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I'm at work. The bloke behind me and the girl opposite him are flirting heavily, it's utterly nauseating, she's twee and he's socially inept, it's turning my fucking stomach.
I need to focus on this. Calm, calm.
Yesterday afternoon I jumped on the black bitch and shot over to my folks. Father's day and all that, grasping an offensive card (I like to deface cards designed for other purposes, it has the potential for both hilarity and offence, a winning combo) and one of those things that can inform you if the wall you're about to drill into is criss-crossed with pipework and high voltage cables, I arrived mid way through the grand prix. I'd seen the start and managed to time my journey between pit stops, due to some creative biking.
My bro arrived along with my getting-heavily-pregnant sister with my brother in law and we all watched the end of the race together in between distasteful remarks about pedometers and the size of my sister's remarkably massive tits. I may have mentioned before that I am lucky to have the family I do, nonetheless I still managed to make it home in time for most of Big Brothers On the Couch and BB itself, which I've politely reviewed in Watch With Mothers, link right. I ate, wrote (didn't drink)
and went to bed, wishing that my dad hadn't told me how he and my 100 year old grandfather drank more than 2 bottles (plus 'a few' G&T's) every night when my parents went up to visit him last week. Mum had a couple of Sherries.
On Friday night I hopped on the tube and met James and Harry in a much-visited boozer in Coven Garden. The pub itself is very old but the décor is very unremarkable and doesn't give any indication of its age, unless one is really looking. The most important thing is that the beer is well conditioned and absurdly cheap for London. You get change from a fiver with two pints. We three chatted about our recent comings and goings until joined by a mutual friend who's just come back from Iraq following a tour of duty. Being a Captain his role was pretty much confined to a desk, but I learnt much more about the day to day realities of the region than I glean from the press. The Captain knows of my views on Iraq, indeed, most peoples views on the matter, but it didn't (and shouldn't) result in my condemnation of him a person. He's a very brave chap; in fact he's a bloody good bloke and takes time to explain things to me even when he can see my lefty liberal persona floundering in his face. He's one more tour of duty and then he's out for good. What he intends to do for his swansong (and I mean that in the proverbial sense, I really do) is remarkably dangerous, extremely courageous and not for here.
It was a splendid eye popping evening, James and I were suitably drunk when we got on the last tube and like twats we agreed to go back to mine for a smoke and a couple of cans. After much grindcore James left to the backing of the fucking birds at 5-ish or so.
At midday I was up, because I'd not been mixing my drinks I didn't feel too bad, I'm sure this lack of the debilitating hangover has something to do with not boozing as much? Maybe? I don't know. Either way I made it to the shops, I'd actually decided not to go but needed to pick up some more beer and breakfast things for the following day.
A few months ago my old mate from Leeds, Chaz had decided that we should see Motorhead at the Royal Festival Hall; he was going to come down and stay the weekend and I'd lay on the hospitality. Sadly this wasn't meant to be a following a load of confusion on my part, stemming from a forgotten birthday on his, I ended up with 3 tickets, one for Myfwt, one for Jim, and one for me.
Myfwt arrived at 5, all teeth and tits looking stunning, we met Jim in the local boozer at 6-ish and began drinking. Myfwt reverted straight back to type, on the lager, matching me and Jim pint for pint and after a few we caught the tube and arrived at The Royal Festival in between the support act, Selfish Cunt, and The MH.
It was very odd crowd, largely the audience were 40 plus, some quite clearly well to do types with nervous looking spouses, even the usual MH fans were of an age and the subsequent atmosphere really was that of The Royal Festival Hall, coupled with a bit of grease. Badly Drawn Boy passed me in the lobby looking somewhat apprehensive. I was going to say something but decided against it after becoming distracted by his tea cosy headwear, it wouldn't have been good for him. We managed to squeeze a couple more in before taking our seats (yes, seats) that were shown to us by an old fashioned usher with a torch and all that caper.
Motorhead seemed as weirded out by the situation as the majority of the crowd, they played a sterling set, despite a few tunes I'd not heard, but the whole scenario was so peculiar it was hard to get into the stride of the gig. I refused to sit down, as did some of the other patrons but even seeing seated a handful of the MH audience, nodding their bald heads against the green velvet upholstery, was alienating. Nonetheless, all was cured by a paint stripping rendition of Iron Fist which blew my teeth out. After the gig came to a close, finding its cowboy boot clad feet in the process, we popped to the upper balcony for some more beers. It was lovely up there, a perfect balmy evening over the Thames, people milled below, twinkling boats drifted past, the entire view loaded with landmarks and pretty lights… I went so far to verbally cherishing the moments, which was met with stifled drunken giggles from my two charming companions.
We got back in time to indulge in a couple more beers on the way to the Lebanese Café for some Shwarma. Myfwt tits to my utter amazement had a chicken one which to her genuine surprise she loved. On the way back to the flat someone bought a load of chocolate, no idea why, and we all arrived back pissed up and full of good cheer.
Sunday morning I made breakfast and Jim departed leaving Myfwt and I in the company of Badly Drawn Boy sardonically discussing Motorheads gig on some sofa based TV show and Hot Fuzz. The latter was fucking brilliant, as with Sean of the Dead I was genuinely jealous to have not been involved. The former was just embarrassing. Myfwt left after lunch and I joined Lara for some more gymnastics and puzzles.
Christ, the flirting couple at work are virtually engaging in oral, it's stomach churning stuff and is preventing me from focussing on the task in hand, I need to have a cigarette immediately before I say something so inappropriate one of us will cry. I fucking hate Monday.
I've lost my dark glasses too.
This is the band we missed, shit, I fucked up here


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Today was a perfect Sunday.
I got up.
Walked the dog.
Went for a 3 mile run.
Made French Toast.
Topped the french toast with yogurt, strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon, and Naturally Nutty Chocolate Toffee Peanut Butter.
Did laundry.
Took a shower.
Blow dried my hair (You should have seen the look of shock on Derek's face when he realized. 😛 )
Drove to St. Pete.
Met a couple of amazing friends for drinks and lunch.
Cheered on the Tampa Bay Rays with my man.
Drank a beer (Magic Hat #9!)
Ate a 1/2 Salad and a 1/2 Cuban
Spent hours hearing stories about the Key West Ragnar.
Got really excited that Derek and I signed up to run next year's Ragnar.
Watched a baby move in a pregnant belly.
Fell asleep in the car on the way back to Tampa.
Stopped for Frozen Yogurt.
Ate my weight in yogurt toppings.
Went grocery shopping.
Watched tv.
Made dinner.
Tortellini with chicken sausage, broccoli, onion, mushrooms, pasta sauce, and parmesan cheese.
Heard some GREAT news.
Going to bed happy.
Good Night!

subset: commoncrawl


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Ploy With Your Food
>> Thursday, November 17, 2011
Venue: Ploy @ Damansara Heights
Occasion: Lunch with colleagues
Overall comment: Delectable food, but portion is rather small for the price paid. Some colleagues just couldn't accept this "depressing" truth - price + portion are just unfavourable.
Halal: Pork free (alcohol is served)
I've been working at Damansara Heights for almost a year now & have not been really exploring the food options available in this area. To put it very bluntly, I have almost given up hope on coming across any good food at affordable prices. This time around, I just thought of gathering a few colleagues to try out this rather new restaurant in the building next door to our office.
The word "Ploy" simply means "gem" in Thai. Inspired by the true gems of Thai & Japanese cuisine, the owner of this restaurant, Jared Lim, started this restaurant some time in the middle of this year. The restaurant serves interesting fusion food, blending in the goodness of Thai & Japanese food to give Ploy a niche of its own.
The restaurant's interior was quite interesting & nicely done up. The restaurant comprises of various 'segments' to cater for the various needs of its patrons. As you walk into the restaurant, you'll be greeted by the large restaurant logo & personally, it felt like walking into a spa (where the reception counter is in front & the main areas are at the sides)...hahaha....you'll also notice a nicely lit shelf of liquor on your right before you enter the main dining area.
There, you'll find the bar & 2 semi-enclosed rooms that could seat up to 10 persons apart from the open dining area. The interesting thing is that these semi-enclosed rooms do not have solid walls, but the unique steel dividers (as seen in photo below) are the walls & curtains can be drawn to give your little group the extra privacy needed. Nice :) In fact, after our lunch, we were given a short tour of the place where we discovered 2 more "hidden" rooms cosy enough for private functions (as seen in photo above)! One of the rooms have a ceiling covered with lightbulbs, which was VERY fascinating! To add to the excitement, Ploy is currently running a contest on "Guess the number of lightbulbs" - more information can be obtained from their Facebook page.
As first timers, we decided to try out their set lunch of the day (available Mondays - Saturdays). Everyday, Ploy will offer a different set lunch menu comprising of a glass of ice lemon tea, salad, & a main dish to give their patrons a variety & excitement to drop by on different days. It was a Thursday when we had lunch at Ploy, so their set lunch for the day was the Pasta with Nori & Fresh Cream.
BK ordered the Spaghetti Thai Anchovies (RM21.00/serving), which was another pasta dish that was quite appetizing. The pasta had a slightly spicy & sour taste on top of the salty anchovies, & the fresh black peppers gave the dish an extra punch. I'm quite "kampung" & it's my 1st time trying out how fresh black pepper tastes (I usually see the dried ones) - interesting!
Ok, thank goodness our wallets were sufficiently loaded that day. One set meal + 1 sushi roll wasn't enough for DC & I! We ended up ordering a Spicy Salmon Pizza (RM25.00/pizza) for sharing. Gluttony? Erm, not really. Portion was just insufficient for Malaysians like us :P The Spicy Salmon Pizza isn't the traditional pizza that you have at Italian restaurants, Pizza Hut/Dominoes Pizza. The base is a very thin, crispy pastry, with puréed avocados & spring onions as the base sauce. Pan-seared salmon, oyster mushrooms, & fish roe topped the pizza, along with 1 mint leaf on each slice - gives the palette a different dimension of taste.
The other pizza ordered was the Popcorn Chicken Pizza (RM22.00/pizza). According to those who had that, it's more favourable compared to the Spicy Salmon Pizza although the salmon variant was recommended by their chef, Daniel. The salmon pizza is one of the best sellers, but I guess this is all up to the individual preference. The Popcorn Chicken Pizza is probably very similar to KFC. I can't comment much since I didn't try that pizza :)
Well, if I'm not very hungry or if someone picks the bill, I won't mind dining at Ploy. It's a nice restaurant with decent-tasting food - not forgetting good customer service as well! The only set back personally, is the portion & price. These are actually factors that are of great priority when I pick a place to dine. Treat this place as a fine-dining/high-class restaurant with good ambiance & you'll find yourself more contented ;)
Ploy Restaurant & Bar
G-02, WORK@Clearwater
Jalan Changkat Semantan
Damansara Heights
50490 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (+603) 2095 0999
Fax: (+603) 2095 9181
URL: www.ploywithyourfood.com
Facebook: Ploy's Facebook Page
Presentation: * * *
Price: * *
Environment: * * *
Taste: * * 1/2
Service: * * *
If only the price was lower & portion was more generous,


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We don't mean to take the piss out of AJ Daulerio's work earlier today, but it turns out that we already know what the next real-life baseball story will be dramatized on the big screen: It's Jose Canseco's!
Nine Yards Entertainment has optioned the rights to Jose Canseco's sports tell-all "Juiced: Wild Times, Rampant 'Roids, Smash Hits and How Baseball Got Big" and will produce with Canseco.
Scribe Kipp Marcus has been hired to adapt the book, which details the baseballer's use of performance-enhancing anabolic steroids starting as a player in his 20s with a small-time farm team and ending up as a star with the Oakland Athletics. He was named the 1988 American League MVP.
First off, Canseco's producing this movie, which is strangely awesome: We imagine him having a most daunting casting couch. And you know the guy writing the movie? His name is Kipp Marcus, and he's most famous for for playing Officer Randy Parker in Jason Goes To Hell. There is absolutely no way we will not go see this movie.
Canseco's "Juiced" Gets Jazzed [Dark Horizons]


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1. This offer is only open to the Sony Entertainment Network (SEN) account listed in the offer email; it is not transferrable and forwards/shares of the offer will not be redeemed. One offer per eligible SEN account.
2. This voucher code must be redeemed before 30/11/17 11.59pm GMT after which it is invalid.
3. THIS IS AN ONGOING SUBSCRIPTION. Unless you cancel your subscription prior to the end of the initial one month subscription period, your subscription will automatically continue into a paid one month subscription and will continue to renew at the end of each subscription period.
Duration: until cancellation.
Billing frequency: every month.
Billing amount £6.99 until otherwise notified by email to the email address registered to your account.
4. You agree that the subscription fee will be deducted from your SEN wallet. If you do not have sufficient funds in your SEN wallet, the required balance will be charged to the payment card registered to your SEN account (if any) unless you turn off automatic funding. Approved payment method details required. You can turn off the auto renewal at any time, and your subscription will expire at the end of the then current term. Instructions on terminating your subscription are at https://www.playstation.com/get-help/help-library/store---transactions/payments---refunds/how-to-cancel-a-service-subscription/
5. Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Voucher Code Terms, Software Usage Terms and additional content/service specific terms, language and country restrictions, apply. See www.playstation.com/legal/PSNTerms. If you do not accept the terms, do not redeem the voucher code. You must have access to PlayStation®Store and high-speed internet to redeem this offer.
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Jacket Rainforest Speed
Style: N0YIWL
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Hear it roar: it's the Rainforest Jacket, here revisited in an all-over print inspired by the world of track-racing and vintage motor sports logos. Its unmistakable anorak shape makes it a recognisable fashion statement, but when it comes down to business, its technical features make it a true player as winter starts to bite. Water resistant and snowproof, its advanced hood regulation, critically taped seams and down-free padding turn it into a comfortable cocoon to fend off the cold in style.
- Hooded anorak
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- Inner cuffs
- Ventilation eyelets
- Critically taped seams
- Down-free padding
- Water-resistant fabric suitable for dry conditions or very light rain (3000 mm H2O)
- Snowproof
- Badges
- Fall/Winter 2019
- 100% Polyamide
- Medium breathability and moisture management ( MVP 3000g/m2-24 hours)


text:
Mejor Cocktail Recipes
Although Mejor Tequila can be critically appreciated neat, we believe it takes a great tequila to make a great cocktail. The mild and subtle nuances offered by Mejor's tequila line provides the perfect canvas to explore your inner mixologist! Recipes
Where to buy Mejor
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text:
Is "Google Me" Real? "I Won't Say," Says Eric Schmidt.
Is Google really working on its own social network, meant to compete with Facebook?
Don't ask Eric Schmidt. At least not in public. Someone did that at the Guardian's tech conference yesterday, and he gave the following non-answer: "That would be a product announcement and I won't say."
Okay, then. We'll add that to the rather thin body of evidence that suggests that the search giant is, in fact, working on something called "Google Me." The list so far:
- A tweet, now deleted, from Digg CEO Kevin Rose, describing a "rumor" from a "very credible source."
- A much more confident assertion from former Facebook CTO Adam D'Angelo, who wrote about the project on Quora, his new Q&A start-up.
And that's it, as far as I know. On one hand, it would be easy enough for Schmidt to bat this one away if it were a complete fabrication; on the other hand, if he got into the habit of denying reports about Google (GOOG) projects under development, he'd never get anything done.
Meanwhile, if you're trying to assess Google's chances at building a plausible social network, I think it's fair to look at Orkut, its original attempt (big in Brazil!), and Google Buzz, its weird and unwieldy Twitter response. But I wouldn't count Google Wave against them–best I can tell, that non-starter of a messaging product was truly a lab experiment conducted by a handful of engineers. If there really are a "are a large number of people" working on Google Me, as D'Angelo maintains, this could be interesting.


text:
Find competent battery storage installers in Wiltshire
Below you will find solar battery storage installers all of whom meet the following criteria:
- They have good Checkatrade ratings or equivalent
- Hold RECC or HIES membership
- Can also install solar panel systems
Get the most appropriate battery storage for your home. If you need backup power in a power-cut, consider the Tesla Powerwall with backup gateway.
Areas Covered
These installers can cover all the main Wiltshire towns, cities, and surrounding areas, including:
- Swindon
- Salisbury
- Trowbridge
- Chippenham
- Melksham
- Devizes
- Warminster
- Calne
- Westbury
- Corsham
- Wootton Bassett
- Amesbury
- Tidworth
- Bradford-on-Avon
- Bulford Camp
Think it Through
One of the big ticket items to consider with battery storage is VAT.
How you MIGHT be able to get VAT applied at 5%
If you have battery storage installed at the same time as solar panels, then VAT might be applied to the whole installation – including batteries – at 5%. This can make a huge difference to the overall price you pay. It could cost you £1,000 more if VAT is at 20% rather than 5%.
However, due to new VAT laws introduced on 1 October 2019, you will very probably have to pay 20% VAT on materials, if you have solar panels and battery storage installed at the same time on one invoice. This is because you will go over a percentage threshold for materials. The new VAT rules are:
- If the cost of the solar and battery materials together is 61% or more of the entire invoice, then VAT has to be applied at 20% on the materials (fortunately labour is still assigned 5% VAT).
Generally, as there is so much hardware to be installed during a solar + battery installation, the materials component is nearly always 61% or greater and you'll end up paying that 20% VAT on the materials.
Better to put battery storage on a separate invoice
If you have battery storage put in on its own (without solar panels), then VAT is always applied at 20%.
Because of the VAT changes mentioned above, if you do have solar panels and battery storage installed at the same time, it generally works out cheaper to have the solar panel system invoiced @ 5% VAT and then battery storage invoiced separately at 20% VAT. You normally save between £200 and £300.
Solar battery storage
Ask your installer to show you their accreditation certificate for the battery technology they are installing, whether Tesla Powerwall, Sonnen Battery, Powervault, or other. Not all manufacturers demand it, but best to be on the safe side.
Remember: solar panel battery storage allows you to capture excess solar electricity that would otherwise escape to the grid. You can then draw on that stored solar electricity in the evenings or at night when the sun isn't shining. Solar Panels + Battery Storage = being more energy independent.
Finally, for a comprehensive overview of battery storage and how it can complement an electric car, please see our main Battery Storage page.
Company name
Infinity Energy Services Ltd
Company name
In Balance Energy Ltd
Company name
Swindon Solar Panels


text:
Tarte Fantastic Foursome Blush Set
- Made some major editing headway today (trying to get ahead of the game)... new video will be coming tomorrow!
- I also have review video in the works about the new Revlon Nearly Naked foundation & powder.
- Started getting into the Voice at the tail end of the season (yay for new schedule) and I'm so glad Cassadee Pope won! Love her voice.
- I can't say enough about how much I am loving getting to do Beauty Broadcast full time... my energy and ability to focus is amazing. There is so much of a difference, I really feel like I was sleep deprived before. It's like you have to experience life both ways to truly be able to tell. I always loved doing videos, but now I can approach my tasks with so much more energy, physically and mentally. Love it!


text:
Please contact for details :
Phone (800) 481-2166
Email :
Search for party and event vendors in your area
Party Plan
Planning Your Little One's Birthday Party|Tips That Helps You Organize Your Little One's Birthday Party|Plan Your Child's Birthday Party With A Checklist
If you really like to ensure that everything will properly organize and well planned, you should prepare ahead of time. To do this, you need a birthday party planning checklist.
Planning for your little one's birthday party is a very hectic event and as a parent, you are thinking of great ideas on how you should come up with the preparations. For instance, if you really like to ensure that everything will properly organize and well planned, you should prepare ahead of time. To do this, you need a birthday party planning checklist.
A birthday party planning checklist plays a vital role since it can help out all the stuff needed for the birthday preparation. Your little one's birthday will be your one of the most important moments and certainly one to be remembered the rest of your life. Whether you opt for a large gathering or a small group of friends, a birthday party checklist will help plan this memorable event.
The usual birthday party checklist will be considered by time. Initially you will list down everything you need to do, to buy and to manage a certain tasks that need to be done about a month earlier to the main event. Here are a few tips that might help you with the organizing process:
- Select a party theme – it helps you to decide on what things you need to buy to avoid unnecessary purchases.
- Create a guest list – this can give you an idea when making your birthday invitation cards.
- List a program – this includes the starting and ending time as well as the party games.
- Make early appointments with cake orders, balloons, entertainer or live performer.
- 2 to 3 weeks before the party, you can purchase your party supplies and ask someone who can help you.
- The day before the party, start decorating the place of event, prepare the foods, make sure your camera is ready and follow up your entertainers.
- And when it's already the day of your little one's birthday party, place your balloons, prepare candles on cake, get ready with the game activities and double check if the foods are ready to serve.
Another great recommendation is to get assistance from a birthday party planner to make it easy for you and lessen your worries. A birthday party planner will organized everything you need including party supplies, decorations, invitations, and cake ideas.? If not, now you're ready to do it yourself!? Happy Celebrating!


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text:
Unique design allows easy access to all buttons, controls and ports without having to remove the case.The stand can also adjust the height ! Very useful!
- 8 inch leather white cover stand for tablet PC Mid
- Metal activities deduction can be flexibly freedom
- Very stable,10 - 15MM within the thickness of the machine can be a very good fit!
- Lightweight, wear-resistant, soft and comfortable
- Velveteen fabric was added to holster internal, you can protect your love machine better!
- Suitable for the vast majority of 8 inch Tablet PC, as long as your machine is less than or equal to this size.
- Ideal for 8 -inch Lenovo, Huawei, Cube, Ramos, Vido, Ainol, Diantai, Shenxingzhe,Newman, Onda, Freelander corresponding size models
- Color: White
- Material: Leather
- Size: 8 inch
- Length: Approx.217mm
- Width: Approx.147--165mm
- Thickness: Approx.10--15mm
Package Includes:
- 1x Protect Cover Case Stand for 8 inch Tablet PC
Note: Since the size above is measured by hand, the size of the actual item you received could be slightly different from the size above. Meanwhile, please be reminded that due to lighting effects, monitor's brightness / contrast settings etc, there could be some slight differences in the color tone of the pictures and the actual item.


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1) Who invented electric Christmas lights?
Thomas Edison
Gottlieb Daimler
James Naismith
2) How many people in the world know the carol "Silent Night"?
10 million
1 billion
3 billion
3) What is the ninth candle in the Hanukkah Menorah for?
It lights the other candles
It's blown out first
It's a candle for children
4) Who flies through the air and fills children's stockings with candy and presents?
Santa Claus
La Befana
5) British people wear paper crowns at Christmas events because of
The Three Kings
Queen Elizabeth
Christmas crackers
6) What does "Auld Lang Syne" mean?
Old friends
Long, long ago
Good memories
7) Why do Southerners eat black-eyed peas and greens on New Years' Day?
To honor farmer forefathers
To cure a hangover
8) Who first used live people in a Nativity scene?
St. Francis of Assisi
Queen Victoria
Pope Pius XII
9) How much does the New Year's Eve ball in Times Square weigh?
5,619 pounds
11,875 pounds
21,200 pounds
10) Candied lotus seeds are a popular Chinese New Year's treat and are said to bring:
Good luck
Better finances
Boy children
11) Pointsettias get their name from?
Their lovely, pointed leaves
The Spanish word for flower
A U.S. minister to Mexico
12) What sports activity is celebrated on Christmas Day in Ireland?
Cross country skiing
13) What do children leave outside the door in Germany on Nikolaustag on December 6th?
14) In areas of France what burns in homes from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day?
simmering fruit
a log
15) What do Norwegian families hide on Christmas Eve?
1) Thomas Edison – he not only invented the electric light bulb, He also created the first strand of electric lights. He hung them outside his New Jersey lab during Christmas season in 1880. Lights for Christmas trees weren't sold to the public until 1917.
2) 3 billion – Of the roughly 7 billion people on Earth about 3 billion are familiar with "Silent Night." The carol was first heard on Christmas Eve 1818, in Oberndorf, Austria, and was written by Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber. It has been translated into more than 300 languages
3) It lights the other candles – The ninth candle is the "shamash," which is used to light the other candles. Hanukkah is an eight-day Jewish holiday marking the defeat of an army that had invaded Israel. After the victory, the Jews celebrated at the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. They found enough oil to light the lamp for only one day. But the oil lasted eight days and nights, and it's celebrated as a miracle.
4) Both – American children know Santa, but Italian children wait for La Befana, the good witch who rides a broomstick the night of January 5th. The children wake up on January 6th – the Feast of the Epiphany – to find toys, candy, and fruit that she left. Some families in Hispanic communities in the U.S. practice traditions brought from Latin American countries. Children place hay and water under their beds the night of January 5, for the camels of the Three Kings, and wake up to find presents.
5) Christmas crackers (pretty paper tubes that you pull apart) – are a British tradition. The tubes pop open with a bang when pulled. Inside, there's a small gift like a mirror and a joke written on a piece of paper. There's also a paper crown, a nod to the Lord of Misrule, an old custom that put a peasant in charge of village Christmas events. Brits wear the crown and read the joke out loud.
6) long, long ago – This well-known New Year's Eve tune is from a poem by Robert Burns, based on a Scottish folk song. "Should old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne." It's a tribute to days gone by. The words are in the Scots language, which today is spoken in the Lowlands and Northern Isles of Scotland.
7) To bring wealth in the New Year – The black-eyed peas stand for coins. The greens or collards stand for paper money. Eating these dishes is supposed to bring good luck and wealth in the coming year. Cultures around the world celebrate the New Year with foods meant to bring prosperity: fish in China, lentils in Italy, and gold-colored food in Peru. (The tint often comes from the spice turmeric.)
8) St. Francis of Assisi – widely known today for his love of animals — created the first live nativity scene, in 1223 in the Italian village of Greccio. He recreated the scene of Christ's birth with people playing Mary and Joseph and animals from the village as the creatures in the stable.
9) 11,875 – It's also covered with 2,688 Waterford crystal triangles. Americans began dropping a giant ball at New Year's Eve in 1907. The first was a 700-pound iron-and-wood beauty lowered from a flagpole atop One Times Square.
10) Boy children – In China, lotus seeds symbolize male children. Eating the sweetened seeds is supposed to bring boy babies into your family.
11) U.S. minister to Mexico – The poinsettia is native to Mexico, where it's used to decorate churches at Christmas. It gets its name from American diplomat Joel Poinsett, who introduced the flower to the U.S. in the 1800s. The red and white parts of the poinsettia — which some people think are petals — are actually colored leaves called bracts.
12) Swimming! There are some intrepid people who get out in the open air and away from all the excess on Christmas morning, though it can be fairly miserable out there at that time of year. One long standing tradition in Sandycove, a suburb of South Dublin is the Christmas Day Swim – in the sea. Yes, in Ireland, in December, they swim in the freezing Irish sea – and let me tell you it is MUCH colder even that it looks in the picture! Crazy, but they say it's fun!
13) On December 6 is Nikolaustag, St. Claus day. A shoe or boot is left outside the door on Dec.5 with hopes the following morning you find presents, if you were good – or, unfortunately a rod if you had been bad.
14) In southern France, it is a tradition among some families to burn a log in their homes from Christmas Eve until New Year's Day. In olden days, farmers would use a part of this log to make the wedge for the plough as good luck for the next harvest. In Lyon, December 8th is annually celebrated as the Festival of Lights or 'fete des lumieres' in honour of Mother Mary for all the blessings through the year. Other important French traditions include the Nativity Scene, the midnight feast called 'le reveillon' and Pere Noel.
15) Norwegian legend has it that when Christmas Eve arrives it brings with it a series of evil spirits and witches. The evil spirits and witches could not just walk from place to place but needed a form of transportation to fly around and they often used brooms for this. It is Christmas tradition for Norwegian families to hide all brooms, mops and brushes on Christmas Eve so that these trouble makers can not use them.
link ~ http://www.webmd.com/balance/rm-quiz-holiday-traditions?ecd=wnl_wmh_122513&ctr=wnl-wmh-122513_ld-stry&mb=rHKmwhyk2PvM%40wJ88MZOheHnVev1imbCTxvaq5IOIhg%3d


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We are looking for an experienced Forklift/Reach Operator to work with our clients based in South Auckland.
Your duties will include:
- Counterbalance or Reach Driving
- Load/Unload Trucks
- Inwards/Outwards goods
The suitable applicant will have the following skills:
- Health and safety conscious
- Reliable
- Fit & Strong
- Able to work day shift Mon to Fri (this is an ongoing role)
To be successful you will need:
- Current Counterbalance or Reach Forklift licence
- Transport to get to work
- The ability to pass a pre employment drug screening test and Ministry of Justice check
In return, we can offer you the following:
- Weekly wages paid on time
- Competitive pay rates as well as 8% holiday pay
- Regular, consistent work
- Reward and recognition incentives
- On-going support and communication while you are working
Sound like you? Apply online today, we'd love to hear from you.


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We have a huge selection of electrical installation and wiring accessories including back boxes, electrical sockets, fused spurs, RCD sockets, junction boxes and accessories as well as faceplates and mounting plates. Choose from reliable, leading brands such as MK Electric, Legrand, ABB and our own quality brand RS PRO.
What wiring accessories are available?
Whether you are looking for a faceplate, a socket or a replacement back box, we have a wide selection of electrical wiring accessories to help you with the job at hand. Popular product areas include:
- Back boxes - usually fitted inside a wall to house electrical wiring behind a light switch or a power socket. They're available in different materials, mainly plastic or metal, in different depths depending on the space you require and the number of gangs.
- Faceplates - wall plates and mounting plates are commonly used to improve the aesthetic appearance of electrical installation. Our range includes plates with up to 8 gangs, or openings, in many colours to suit the installation environment.
- Junction boxes - used to house and secure electrical wiring safely, in both professional and domestic applications. We stock a wide selection of junction boxes with many configurations including boxes with up to 12 entries, in a broad selection of sizes, colours and materials, as well as IP ratings – from IP20 to IP68.
- Electrical Sockets – sockets are installed anywhere that there is potential for power to be required for electrical equipment and devices in homes, warehouses, offices and other buildings. The main types of socket we sell are:
- Industrial sockets – have protective covers and are rated to a specific IP number to allow for them to be used in environments where they could be exposed to dust, water, chemicals and other particles that could stop them working.
- Plug sockets – within our range you will find plug sockets with 1, 2 or 3 gangs, in many colours, mounting types, sizes, and IP ratings to suit the installation area you are fitting the socket.
- RCD sockets – An RCD (residual current device) socket, has the added protection of detecting any current imbalance and will cut the power if the difference becomes greater than a specific parameter, protecting the user.
... Read more


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I don't think it happens very often at all because I've only ever had one other person mention it to me. With them it was a cookie issue.
You could edit your "rules" and put your email address in there so that when people are viewing the rules for signing up they'd see it.
What is it that you don't understand about the Ins and Outs?


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When you need to explain in writing how to do something, a set of step-by-step instructions is your best choice. By enumerating the steps, you make it easy for readers to perform the process in the correct sequence. Your goal is to provide a clear, self-sufficient explanation so that readers can perform the task independently.
Gather Equipment
- Writing materials (pen and paper, typewriter, computer)
- Background materials (previous memos, policy manuals, manufacturer's booklets, etc.)
- When necessary, the apparatus being explained (machine, software package, or other equipment)
- Perform the task yourself, or ask experts to demonstrate it or describe it to you in detail.
- Analyze prospective readers' familiarity with the process so that you can write instructions at their level of understanding.
Make your Instructions Clear
- Include four elements: an introduction, a list of equipment and materials, a description of the steps involved in the process, and a conclusion.
- Explain in the opening why the process is important and how it is related to a larger purpose.
- Divide the process into short, simple steps presented in order of occurrence.
- Present the steps in a numbered list, or if presenting them in paragraph format, use words indicating time or sequence, such as first and then.
- If the process involves more than ten steps, divide them into groups or stages identified with headings.
- Phrase each step as a command ("Do this" instead of "You should do this"); use active verbs; use precise, specific terms ("three weeks" instead of "several weeks").
- When appropriate, describe how to tell whether a step has been performed correctly and how one step may influence another. Warn readers of possible damage or injury from a mistake in a step, but limit the number of warnings so that readers do not underestimate their importance.
- Include diagrams of complicated devices, and refer to them in appropriate steps.
- Summarize the importance of the process and the expected results.
Test your Instructions
- Review the instructions to be sure they are clear and complete. Also judge whether you have provided too much detail.
- Ask someone else to read the instructions and tell you whether they make sense and are easy to follow.
My Consultancy–Asif J. Mir – Management Consultant–transforms organizations where people have the freedom to be creative, a place that brings out the best in everybody–an open, fair place where people have a sense that what they do matters. For details please visit www.asifjmir.com, and my Lectures.


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Nothing helps a pitcher settle into a groove better than having a teammate launch a first inning� grand slam.� That was the scenario last night as Pawtucket Red Sox third baseman Garin Cecchini capped a first inning rally by blasting a laser shot down the right field line and into the Norfolk Tides bullpen, off Tides starter Jason Gurka. With a Mookie Betts walk and singles from Travis Shaw, Carlos Rivero, and Ryan Roberts, the PawSox put five runs on the board in the bottom of the first, en route to a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles' triple-A farm club.
Nothing helps a pitcher settle into a groove better than having a teammate launch a first inning grand slam. That was the scenario last night as Pawtucket Red Sox third baseman Garin Cecchini capped a first inning rally by blasting a laser shot down the right field line and into the Norfolk Tides bullpen, off Tides starter Jason Gurka. With a Mookie Betts walk and singles from Travis Shaw, Carlos Rivero, and Ryan Roberts, the PawSox put five runs on the board in the bottom of the first, en route to a 7-3 victory over the Baltimore Orioles' triple-A farm club.
PawSox righthander Matt Barnes was the beneficiary of the latest example of the Pawtucket offense coming to life, and he turned in a creditable 5.2 innings, holding the visitors to just two runs on five hits before 5297 fans on Armed Forces Night. Barnes hit 96 mph on the stadium radar gun, and looked to have the Tides thoroughly outclassed for most of the night. Barnes departed after throwing 102 pitches, but relievers Dalier Hinojosa (1.1) and John Ely (2 innings) finished off the game efficiently.
It all pointed to the Pawtucket pitching staff's depth, according to manager Kevin Boles. Even with Rubby De La Rosa and Brandon Workman in Boston, the PawSox can still roll out a rotation of Barnes, the 6'7 Anthony Ranaudo, lefty Chris Hernandez, Allen Webster, and knuckleballer Steven Wright, and when that group gets some runs to work with, they can be intimidating.
"Barnes was really attacking well with the fastball, and had a good feel for the change-up," said Boles. "He kept them off-balance all night. There was really a lot of life, and a late rise, to his fastball tonight. Our starters and our whole rotation is pretty impressive. Even with De La Rosa and Workman up there, we've shown that we have some real serious depth here--and they're all taking us deeper into games too. We have different guys who give you different looks, but the thing is that they all throw strikes. You can never get comfortable when you're standing in against Barnes--with him, that ball gets on you pretty quick, and when he's aggressive like he was tonight, he is very tough."
Looking at the all-important Pawtucket rehab report, neither BoSox third-sacker Will Middlebrooks or outfielder Shane Victorino played Thursday night. Observers said Victorino did not look fluid in his movements Tuesday, and seemed to be limping by the time he left the game.
But Thursday night did see the Pawtucket debut of another major leaguer at McCoy Stadium, as former San Francisco Giant Andres Torres started in center field, and went 0-for-3 despite hitting the ball hard three times. Torres, signed by Boston on June 11, had played five games with single-A Lowell before reporting to Pawtucket yesterday. Last year Torres mostly started in center field in 103 games with the Giants, batting .250. Torres had a career year in 2010 when the San Francisco team won the World Series, as he batted .268 with 16 home runs, 63 runs batted in, and 26 stolen bases, while leading all National league outfielders with a fielding percentage of .997.
How much Torres has left at 36 is the question, of course, but he is healthy and the 5'10, 195-pounder appeared to have his timing down.
"Andres did a nice job in center field, and he has an upbeat personality--he's excited to be here," said Boles. "He did a good job in Lowell, and seeing him at the plate tonight, his timing is right on. His history speaks for itself, and a World Series championship in 2010 with the Giants tells you he's a proven winner."
The Pawtucket offense in general has started to click. Phenom outfielder Mookie Betts has gotten all the hype, and, batting .330 after last night's game, he deserves much of it. But Pawtucket also has some other new faces adjusting to triple-A ball and already making waves. One of those is first baseman Travis Shaw, currently batting third in the PawSox lineup, where he collected two hits Thursday, to raise his AAA average to .274 since his May 26 promotion.
Shaw belted 16 homers last year for Portland in AA ball, with 57 rbi in 127 games, but only batted.221. But he lit up the Arizona Fall league, hitting .361 to lead the Surprise Saguaros to the league title. The 220-pound Shaw was raking double-A pitchers at a .305 clip, with 11 home runs in just 47 games with the Sea Dogs before being elevated to Pawtucket at the end of May. Shaw was a ninth round pick in the 2011 draft, coming out of Kent State University, and his dad Jeff Shaw was major league pitcher for 12 seasons with five teams, and a two-time All Star.
"We've started to gain some momentum offensively," said Boles. "We've believed in this offense from the start, but recently we have started getting not only hits and walks, but, when we have runners in scoring positions, the kind of big hits that score runs. Two-out rbis--that's been a big factor for us, a big change for the positive."
"Travis Shaw has been terrific," added Boles. "We had to put someone in the middle of that lineup, and he's had an impact right away. Just with his approach, Travis has a presence about him at the plate. Once we lost (outfielder Bryce) Brentz, we really needed a hitter for the middle of the lineup and were looking for someone else to step up. Travis Shaw has been that man."


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In our weekly new car reviews, we talk a lot about safety. We mention standard and available safety features on each car and discuss safety ratings from a couple different agencies.
OK, so a car gets "Five Stars" or a "Top Safety Pick," but what does that actually mean? Well, it depends on the agency.
The two agencies we cite are the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The first is a government-run agency, and the second is an independent, nonprofit organization. So, when possible, we like to quote both. And in most cases, their results agree with each other.
So, if a car gets a 5-Star rating or a Top Safety Pick award, does that mean you won't get injured in a crash? No. It just means it's safer than other cars on the road.
The NHTSA, for example, says that a 5-Star rating simply means that the injury risk for that vehicle is much less than average. There is no real explanation of what exactly "average" is, but it's clear that 5 is better than 4 is better than 3 - you get the idea.
The IIHS, however, uses a system of Good, Acceptable, Marginal and Poor for its crash tests. In the "understanding the ratings" section on the frontal crash test page, IIHS explains that after an analysis of 14 years worth of data, a vehicle with a Good rating means that the driver is 46 percent less likely to die compared with a driver of a vehicle rated Poor.
So, as you can see - even if a vehicle gets 5 Stars or a Good rating - there is still a chance of injury in a crash. It's just less than other cars on the road.
Both the NHTSA and IIHS perform their tests differently, and even if the crash test is labeled as "front" - it's not really an apples-to-apples comparison.
Case in point: The NHTSA front test covers the full width of the vehicle, whereas the IIHS runs offset frontal tests, which means only one side of a vehicle's front end will hit the barrier.
This is why a vehicle like the 2018 Ford Escape will get an Acceptable rating in the small overlap front crash test from IIHS, but it will get 5 Stars in a frontal crash from NHTSA. Just as often, you'll look at a vehicle like the 2018 Toyota Camry that gets the "Top Safety Pick+" award from IIHS and has an overall 5-Star rating from NHTSA.
Thus, we end up citing both NHTSA and IIHS when both ratings are available. This gives a better overall picture of what the safety of a vehicle is.
NHSTA gives star ratings for frontal, side and rollover crashes, then averages them together to give you an "Overall" star score.
IIHS displays the scores for small front overlap crashes, moderate front overlap crashes, side crashes, roof strength, head restraints & seats and front crash prevention.
There really isn't much overlap between the two agencies.
Though NHTSA doesn't provide a list of all cars that get 5-Star ratings, the IIHS does keep a running list of its Top Safety Pick and Top Safety Pick+ awards - which makes it a great place to start if you're looking at safety as your No. 1 concern.
To be a TSP, a vehicle must earn Good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests as well as receive an Advanced or Superior rating for front crash prevention and an Acceptable or Good headlight rating.
The front crash prevention and headlight ratings are relatively new additions to the TSP tests, and while at first they were only used to identify TSP+ candidates, safety ratings for both tests are now requirements for both awards.
New for 2017, IIHS added a passenger-side crash test in order to push manufacturers to pay attention to the safety of front passengers as well as the driver. So, in addition to achieving all the requirements for TSP status, only vehicles with Good headlight ratings and Good or Acceptable ratings in the passenger-side crash tests will receive a TSP+ award.
An additional item to note: Vehicles are only considered a TSP or TSP+ when they are appropriately equipped -- sometimes with optional equipment. For example, if a vehicle is not equipped with front crash prevention, it cannot be considered to be either a TSP or TSP+ vehicle.
Both NHTSA and IIHS have started sharing videos on YouTube, and this gives some fantastic insight into the agencies and how they do testing as well as the tests themselves. Want to watch an eye-opening video? Watch the IIHS video about how miserably most minivans do in small overlap front crash tests. Yikes!
While automakers have made huge strides in safety technology - especially with agencies like NHTSA and IIHS monitoring their every move - there's no replacement for good drivers who don't get districted. Remember: Even if a car gets a Good rating, it just means that the driver is 46 percent less likely to die compared with a driver of a vehicle rated Poor.
You can also find Auto Matters on Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Let's continue the conversation!


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I'm having unexpected difficulties trying to start WRF-ARW model using input data from archived WRF grib2 files produced by UPP. I'm using Vtable.ARWp.UPP because I have enabled pressure level upper-level fields as most others do.
However, depending on what data I select in wrf_cntrl.parm to create output gribs, I either get errors from metgrid or from real when starting ARW on those files. Basically it looks I can't find out what are required fields to output from previous model.
So I would appreciate if someone successfully runs such asynchroneous nesting, if can share his/her wrf_cntrl.parm with me?
Mandatory UPP fields to be able to run WRF on that data
All other topics about postprocessing model data (GrADS and other software), about other numerical weather prediction software (including WRF-NMM and WRF-ARW discussion unrelated to UEMS/WRF EMS), and general meteorology talk go in this forum.
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In 2007, Storm Front earned the Barbershop Harmony Society's third place bronze medal
in International Competition. In 2008, they earned the sixth place finalist
pin, which is much less expensive than the wonderful third place medal, though "It does catch the light just right", said Tenor Jeff Selano at the time. Presumably, the drop from third to sixth
was due to their umm... expressing their personal opinions about the Society logo and was not meant as a direct
reflection of their singing. In 2009, the guys recaptured third place and looked forward to continuing their sure and steady climb - let's see... third, sixth, third... back to sixth in 2010, you'd figure.
Only, Storm Front didn't do the expected, as expected. Instead, they captured the Gold in Philadelphia, becoming the 2010 Barbershop Harmony Society International Quartet Champions. And, the rest is history. Well, ok, all of that stuff above is the history... and the rest is... you know, stuff to come.


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There is so much out there on the web to help kids learn. But it's so hard to find! At EdAlive Top Sites you'll find over 500 educational web sites designed expressly for, or useful to you in your quest for great resources.
We'll be adding to it from time to time so come back again and see what's new. There's no other place on the web with such a comprehensive listing for teachers, parents and kids!
If you'd like to suggest a site then click here.
To find what you're looking for simply click on the tags below. They are additive so the more you click the more precise your result.Filter these 3 resources:
AMSERResources for Community and Technical Colleges
AMSER (the Applied Math and Science Education Repository) is a portal of educational resources and services built specifically for use by those in Community and Technical Colleges but free for anyone to use. AMSER is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) as part of the National Science Digital Library, and is being created by a team of project partners led by Internet Scout.
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Plus MagazineLiving mathematics
Articles on mathematics and its applications to science, art and society. An internet magazine which aims to introduce readers to the beauty and the practical applications of mathematics.
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The Concord ConsortiumRealizing the promise of educational technology
We imagine a deeply digital future, where teaching and learning seamlessly incorporate the best features of digital technology to dramatically improve education. We're a nonprofit educational research and development organization based in Concord, Massachusetts. Our pioneering work brings the promise of technology into a reality for education in science, math and engineering.
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For immediate release: April 30, 2007
Dallas Fed Trimmed Mean PCE 2.1 PercentDALLAS—The Trimmed Mean PCE inflation rate for March was 2.1 percent at an annualized rate, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
The overall Personal Consumption Expenditures inflation rate for February, released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, was an annualized 5.4 percent, while the inflation rate for PCE excluding food and energy was an annualized 0.6 percent.
The Trimmed Mean PCE inflation rate for the 12-month period ending in March was 2.3 percent. Over the same 12 months, the price index for overall PCE rose 2.4 percent and the price index for PCE excluding food and energy rose 2.1 percent.
The Trimmed Mean PCE inflation rate is an alternative measure of core inflation in the price index for PCE. It is calculated by the Dallas Fed, using data from the BEA.
For more information on the Trimmed Mean PCE, visit www.dallasfed.org.
Next release: June 1.
Media contact:
James Hoard
Phone: (214) 922-5307
e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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A good friend, being complimentary of my writing, once said, "In your stories I always know where the ceiling is." We were discussing settings and descriptions of place in the books we loved, and she meant (and I agree) that in my stuff, a firm grounding in the physical surroundings is essential. I've said it before on this blog (probably dozens of times now, in various ways), but I am truly a writer of place.
Almost invariably, my story ideas start with places I've been to . . . or places I've read about . . . or places I imagine. I'm often inspired by pictures — ones seen recently or remembered from childhood — photos, illustrations in books. Some settings just beg to have stories to take place in them.
I frequently linger and gaze into some lonely ditch where water gurgles from a culvert as if from the mouth of a cave — or where weeds stand thick in the tepid mire, a jungle in miniature laid out there just beside some ordinary road. I stop in mid-stride to peer into a thicket on the university campus (Niigata's is wilder and woodier than most). The shade is deep under certain trees, with light shimmering somewhere beyond, as if somewhere among the tangles, a door into Faery has been left standing ajar. I know I've written before of the staggered line of potted pine trees on the traditional Japanese Noh stage — the differences in distance from the viewer meant to suggest passage into another world. These trees border the covered walkway by which certain characters enter and exit. If a ghost passes the trees, it is coming into this world from the realm of spirits. And that leads me to think about how so many writers throughout history have made use of forests as the avenues of passage into a supernatural dimension. Shakespeare, Hawthorne . . . I'm sure you can come up with a better list than I can.
And for what forests can't handle, we've got caverns! And then there are rivers, the sea, and mountains. Do you follow me? My point is that, with the natural world on his/her palette, the painter of fantasy can do anything!
But coming back to "I always know where the ceiling is": it's not enough simply to evoke a setting and tip the hat to it only occasionally. I believe it has to be an inseparable part of the story's fabric. The setting is always there from beginning to end, influencing — often determining — the things that happen. We can't forget it any more than we can deny the real spaces we occupy in our lives. Oh, we can get lost in conversations or ideas, for sure, and that's good to do. A story isn't a real estate brochure, and if you stop with the setting alone, you don't have a story yet. But if we forget where the ceiling is, we'll bump our heads sooner or later. And we daren't forget the yawning stairway.
Whoever does not fully appreciate the crucial importance of setting to story would do well to read Algernon Blackwood's "The Willows" and "The Wendigo," or most of Lovecraft's stories, or watch Lawrence of Arabia or Field of Dreams. . . . Again, I'm sure you can make a more intelligent list than I can.
What I find quite often is that a vital consciousness of the setting helps to generate story ideas every bit as much as the actions and personalities of characters do. Having a map — and thinking about all that it was telling me — helped me immensely with the writing of Agondria. So did having my cousin's graphite sketches, which spoke volumes about the characters' surroundings.
I recently came up with this advice when another good friend and I were talking about writer's block: I'm sure this isn't original with me, but I suggested gathering some pictures that the writer found intriguing or inspirational — magazine photos, pictures from the Internet, whatever — and pretending that they were illustrations for the story under construction. There's something delightfully satisfying about such a technique, isn't there? It's like making a mold of some object, then pouring some substance into the mold, then breaking the mold when the substance has hardened. We've made use of the intermediary vehicle — the visual images — to create something else, something of our own.
During the year that "The Star Shard" was being serialized in Cricket, I had the delightful privilege of answering questions from young readers on the magazine's website; and a good many readers of Cricket are themselves aspiring writers. One question I was asked over and over again was, "How do you keep a story going? How do you know what to write once you've started?" My advice is that a stalled story can quite often become unstalled by the writer's imagining him/herself to be in the story, a part of that described world. Look around, and pay careful attention to the details. Chances are good that, within minutes, you'll know what has to happen next for your characters — and what has to happen after that, and after that. . . . I've noticed that, at times when the writing is going badly or I don't know where the story should go next, it's quite often because I've lost a sense of being in the setting — I've begun writing from some outside point. If the story becomes an abstraction, it suffers — at least in my writing.
"Where the ceiling is" makes me think of two other titles that put "Where" to good use: Where the Wild Things Are, which I'm planning to go see about 90 minutes from now. (It was one of my mom's pet peeves when she'd ask schoolkids if they knew [she'd say the title of some wonderful book], and the kids would say, "Oh, yeah! I saw that!" — It bothered Mom that they knew the story only from its movie or TV incarnation, and had no idea that it was a book at all. Of course she didn't take her irk out on the kids, but you can be sure she made them aware.)
For the record, I have read Where the Wild Things Are, so I'm allowed to see the movie. Yes, I've read the whole book! Yes, cover to cover. More than once!
And the other "Where" is Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein. Isn't that a perfect title for a book of fanciful poems for children? That title alone should win prizes. It evokes the little grassy areas where kids play, where order and adult-determined pathways end. We all have such places somewhere near our homes when we're kids — those pebble-strewn verges where dreams begin. The ground is always uneven there, isn't it? It's never level, and the grass doesn't grow uniformly. There are taller clumps, there are old stumps, there are places worn bald by stones or by our feet, there are squishy places when it rains, and there are bright places that the sun bakes. I remember coming upon one such place in Niigata years ago, when a friend and I were making a bicycle odyssey to follow the entire perimeter of what's called "Niigata Island" in a complete circle, heedless of typical routes. There was a place, on a windy ridge facing the sea, where the paved sidewalk just . . . stopped. The wind blew, and the grass riffled, and the sun sparkled on the waves — and there was simply no more pavement. It was pretty cool, and I thought at once of Shel Silverstein.
In all this issue of settings, I was thinking again of The Lord of the Rings. (How often our discussions of great stories lead us back there!) It's been said by more than one scholar that The Lord of the Rings isn't primarily a character story; it isn't even really a plot story at heart. It's a milieu story, and that means that we re-read and re-read it because what we love is Middle-earth. We want to go again to those wonderful places and hear the poetry and steep ourselves in the legends and histories and interconnectedness of it all. Tolkien knew where his ceilings were . . . and where the mountains were . . . and what was beyond them . . . and what the other names for everything were . . . and why. . . .
And I'll go you one step further. (Is that even a legitimate expression?!) Much of what we're enjoying in Tolkien's settings isn't something fantastic, exotic, or overtly magical. It's an echoing stone chasm, a mighty waterfall, a mountain range, light slanting through quiet forest spaces, or landscapes rolling away under shifting clouds. Tolkien recognized that what is most numinous about the world is right here in our own world, and he knew it intimately. Tolkien, too, was a gazer-into-woody-corners. (I wonder if the Oxford of his day had any brushy nooks between buildings?) The story is told of how, when Tolkien and C.S. Lewis would take walks in the countryside together, Lewis preferred to stride along at a good clip, but he was forever having to stop and wait as Tolkien gawked at a tree or crouched to study some leafy shoot or patch of moss.
I'm going to quote here from Ted Nasmith, in his remarks prefacing this year's extraordinary Tolkien calendar, which Nasmith illustrated:
"Other authors have well-developed descriptions of the lands their characters move through, both real and invented worlds alike, but somehow the combination of Faerie Tale structure wedded to a distinct delight in the minutiae and moods of nature has raised Tolkien's sub-creation to a level few authors achieve. Some have even commented that Tolkien's landscape constitutes a character of sorts, and this may be partly due to the tendency of the author — in fine faerie tradition — to blur the lines between his characters and creatures and their environment. . . .
"Clearly nature and animals interact with 'people' repeatedly as a central motif in Tolkien's invented world, and since nature has long been a universal source of artistic and creative inspiration, visual artwork inspired by Tolkien's works would not be satisfactory without making sure that illustrations also integrate the characters with the settings."
What other writers do this well? This would be a good time to tell us, dear readers, about the authors and books you love. What are some other tales in which you always know where the ceilings are? Examples are quite welcome, too!


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15th March 2016 19.30 hs
VHS Forum im Rautenstrauch-Joest-Museum - Cäcilienstraße 29-33, 50672 Köln-Neumarkt
Let's talk about global migration and the real causes of it.
Let's talk about German 'welcome culture' and open racism.
And let's search for political answers to the present revolutions.
At the beginning, presentation of music and after 22 h further discussions, drinks and pretzels
Members of our panel are:
Thomas Gebauer, medico international (NGO www.medico.de/en/) is watching economic and political developments around the world.
Britta Rabe, watch the med alarmphone (NGO www.watchthemed.net/) is watching the Mediterranean Sea and flight routes.
Georg Restle, head of the WDR magazine Monitor (German ARD TV magazine) www1.wdr.de/daserste/monitor/index.html knows much about German asylum and refugee policy and Muriel Gonzales, historian, is, amongst others, observing the growing right-wing extremism in Germany
Moderation: Albrecht Kieser and Birgit Morgenrath
The old world of allegedly stabile national frontiers is irrevocably disappearing. Flows of commodities and capital/finances of the global players have not bothered about them for years. Worldwide migrations don't stop at fences and borders anymore; because the profits of the former mean mortal dangers for the latter.
Refugees tell their stories of permanent wars, the selfishness of capitalists/elites, which produces permanent and deep poverty, of the destruction of their natural resources and livelihoods. They tell stories of the decomposition of whole societies and social life, of racism and sexism - bad living conditions which you may find in the whole world, even in the rich northern countries - that part of the world which has caused all these conditions in the past and presence.
WE are capable of revealing these grievances, we can fight them – together. To change the world for the better: with openness, solidarity and justice.
In the last months you could glimpse some of that vision in Germany, when refugees arrived, and many people supported and helped them. Whether the Cologne assaults and sex attacks are the beginning of the end of that period is also up to us: If civil society firmly opposes right wing forces. For while the German government and politicians pretend to protect women they restore and intensify all the restrictions of refugees' rights in line with the slogan: 'Abschotten – Ausgrenzen – Abschieben' (Seal off – Exclude – Deport) And they want to close borders again while not caring (as before) about thousands dying during their flights.
Let's talk about global migration and its deeper reasons, let's discuss the "Welcome Refugee Movement" and racism and let's find political answers to the big changes/challenges of our time.


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"If it's true that men are such beasts, this must account for the fact that most women are animal lovers."
-Ms Doris Day
*Photo credit Pinterest*
Love that picture!!!
I wanted to tell you that you were the start of something new for me. I had googled to find out the paint color from Modern Family (Claire & Phil's stairs) and that brought me to your blog and the paint color - thanks for that! From your blog I discovered a whole online world I did not know existed and have since started projects and blogging.
Doris Day Rocks!


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Baidyanath Chandrakala Ras Tablet
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Baidyanath Chandrakala Ras Tablet by Baidyanath
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