the world of war is deliberately horrible because there's something to be gained by war as well. That point, in the end, is only partially driven home.
Mother Courage runs Sept. 18-Oct. 22 at the Sandra Feinstein-Gamm Theatre, 172 Exchange St., Pawtucket, R.I. Tickets: (401)723-4266. Website: www.gammtheatre.org.


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Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee - Season One Collection 2 (Sub.DVD)
Title: Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee - Season One Collection 2
Volume: Sub.DVD
Running time: 300
Distributor: Sentai Filmworks
Release date: 2013-02-19
Suggested retail price: $49.98
Age rating: 13+
Now that he has Niche and her pet Steak to watch his back against attacks by the giant insects known as Gaichuu, Lag Seeing's job as a Letter Bee should be getting easier. But something's clearly not right in the land of perpetual twilight, and every new delivery they undertake seems to involve new complications and introduce even greater dangers to Lag's already lethal profession.
Meanwhile, Lag's search for his mentor Gauche seems to be going in circles, but when a sinister researcher known as the Corpse Doctor kidnaps Steak with the intent of dissecting him, a new series of revelations sends Lag and Niche in an entirely new direction. Saving Steak from the butcher's knife, stamping the ambitions of a rival organization of letter carriers, and escalating waves of Gaichuu attacks are only the beginning as everything goes postal!
Contains episodes 14-25.
Special Features: Letter Bee Academy; Clean Opening Animation; Clean Closing Animation.
Spoken Languages: Japanese, English subtitles.
(added on 2013-01-31, modified on 2013-01-31)
- Encyclopedia information about Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee (TV)


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49ers Aldon Smith, CA Assault Weapons Law, and Interstate Commerce
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October 10, 2013, 03:33 PM
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Join Date: August 8, 2012
Posts: 2,556
Originally Posted by
But no, Mr. Genius decides to start shooting rounds into the air, with others following his actions. He chose to do so in a neighborhood, not the open expanses of Central California.
I'm all for responsible ownership and use, had this happened in my neighborhood, I would have turned him in.
There is enough question as to who did what first that neither he, nor his teammate who also fired into the air is being charged with anything about that (so far). There were apparently gang members of some kind at the party who fired at the players providing enough self-defense justification that prosecutors are using their discretion.
Originally Posted by
Frank Ettin
Nope. That is a clear and direct attempt to regulate commerce (i. e., commercial activity). It has nothing to do with the possession by an individual of personal property for his own use.
Actually I think it was a clear and direct attempt to generate revenue off the backs of people with a "smaller" voice in state policy. The fact remains that licensing professionals
Legal Dictionary
is a police power. In this case licensing wholesalers and importers.
(And unfortunately here I need to go work, so I'm going to add the half a thought I had running in VERY broad strokes so I can come back to it when I return to free time and not lose what I've already got down so far...) So for my own notes Passenger cases, Chief Justice Taney,
It is immaterial under what power duties on imports are imposed. That they are the principal means by which commerce is regulated no one can question.
A ban is a duty that cannot be paid. Look for case law that states, or supports that idea... And get more into the power to permit = power to deny, GCA, NFA, Title 18, The first F in FFL is Federal, The feds require a local business license, but don't infringe on 10A grounds there...
If the power to permit, and the power to deny are opposite sides of the same police power coin, then a case where police power allowing something not trumping the Congressional power denying that commerce should also suffice.
As states are legalizing medical, and now, recreational marijuana, the prohibition against the transfer of firearms in interstate commerce to those individuals who partake remains. In fact, as has been pointed out in this forum numerous times, a State's permission does not trump the Federal denial, as the Constitution is the supreme law of the land.
Edit to add: Also revise and extend to include the Taking's clause.
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Sergey Kovalev stops Cedric Agnew to keep hold of WBO light-heavyweight belt
Sergey Kovalev defended his WBO light-heavyweight title with a seventh-round stoppage of Cedric Agnew in Atlantic City.
Last Updated: 31/03/14 9:49pm
The Russian floored Agnew in the second and sixth rounds before ending the contest with a left to the liver early in the seventh.
Agnew dropped onto his knee in pain and remained there long after referee Samuel Viruet had counted him out.
Kovalev, whose record improves to 24-0-1 including 22 knockouts, did not have it all his own way at the Boardwalk Hall, suffering a cut above each eye from a headbutt in the fourth and elbow in the sixth.
"I tried boxing because he has good defence," Kovalev said. "Then I went to the body. I saw how hurt he was."
'Not stupid'
Agnew had come into the fight boasting an unbeaten 26-fight start to his professional career but spent most of the night on the ropes, deflecting punishment before launching the occasional counter-attack.
The Chicago fighter enjoyed occasional success with left hooks and body shots but eventually found himself overwhelmed.
"He has an uncomfortable style," Kovalev added. "He's not stupid. He kept a good distance. He was patient and I understood he was trying to tire me out, but I was ready."
Kovalev, who took his title off Welshman Nathan Cleverly last year, refused to discuss a potential light-heavyweight unification showdown with WBC champion Adonis Stevenson. The pair are contracted to rival television stations.
He said: "I don't want to speak on Adonis Stevenson."


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Select your carpet in the comfort of your own home
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With 3 decades of installation experience, Owner Lenny Culp is an expert in all phases of commercial and residential flooring.


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Rita Ora's new single "I Will Never Let You Down" is now available on iTunes!
The song, which produced by Calvin Harris, marks the British beauty's first single from her new album O; the follow-up to 2012's Ora.
Upbeat and fun, the single comes just in time for summer and the 23-year-old pop star hopes that "I Will Never Let You Down" will elicit a 'happy' response from its listeners.
"I love the fact this is such an uplifting love song," Ora explained of the track in a special behind-the-scenes video. "My friends get up and dance every time they listen to it. They feel like they're happy. They feel like there's nothing to worry about."
Ora will also be performing the song tonight (April 22) on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon to celebrate its release.
Meanwhile, Rita Ora also has a huge duet on the horizon, having paired up with Iggy Azalea for her track "Black Widow." Listen to it HERE.
Are you excited to hear the rest of Rita Ora's new album O? What about her duet with Iggy Azalea? Sound off below!


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We're shouting out our thanks to the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce!
By Garden Island Laundromat & Tanning | Jan 12, 2012
We want to thank the Chamber for the opportunity to showcase our business to our fellow entrepreneurs and business owners. We had such a wonderful turnout and we hope that everyone enjoyed the food and refreshments as well as learning about all the services we have to offer.
To our customers...we want to thank you for your understanding that we had to interrupt our services while we hosted this function last evening. We're back to normal operating hours today.
See you at The Island!


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Huge Sudeley Bench
Beautiful park bench designed by Pablo Reinoso from Argentina
Pencil Bench
Cool bench made from 1,600 pencils which are individually sprung.
Reef Bench
Wooden bench by Remy & Veenhuizen features moving slats that move slowly without disturbing the fundamental structure.
Fault Line Bench
Unique jagged shaped bench designed by Cameron Van Dyke.
Coral Bench
Algorithmically generated laser cut pattern extends along the full length of this stylish bench.
Quarry Bench
Beautiful and stylish modern bench designed by Ryan Dart.
Muscle Bench
Modern bench soldered and bent from steel by Alexandre Moronnoz.
Infinity Bench
Stylish wooden bench designed by Carl Fredrik Svenstedt.
The Ray Collection by Stefano Bigi
Coffee Bench by Beyond Standards
Coffee Bench is a very creative furniture piece from Poland. It's a very flexible solution for small spaces. The bench is movable and transformable. The design is so thoughtful that this one relatively simple furniture piece features also a table. The best thing about it is that you can customize it depending on your needs. Besides it can be used outdoors so if your patio isn't too big the Coffee Bench is a very option solution for it.
Creative Custom Wood Benches & Chairs
What starts with an underlying functional form in the work of artist Pablo Reinoso often gets carried
away as his furniture pieces begin to take on lives of their own. The crawling tendrils and stretched figures that emerge are rendered all the more exotic by his defiant use of hard wood with soft organic forms.
HAUS by Alexander Lotersztain
Slim Fast Bench
"Donated by Slim-Fast."
Becherovka "Get Closer" Bench
Becherovka is a traditional Czech liquor enjoyed my men and women. Long-term commucation stategy of Becherovka is captured is a slogan: Get closes. That's why our Becherovka bench is specially designed to help people do just that.
Newspapers Bench
It's not uncommon to have a stack of newspapers sitting around; but it took the ingenuity of designer Charles Kaisin to turn a pile of old news into durable bench.
Nail Bench (Editor Choice)
The artist Jay-Hyo Lee creates beautiful and pleasing benches from old nails that are hammered into the surface of natural wood. These nails are then bent to create patterns that evoke the ripples of water or currents of air. Once the hammering and designing job is complete, the artist grinds the nails, exposing raw silver metal to make sure that not even one nail is in a wrong position.
Ribs Bench
Contemporary bench designed by Stefan Lie from Sydney, Australia.
Huge Sudeley Bench
Beautiful park bench designed by Pablo Reinoso from Argentina
Muungano Bench
Creative bench designed by Peter Thuvander for the Conceptual Design Exhibition at the National Gallery in Stockholm. It pays homage to the typography industry and also comments "on differences as a foundation for language and form." Is a laser cut bench that forms the word "muungano" which means union. A tag melted into an bench that dominates the room and with a strong visual impact.
Solar Bench
This is a new approach of thinking about what a bench is. While playing the traditional role, this bench becomes a WIFI hot-spot and night-lighting with the thin-film solar battery. Moreover, it is made out of aluminum and recycled plastic regard of eco-issue.
Tennis Ball Bench
Dutch designers Tejo Remy and René VeenHuizen created these unusual benches out of tennis balls!
Wolfgang Keyboard Bench
The Wolfgang keyboard bench is made up of 2,000 keys imbedded into a layered Baltic birch wood. Each key is pressable and actually makes a clicking sound when pressed. The tactile effect of the bench also makes a playful interaction with the bench because you engage with the piece of furniture in a very up close and intimate manner while pressing in the keys.


text: My 51 A6 2.5tdi broke down in Italy couple of days ago. I had the "hunting" and juddering going on with mine where the engine revs would fluctuate 100rpms or so every 5 secs in lower gears. (foward clutch plate??) I lost all drive. while cruising down I pressed the gas pedal and the engine revved but no drive. As soon as the car came to a stand still. the engine turned off and I was unable to restart (ecu auto shut off??) I checked all oils and to see if the camshaft was moving while trying to start (via oil cap) to see if belt had snapped but all looked ok. The pick up truck guy said it was the fuel pump but I do not believe so. **update** The italian garage has said it is the injection pump that is broke and will cost me 2500 euro's to fix. If the pump had broke, how come I was able to rev the engine while I was free wheeling to a stand still? and why would the gearbox dis engage because the injection pump was about to fail? If the gearbox had broke. would I still be able to start the engine? Help please Thanks John


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WordPress SEO for Everybody A Complete Guide to Improving Your WordPress SEO
Who else wants their WordPress blog to rank higher in search engines?
A silly question, I know. Everyone does.
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Lemonade with grilled lemons and watermelon and peach chutney with whiskey and onions recipes brought to you by McCormick Grill Mates. This past weekend, my husband and I hosted one of our favorite annual events of the year… our dear friend and independent recording artist, Shannon Curtis, played a house concert in our "bubble"….
Let's Get Grilling (and Not Burn Down the House)
So, this is the summer I finally learn to grill. It's on my own personal bucket list and it is going to happen. If you follow me on Instagram you may have noticed that my nickname for our grill is "The Ghetto Grill"… case in point… Notice the knobs? They don't exist. So, to turn…


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Archive for Thursday, August 19, 2004
District, teachers agree to 3.2-percent salary increase, return of salary schedule
The De Soto USD 232 Board of Education approved Monday a one-year teacher contract that will reinstate a salary schedule and give all returning teachers a salary increase for the 2004-2005 school year.
Superintendent Sharon Zoellner said teachers voted to ratify the provisional contract last week. Following the Board's approval, contracts will be readied for teachers to sign into effect this week.
"We hope that teachers will have contracts in their hands Wednesday," Zoellner said.
Zoellner said the district's budget for teacher salaries increased 3.2 percent from last year.
Within those dollars, teachers will receive increases of various amounts dependent on their place in the schedule, she said.
Individual teachers' salary increases will range from 1.6 to 5.4 percent.
The base pay for teachers in 2004-2005 will be $31,494.
Zoellner said the district had not used a salary schedule -- a grid based on teachers' years of experience and level of education -- for several years.
Reinstating the intricate hierarchy took time, delaying the negotiations past their normal late-spring wrap-up, Zoellner said.
The state's delay in assigning school funds this year also contributed to the recently approved agreement.
"We kind of kept waiting to see if they were going to do anything, and they never did," said Ed Wilcox, Lexington Trails Middle School teacher and president of the De Soto Teachers' Association.
Wilcox said he was glad to be through with the process but wished teachers could be better compensated for long, late hours of out-of-classroom work.
"There are a lot of expectations of teachers that are time-consuming," he said. "I think teachers need a bit larger increase in pay."
Wilcox and teachers met with district representatives throughout the negotiating process. Board discussions regarding the subject were in closed sessions.
The two sides reached a tentative agreement in July, Zoellner said, but teachers were not mobilized to officially vote on the contract until they reported for work last week.
Zoellner said the contract did not add new benefits but that teachers already received health, disability and life insurance assistance from the district.
Last year's agreement provided De Soto teachers a 3-percent across-the-board pay increase while increasing the district's base pay 1.5 percent to $30,694.
That contract followed a June 2001 agreement that increased teacher salaries 8 percent in both 2001-2002 and 2002-2003.
Commenting has been disabled for this item.


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Kenya's central bank has managed to cool sky-high money market interest rates with its latest policy adjustment, but analysts say it still faces a struggle to restore market confidence and stem weakness of the Kenyan shilling.
Policy makers have been on the defensive since January when the central bank cut its benchmark lending rate in a bid to keep interest rates down – just as inflation started to surge.
Eight months and two smaller-than-expected interest rate rises later, inflation is running at 16.7 per cent, the shilling has hit a record low against the dollar, bond yields have rocketed and private analysts' economic growth forecasts for 2011 are being trimmed.
The central bank's latest move – changing the way it calculates the rate at its discount window, used to lend to banks in emergencies – has caused that rate to plunge to 19.8 per cent from 31.4 per cent seen on Friday, when the change was announced.
This promises to ease a funding crunch in the money market. Average interbank lending rates, which fell about 1 percentage point to around 27.7 per cent on Monday, are expected to fall sharply to below the new level of the discount rate. Bond yields have also started to ease, with two-year yields down between 50 and 70 basis points this week.
But analysts worry that the root of the markets' volatility, a crisis of confidence in policymaking in a country which has traditionally been viewed as one of Africa's most stable and sophisticated economies, has not been fully addressed.
"In the last couple of weeks it seems like the central bank has been either taking measures to suck up domestic liquidity or tighten monetary conditions without hiking rates and sending a wider tightening signal," said Stuart Culverhouse, head of research at frontier markets brokerage Exotix.
"The effect may be bringing some stability but it is failing to recognize the wider confidence crisis about the currency and the central bank."
To stem the slide of the shilling, which hit an all-time low of 95.10 to the U.S. dollar on Aug. 9, the central bank sucked liquidity out of the domestic money market in an effort to stop traders taking positions against the currency.
But a byproduct of that policy was a surge of interbank lending rates to crippling highs above 30 per cent last week, prompting the finance minister to urge the central bank publicly to restore stability to monetary policy.
Last Friday, the central bank responded by adjusting the way it calculates the discount window rate and by giving banks more flexibility to meet cash reserve ratios – its fifth adjustment to the discount rate or lending rules since June 29.
Finance Ministry and central bank officials have been meeting this week to come up with further policy responses. Some official sources said it was possible the central bank would resume injecting liquidity into the money market through reverse repurchase agreements.
"Unpredictable and inconsistent monetary policy has negatively impacted foreign investors' perceptions of Kenya," said Matthew Searle, sub-Sahara Africa analyst at Business Monitor International.
"At a time when sub-Saharan Africa is increasingly on international investors' radar screens, doubts over shilling stability will reduce the attractiveness of Kenyan assets in foreign currency terms – whether that foreign currency is dollars, euro, yen or renminbi."
One upshot of the currency weakness and rising bond yields is that foreign investors have largely steered clear of Kenyan Treasury debt auctions – last week's bond sale fell short by nearly two-thirds. This has left Kenyan banks saddled with government debt.
Another consequence of the unpredictability of policymaking, brokers say, is that some foreign investors are now snubbing the Kenyan stock market. The benchmark NSE 20 index was the second-best performer in Africa in 2010 but hit a 20-month low last week.
The central bank has won some sympathy in the markets for its argument that ramping up benchmark interest rates to fight inflation would be counterproductive, given that food and fuel price rises are expected to be temporary.
But analysts say the bank's image has been tarnished by not following orthodox policies. In particular, confusion over its policy may risk importing more inflation by weakening the shilling.
"I understand that the central bank has a paramount pro-growth bias but we are a frontier market and the margin for manoeuvre and an unorthodox strategy does not exist in the real world," said Nairobi-based independent analyst Aly Khan Satchu.
"The recent sharp run-up in the overnight rate gave the shilling very little succour, and that's essentially a consequence of an erosion of our monetary policy bona fides, right there."
Some other emerging market economies such as Turkey have also rejected conventional policymaking this year, by refraining from hiking benchmark interest rates and instead fiddling with banks' reserve ratios in the face of an inflation threat.
In recent weeks, Turkey's policy has been partially vindicated by the global economic slowdown. Nevertheless, Turkey is a stronger and more diversified economy than Kenya, and it is able to cope more easily with weakness of its currency.
Some company executives in Kenya are starting to worry that unless inflation is tackled fast, the outlook for the economy and the currency in the long term will not improve.
"All these three issues will have different tools that can be applied and you can win on one or two but you can never win all three at the same time," Adan Mohamed, managing director for Barclays Bank in east and west Africa, told Reuters on Tuesday.
"As far as I am concerned, we must deal with inflation and deal with it quick. It's a virus. If we deal with that, I think the others may have to give in temporarily. Economic growth might be low, but in the long term once you sort that out, the others will hopefully come back on track."