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We were invited to share Pangeo's story at the National Restaurant Association's fall conference for their Marketing Executives Group.
This was a great group of passionate, people-focused people! They're the marketing execs for scores of great restaurant brands across the country.
I shared how powerful it is to give their beverages a cause, a village and an ongoing story — it boosts profits and guest engagement while changing the world:
Pangeo at MEG Fall Conference 2013 from Pangeo Coffee on Vimeo.


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Thursday, December 20, 2012
In the evenings everyone would settle into the living room to warm themselves beside their personal digital devices. Nini Thorspecken is a Facebook fanatic. She sat in her green parka with the fur fringed hood chatting to her boyfriend or updating her status. This was the one opportunity I took to sketch her. My sister, Carol Thorspecken Martindale, sat beside her and opened her laptop. I found it fascinating that Carol collects plates to hang on the wall. Ruth, our step mother collected Norman Rockwell plates. Being the youngest child, Carol must have been the most influenced by Ruth's collection. Carol's daughter, Anna Martindale, came in and started playing WII. She roped Nini and Kirsten into playing as well. Nini moved on the couch and I decided to sketch her again in her new position.
Anna is very competitive. If there was a setback in the game, she would be upset almost to the point of tears. If she was winning she would be ecstatic and gloat while doing a happy dance. I joined in on a game of bowling. I was new to the game and I dropped the virtual ball on my toes a couple of times. You get to decide what your character looks like by picking eye shapes, nose shapes etc. I decided to give myself a big puffed up afro haircut. I didn't win a single game. When I needed to throw straight, the ball curved with English. When I wanted to clip a pin to make a split, the ball would roll between the pins. I was getting a few strikes near the end I think because I was kicking up my right foot to finish my stroke like a cupid on a fountain.
Prints are available for each sketch for $250 and many originals can be purchased for $400. White museum grade shadow box frames are $100 more. You can e-mail Thor at email@example.com
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sub Total: £0.00
Grand Total: £0.00Edit cart / Checkout
Phone: +44 1623 646999 | Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
If you are outside of the UK, please call us (0044 1623 646999) or email (email@example.com) to place your order.
AMG (Aquaflo Mission Group) Bathrooms are vendors of shower curtains to properties across the UK. First set up back in 2000 under the Mission Corporation brand name, we've since developed in size and have a dedicated UK distribution premises.
AMG have a variety of shower curtains in our distribution centre ready to be despatched directly to your home. Kindly browse through our bathroom fixtures below.
Looking for a bathroom item but are unable to locate it? Why not email or call the AMG team by phoning us on 01623 646999, or by writing an email to email@example.com, and we will do our best to assist.
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Website Designed & Supported by www.SpiralMedia.co.uk


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With the publication of his newest book The Martian Confederacy, Volume 2: From Mars with Love, I sat down with San Francisco-based comic book writer Jason McNamara to discuss the process of writing his diverse range of independent books. All images shown here are exclusive sketches from The Martian Confederacy by artist Paige Braddock.
A New York Native Jason McNamara relocated to San Francisco in 1997. He began his comic book career in 2003 with the publication of Less Than Hero, (which he describes as "a junkie super hero spiritual comedy") and has continued to test the boundaries of comic books ever since.
Sonia Harris: How did you get into writing comic books?
Jason McNamara: I was raised on comic books, my father taught me how to read with Spider-Man comics. It's hard not to imagine the moments of my life broken down into John Romita panels. As an adult I studied screen writing, but like so many comic fans I wanted to create my own. More than other genre, comics seem to attract people who want to make comics, that is to say that the line between fans and creators is easier to cross.
Making comics is a strange thing to do. Outside of the industry, I'm always forced to explain to people what a comic book writer does. If I say I write comic books, they assume that I draw them. If I tell people that I write graphic novels, they think I write smut (i.e. that it contains 'graphic nudity' or something.)"
SH: Can you tell me more about the process of collaboration on comic books?
JM: You have a partner who can support what you've done. I have no problem losing popularity contests, but I'm probably nicer to my co-creators than I am to anyone else in my life. When I work with people I try to give them as much leeway as possible to do their job. I generally work with people I'm friends with, people I care about and creatively trust. We're making art together and there is an intimacy there. Tony Talbert [McNamara's collaborator on Continuity and First Moon] is my best friend and when were working, we'd pull all-nighters drinking, fighting and throwing white-out all over his inks. It was great.
Paige Braddock is one of my favorite people in the world but she's also the busiest, if we weren't working together on projects I don't know that we would be as close. We joke that we're 'creative life partners.' I take the energy we spend on our book seriously and it makes me very protective of my creative partners.
When I write a first write a script, I give as much direction as I can. In some ways I try to make the instructions to the artist a story in itself, so it has it's own zing. Then I get the art back and I letter it. When I letter it, I letter on the page so that I can see what works and I rewrite things so they compliment the art better. I edit as I go. This is why it is essential that I letter my own comic books.
I think you can tell when a letterer, artist and writer are literally not on the same page. I like to move the eye around, so that you're taking time to absorb the art. As a writer you want to control how your story is read. Too many books I read for instance have the balloons laid across the top of their panels. If your eye isn't asked to look at the artwork through balloon placement, your comic reading experience is going to be shortchanged. I'm always looking for ways to build atmosphere and slow the story down.
The only book I didn't letter was Continuity so although it is well-liked, it is hard for me to get behind because I read it now and I feel like it needs an edit. I'd like to take out 40% of that dialogue. It was personal, it was my first graphic novel, I think I was trying really hard and could have unclenched a little bit. With First Moon, (the book I did immediately after Continuity with Tony Talbert), there are pages and pages where I took dialogue out, because I saw that the art was telling the story. I learned from Continuity.
When it came out, the publisher released Continuity as a pdf in the same month that the print version was published. At the time there were over 30,000 downloads. It was one of the first full graphic novels to be released as a pdf but that didn't seem to have any effect on our orders. It was two completely different audiences. After that we won the Xeric award for First Moon.
SH: How did you and Paige Braddock begin collaborating on your current, ongoing comic book The Martian Confederacy?
JM: Paige [Braddock, the artist on the Martian Confederacy books] and I first met at a convention, we were both on a panel about Bay Area cartoonists. Paige approached me because she wanted to do something that was different than Jane's World [Braddock's biographical comic book.] In her sketchbook she had these illustrations of trailers on Mars, bears and topless women....
You know when you watch a trailer for a movie and put the story together in your head? That's kind of what I did. I put all of her sketches up on my wall and lived with them for a while until eventually the story just came to me. At the time I was reading a lot of post-colonial writers like Jamaica Kincaid and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, so that influenced my desire to set the story in a post-colonial era Mars. I want the story to be a summer action comedy romp, that just happened to be inspired by the Monroe doctrine. He joked that "My next comic is inspired the Bill of Rights. It's a real nail biter."
My personal taste is so different from Paige's that this was an opportunity for me to show my range. I tend to gravitate towards horror, crime noir and shock but for the Martian Confederacy books I wanted it to come off like a PG movie or an old-school, 'Comics Code Authority' approach to storytelling. There are a lot of implied adult situations in the series but there is absolutely nothing R-rated in there.
Ten years ago, if you told me I'd write a book about a tran-sexual robot, a drinking talking bear, and a shallow thief, I wouldn't have believed you. But that was the book that came out when I started to write. Now I can't imagine ever not writing about them, I care about them. They're alive and a part of my subconscious. This second book, (From Mars with Love) wasn't even supposed to be a romance, it just went that way. At first I wrote a 20 line outline for Paige and after I wrote it, I saw that it could be a homage to sequels, and there is always romance in sequels. Where else can you take that relationship? It was a good excuse to get them together.
From Mars with Love was an opportunity for me to echo some of the sequel movies I'd loved growing up, throw in references to some of my favorite PG movies. For example, there's the father/son dynamic from the Star Wars movies. The kids are enslaved which is a reference to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The sheriff showing up on vacation is from the James Bond movie Live and Let Die.
Also the robot repair scenario was a nod to the great overlooked Cherry 2000 with Melanie Griffiths.
Even though From Mars with Love is a sequel, it has to stand on it's own. It just needs to be one movie you can be satisfied with even if you haven't read the one before it. You need to be able to pick the books up out of order and still enjoy them. Whenever they film a second movie at the same time as a third, you know there's a problem. Things like Back to the Future pt 1 & 2, The Matrix 1 and 2, Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2... all of those are movies where I came away from part 2 feeling like I'd been cheated. If its half a story, that's not right. I wanted to avoid that.
SH: Are there any places where you noticeably changed your original script in the process of creating the book?
JM: There's only really one place that really stands out for me. There was a speech that I gave to an alcoholic mum who promises to stay sober if she can get her kids back. When that doesn't happen she falls off the wagon, which is what an alcoholic would do. With alcoholism in my family I wasn't comfortable changing that. I couldn't tack on a happy ending to her arc it would be irresponsible.
Paige suggested taking it out and other critics have also mentioned that as being harsher than the rest of the story... maybe they're right, but I wouldn't change it. That's how it would have happened. Maybe if I'd kept the speech... but there wasn't any room for the speech, physically. In the end I tried to give the idea of the speech, with less metaphorical hand-holding. I think its fine, the outcome is the same. Less writing is always better for comics.
But I understand Paige's point. There were so many happy endings and for this woman to have her guts ripped out... Maybe that's something for my therapist to talk about, or I could tie a copy of the book to a brick and throw it through my mom's window, screaming "WHY?"
McNamara laughs bleakly and continued "I liked it, I think that maybe if the rest of the book might have been more cycnical it wouldn't have stood out so much."
I do enjoy comedy, and these books were written specifically for Paige. It's like a game of telephone but with only one person. I tell the story to her and she turns around and tells the story to the world. I think that's a really important part of storytelling in comics and in fact, the more people you add to a storytelling process, the more problems you'll have, which is why I prefer to do my own lettering. Paige does all the pre-print set up and works with the printers. It's just the two of us from top to bottom.
SH: What about the timing of this book, can you talk about deadlines?
JM: I've never missed a deadline, terror will make you come up with something, it's a great motivator. But yes, this book was 6 months late. Paige set a deadline for herself and then her day job as vice-president of Schultz morphed into being a lot more hands on, she had to do a lot more travelling, that schedule got derailed. It doesn't take as long to write a script a it does to draw one.
Paige is an incredibly busy person who manages her time well. So why would I rush her? I don't think you're going to get good work if you rush someone. It's one thing in mainstream publishing, but this is different. If the artist on Spider-Man is late, they'll get a fill-in artist, but for a creator-owned, personal book, you can take the time to let the everyone do their job. There is no need for an artificial deadline. In fact, in this instance the "lateness" gave me time to market the book. It built anticipation. In fact, I preferred it and I want to start marketing the next volume of The Martian Confederacy at least six months ahead of time.
SH: What is next for you?
JM: I worked on Project Ajax for Cognito comics. It's an interactive animated graphic novel about the CIA's first official mission that resulted in the overthrow of Doctor Mossadegh in Iran in the fifties. It's a unique reading experience, they've essentially combined the best qualities of comics, motion comics and animation for their reader. It's also a very timely story.
Any book could be your last, so I want to work with talented people. Rahsan Ekedal and I have a twilight zone inspired noir story we're working on. And Greg Hinkle and I are working on a graphic novel about a victims rights crusader who is forced to become a serial killer in order to free his kidnapped girlfriend.
Tony Talbert and I also have a book that's perpetually three quarters done. It's called SUCKER and it's about a guy who comes back from the dead to eat children and fuck his sister. A vampire book, kind of... as bad as it sounds I promise it's the thinking man's incest book.
My parents took me to a lot of horror as a kid. American Werewolf, Children of the Corn, Halloween 2 when I was six years old and I loved it. Of course it scared the bejeesuz out of me, but it was such a fun feeling to be terrified.
The next big convention is the Alternative Press Expo. I thought about doing SPX in Bethesda MD and I'll see about others. APE is local for me and Paige will be there, so it's like the company picnic for indie creators.


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Keeping up the MTD momentum
Mandatory quarterly reporting will begin in April 2019 (for VAT), with quarterly reporting for income tax and NI joining it 12 months later. Having already started working towards digital tax processing, many advisors are now wondering how to maintain the momentum that they've built up.
Back in July the government announced its plans for the finance bill and confirmed a new timetable for MTD. The latest thresholds, reporting requirements and dates are shown in this table.
|Annual business turnover
|Quarterly reporting required for…
|For accounting periods starting on or after…
|Over £85,000 and VAT registered
|VAT only
|April 2019
|Over £85,000 for all businesses and landlords
|Income tax and NI
|April 2020 (or earlier)
|Between £10,000 and £85,000 (exact figures to be confirmed)
|Income tax and NI
|April 2020 (or earlier) on a voluntary basis
|Companies and large partnerships
|Corporation tax
|April 2020 (or earlier)
The July announcement was welcome because it removed the requirement for smaller businesses to keep digital records and report quarterly. The revised dates also provide a more realistic timetable for the implementation of MTD.
So far, so good. One thing remains clear, the HMRC (and therefore the government) remains committed to digitalisation.
Council tax, Rural Payments, pension forecasts, driving licences, the Child Maintenance Service, passports… central and local government and its agencies are all looking to save money and improve efficiency by transacting business online. Even Defra's Sheep & Goat Ear Tag Allocation System is now an online service!
What next?
The serious point to make here is that although dates and details may have changed, the overall direction of travel is still towards online, digitally connected services. Tax and accounting professionals should be under no illusions about this.
In fact, the practices we have spoken to are keen to keep up the momentum they've already developed in the move towards digitalisation. So, if April 2019 feels like a long way off, what should advisors be doing to keep interest levels high?
Raise client awareness
Identify the clients that are going to be affected first. Make sure they are aware of MTD and understand what you'll be doing to support them.
Prepare your practice
Think about the services you can offer your clients on the back of MTD. How will you sign your clients up to these services? How will you on-board them?
Consider your workflow
Who will be responsible for the different elements of your new MTD processes, such as bookkeeping, quarterly reporting and the end of period submission?
Join HMRC's MTD pilot
One of the best ways to get ready for MTD is to try it now and the HMRC pilot allows you to do just that.
Here at Wolters Kluwer, with our MTD plans now far advanced, we believe we're ideally placed to support our customers with the transition to a fully digitalised tax system.
If you'd like to know more about any aspect of Wolters Kluwer's work on MTD, contact Phil Thornton, Product Manager for Making Tax Digital at email@example.com.


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Product Details
- Leather upper, rubber sole
- Made in Europe
In supple, soft leather, with strap detailing and a durable chunky sole, these sandals make the perfect addition to any warm-weather outfit. For hot days ahead, pair with bare legs and a dress. Then, as the evenings bring the cooler weather, pair with your favourite jeans and a textured knit.
Product code: 7581
- Use a neutral cream and a soft cloth to polish these shoes
Ratings & reviews
Leather Strappy Sandals
Add a review
By submitting a review you confirm that you agree to our T&Cs
Denise Andrews
Posted: 13 Mar 2019
Lovely sandals Soft leather and well made. The only downside for me is that the ankle straps are high on my feet which makes them gape at the side. Being more cut away would achieve a better line. I have kept them as they look so nice and hope they don't rub when I wear them.
Mary Weall
Posted: 25 Jun 2019
My lovely sandals arrived in record time today. Great colour and fit perfectly. My one comments would be the buckle feels quite thin and a bit "cheap looking" . Otherwise I am delighted with my purchase and excellent service and delivery. Thank you!
Sue Mansbridge
Posted: 05 May 2019
Lovely sandals and very comfortable. I just think the buckle is poor quality for the price. The chrome on one of my sandals is already peeling off before I have worn them.


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Super Mum … it's a phrase I've been on the receiving end of lately and it's one that leaves me feeling uncomfortable. It implies a mother having it all, doing it all, taking it all in her stride and not letting children hold her back.
It also suggests a mothering hierachy where some mums are deemed 'super', 'superior' and some are not. I've put it with 'yummy mummy' at the top of my labels I want banned list.
Aren't we all super? Isn't guiding and loving our children enough?
In the middle of these thoughts burst the furore surrounding the lastest Time magazine cover showing a young mother standing while breastfeeding her (rather large looking) three-year-old while he stands on a stool next to her. Next to them both, the bellowing headline 'Are you Mom enough?'
Cue the outrage.
And rightly so. Not because of a mother feeding her pre-schooler (although many comments I read were quick to call this unnatural and 'creepy') but because yet again mothers were publicly pitted against each other with one provocative, pointed question.
The article explored the rise of attachment parenting and its major tenets – extended breastfeeding, babywearing, cosleeping – while providing a glimpse into the lives of families who adhered to this method.
So why not leave it at that? Why isn't the article sold as a case study on a rising parenting trend? Why the embedded challenge to mothers?
Well, controversy sells. And nothing is more guaranteed to raise hackles than suggesting that mothers aren't doing enough or being enough based on the parenting approach they use.
But you know what? If we choose to say ENOUGH, those hackles won't rise so quickly and we may just find that we judge ourselves and each other less harshly. Well that's my theory.
If we all own our parenting choices as being right for us and give all other parents the freedom to do the same, would we be as quick to judge others or feel judged ourselves? Be that by a media headline, or a new acquaintance in a mothers group.
Maybe I dream of a mothering utopia that just isn't meant to exist but it's worth a try, hey?
So repeat after me … I AM ENOUGH and so are you … that's what's really super.


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Life as a Writer, Disney World Cast Member, and
Big Sister through Foster Care & Adoption
A New Bedroom
Welcome back to Taylor Talks!
Today, our storage pods were delivered! As excited as we were for all of our stuff to arrive, we didn't even unload the pod with the furniture in it. We completely unloaded the pod with all of our boxes though, and boy did that wipe us out!
My room is completely filled with boxes, to which my mom notes that I have much too much stuff. We couldn't even lay down our mattresses in there, so my sister and I are spending another night in the living room. At least we're on our own separate beds though, because every time one of us sat down on the air mattress, the other one would pop up from the impact!
My brothers had bunk beds in their bedroom in New York... While we only need one bed in my brother's room now, we still set up both bunks and left them on the floor as regular twin beds. My mom says that she wants it ready for when we have family or friends visit us, and my sister will still have the trundle under her bed that I used to sleep on (now I get my full size bed back) for the same reason. So my brother is sleeping in his own room for the first time tonight.
My little sisters are sleeping alone in their room for the first time tonight as well. The past few nights, my dad and brother were in there on an air mattress next to them. Tonight, even though my parents are still on an air mattress, they'll be sleeping in their own room, so the girls are by themselves. They were a little freaked out at first, because they've always shared a room with my sister and me, but we promised that we would check on them and make sure they were alright. When my mom went to look in on them, however, they were already out cold! I guess they were just happy to have their beds back and fell right asleep.
All the focus on sleeping and beds tonight had me thinking about sleeping situations in the past. I thought back to having new foster children in the house, and how they would need to get used to a new bed and a new bedroom. I don't really remember ever seeing someone visibly upset about sleeping in our house for the first time, but as a kid, I probably didn't take any notice of that kind of thing. I do remember specific situations regarding sleeping and foster siblings that left an impact on me though, and sometimes I think back and reminisce about having those kids in our house.
I remember when I was in second grade, I had a foster sister living with us who was in first grade. We slept on bunk beds, actually the same beds that later got passed down to my brothers, and I was on the top bunk while my sister slept on the bottom bunk. This particular foster sister had a rough life; she came to us kind of violent and would lash out sometimes. But when we went to sleep at night, she would be so calm and we would bond. After my parents said goodnight to us and left us alone in the bedroom, we would talk quietly and share stories. I felt like we really connected during that time when we were all alone. Then, just before we were going to stop talking and go to sleep, I would reach my hand down through the railing, and she would reach her hand up, and we would grab on to each other and say goodnight. I don't remember how this little ritual started, or who came up with it, or why, but I remember so distinctly that we went through this every night. After she left, it felt so weird to just lay down and go to sleep without talking to anyone.
Another instance I remember was actually a one-time occasion that was burned into my memory (and my brother's memory) after we babysat one night. My parents had gone out to dinner with friends, and my brother and I were old enough to be left in charge. We had it pretty easy; my parents put the kids to bed before they left and we just had to sit up and watch tv all night. Well, it ended up being a much scarier night than we had anticipated! We heard a noise from the bedroom, so we got up to investigate. Our foster brother was maybe two or three at the time, and he had been in bed for quite a while already. Apparently, he hadn't been tired, and he had wandered out of bed and was playing with a toy. We just told him that it was bedtime and put him back in bed. No big deal, right? What's scary about that? Well a while later, my brother got up to go to the bathroom, and when he walked down the hallway, I heard him shriek like a little girl! I went running to find out what had happened, and there, in the middle of the hallway, was our little brother, just staring at us. He had gotten out of bed so quietly and opened the bedroom door without a sound, so my brother had no idea that he was there when he walked down the hall. It freaked us both out so much that we wouldn't agree to babysit at night any,ore for quite a while.
The last memory I'll share is of the twins when they were about one or two. They slept in these cribs that were technically portable cribs, so they were on wheels. Well my sisters were pretty clever from a very young age. They used to help each other get into all sorts of mischief, like helping each other get pajamas off at night (even when my mom put them on backwards to prevent them from taking off their own pjs). So we would separate their cribs in order to prevent this stuff from happening. If they couldn't reach each other, they couldn't get into trouble, right? Wrong. These girls were so smart that they would reach across the gap to hold hands and pull the cribs back together! We would go in to check on them and the cribs would be side by side once more and pajamas would be off again. It was really annoying, but hysterically funny.
Do you have any funny, heartwarming, or crazy stories about bedtime? Maybe you remember something special with a sibling, or your children have done something cute.... I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
I only have nine days to reach my goal of 150 likes on my Facebook author page by the time I'm celebrating a year of blogging on July 29th. I still need 41 people to hit that "like" button and I would be really grateful to everyone if you could like and share my page. It's as simple as clicking the two buttons at the top right of any blog page, so it only takes a few seconds of your time! As I've mentioned before, when I reach 150 likes, I will share information about the novel that I've been working on, so I'm really excited to hit that milestone!
I'd greatly appreciate it if you would share this blog with friends and family through your favorite social media sites. If you're sharing on Twitter, don't forget to tag me (@TayTayK02) and use the hashtag #TaylorTalks.
Leave a Reply.
My family has been doing foster care since I was three years old. I'm the only biological child in my family, though I now have five permanent siblings. Having nineteen siblings over the course of my lifetime has been an incredible experience, and I'm hoping that by sharing some of the ups and downs of being the only bio kid in a foster family, other foster families or people looking into doing foster care will be able to learn a bit of what life can be like. I also like to share what life is like on my journey to becoming a published author, as well as where my schooling and career choice are taking me.
December 2017


text:
We manufacture and sell raw materials for cosmetic use
We use the most stringent tests to check the entire supply chain, from the selection of the suppliers to the raw materials used, from intermediate processes to the end product.
We know that technology is not enough to achieve the company's value. It's the people that makes the difference. Experts who collaborate to achieve the clients' goals, developing the best-suited solutions.
"Made in Italy" is an expression that evokes the idea of Italian products all over the world. A trademark that summarises the values of Italian manufacturing quality, creativity, and style.
I.R.A. Istituto Ricerche Applicate specialises in the research and development of innovative active ingredient delivery systems, such as: Liposystem Complex®, Liposomes, Cyclosystem Complex®, Hyalu-Cage System®, Dermahyal®
The use of state-of-the-art technologies allows I.R.A. Istituto Ricerche Applicate to develop targeted projects, such as research and development of new cosmetic formulations with a full contract service from the initial idea to bulk or packaged production, relying on a wide range of filling formats.
I.R.A. Istituto Ricerche Applicate contract manufactures medical devices of all classes, providing a high-quality service, which includes the research and development of new formulations, fine tuning of analytical methods, and development of targeted projects, providing complete assistance and full service.
To improve performance, it is important to know exactly what goals you want to achieve, and define them during the project.
Collaboration is the core of our philosophy. Our clients can benefit from our personalised approach from the development to the implementation of a product.
I.R.A. Istituto Ricerche Applicate has always worked to raise its quality standards through increasingly sophisticated manufacturing systems, obtaining specific internationally renowned certifications.
You can easily get here from the airports of Milan (Malpensa, Orio al Serio, and Linate). We are a 20-minute car ride from Milan and the Expo Milan Rho Fiera area.
The nearest railway stations are Carnate and Arcore.


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.bip Extension virus Deletion: Help To Get Rid Of .bip Extension virus Easily
Errors generated by .bip Extension virus
Error 0x80070003 – 0x20007, 0x8024801D WU_E_DS_IMPERSONATED A data store operation did not complete because it was requested with an impersonated identity., 0xf0803 CBS_E_INVALID_PARAMETER invalid method argument, 0x00000042, 0x00000020, 0x0000010A, 0x8024D007 WU_E_SETUP_REGISTRATION_FAILED Windows Update Agent could not be updated because regsvr32.exe returned an error., 0x8024F003 WU_E_INVALID_EVENT The XML in the event namespace descriptor could not be parsed., 0x00000019, 0x80244027 WU_E_PT_NO_AUTH_PLUGINS_REQUESTED The server returned an empty authentication information list.
Easy Guide To Uninstall .bip Extension virus From Affected Windows 2000
Brief Information on .bip Extension virus
.bip Extension virus is a noxious Windows System infection which is especially programmed by the criminal hackers in order to inject and displays intrusive advertisements on your computer screen. It infiltrates the popular Firefox and embeds them with some promotional content of various shapes and sizes. Besides, it causes modifications in browser's settings. Such threat starts their malicious activities from altering the browser's start page, default search engine, and new tab page. As soon as the virus finishes these modifications, it gets the ability to reroute PC users to predetermined domains that are trying to increase their popularity.
In addition to that, .bip Extension virus blocks the victim's access to the Windows 2000 and then demands to pay ransom money. Once it infiltrates the targeted machine, it finds the mostly used computer files and encrypts them. Usually, this infection is used for stealing user's personal information, spreading other destructive viruses and simply disrupting system's performance. Cyber offenders can use the malware for getting an unauthorized remote access to a compromised Windows System. That is why, you should rely on a credible anti-malware shield in order to protect your system from threat infiltration. If the virus already infects your PC, then you should Abolish .bip Extension virus Tips For from your system.
.bip Extension virus : Ways that are Used to Invade Targeted System
Technically, it is able to propagate themselves and then infect the Windows 2000 without user's knowledge. It may be manually installed on the system as any other program. In fact there are few major ways that are used by .bip Extension virus for entering the machine:
- It is mainly distributed with the help of spam email attachments.
- The threat can get into the PC using browser vulnerabilities.
- File sharing networks, P2P apps, instant messages and malicious links.
- Sometimes it gets installed with the help of other computer viruses.
- .bip Extension virus may travel along with freewares and sharewares.
Malicious Activities that can be Caused by .bip Extension virus
Such type of threats are capable of causing various harmful activities, some of them are mentioned below:
- Infecting, overwriting and corrupting files, PC components and installed apps.
- Destroy entire Windows System by deleting crucial files and formatting hard disks.
- Redirect you to predetermined sites that may infect your system with other threats.
- .bip Extension virus may display all kind of intrusive advertisements on your system screen.
- Hijack your Internet browsers and steal sensitive information from your machine.
- Encipher your files or display lock screen and demand hefty sum of ransom money.
Click Here To Download .bip Extension virus Free Scanner
Easy Guide To Remove .bip Extension virus From Infected System In Just Few Steps
Step 1: Start PC in Safe Mode To Uninstall .bip Extension virus
Step 2: Abolish .bip Extension virus Related Processes From Windows Task Manager
Step 3: Uninstall .bip Extension virus & Its Associated Programs From Control Panel
Step 4: Abolish Malicious Registry Entries Created by .bip Extension virus
Step 5: Remove .bip Extension virus From Infected Firefox
Step 6: Reset Firefox Settings To Eliminate .bip Extension virus Tips For
Step 1: How To Boot Your Windows System in Safe Mode To Uninstall .bip Extension virus
For Windows XP/Vista/7 Users
Tap F8 key continuously after the computer is powered on or restarted.
You will see Advanced Boot Options window on your system screen.
Use arrow keys to select Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Networking and then hit Enter button.
Now, you can find .bip Extension virus and Abolish it as soon as possible.
For Windows 8 or Win 10 PC Users
Press Win key + C together and tap on Settings option. Click on Power icon, hold down Shift on your keyboard and click on Restart.
Choose Troubleshoot option and click on Advanced options.
Select Startup Settings and then press Restart.
Press F5 key to Enable Safe Mode with Networking option.
Then after, the Windows System will start in Safe Mode with Networking and you can identify and remove .bip Extension virus without any delay.
Step 2: Abolish Unwanted Process of .bip Extension virus From Windows Task Manager
Press "Ctrl + Alt + Del" keys altogether to open Windows Task Manager.
Tap on Processes tab and identify unwanted processes of .bip Extension virus.
Select the malware related processes and click on "End Process" button.
Step 3: Uninstall .bip Extension virus From Windows Control Panel
Tap on Start button and go to the Control Panel menu option.
In the opened window, click on Uninstall a Program option placed under Programs category.
In the appeared list of installed programs, you can find and select .bip Extension virus and click on Uninstall button.
Step 4: Remove .bip Extension virus Related Malicious Registry Entries Tips For
Press Start button and choose Run option to open Registry Editor.
Type "regedit" in the open field and tap on "OK" button.
Find malicious registry entries created by .bip Extension virus and Abolish them as quickly as possible.
Step 5: Eliminate .bip Extension virus From Affected Firefox
Abolish .bip Extension virus From Internet Explorer 7-7.00.6000.16386
Open IE and click on Gear Icon from right-top corner in order to open the Tools.
Tap on Manage Add-ons option.
Now, select Toolbars and extension tab. Find .bip Extension virus related add-ons and click on "Disable" button.
.bip Extension virus Removal From Chrome 57.0.2987
Launch Chrome and click on gear icon placed at the top right corner of your browser.
Now, click on More Tools option and go to Extensions.
Select all the unwanted extensions including .bip Extension virus and tap on Trash bin icon.
Uninstall .bip Extension virus From Mozilla:38.1.1
Open Mozilla FF and click on gear icon from the top right corner to open browser menu.
Select Add-ons and choose Extensions or Appearance panel.
Select add-ons related to .bip Extension virus and tap on Remove button.
Step 6: Reset Your Infected Firefox To Remove .bip Extension virus In Just Few Steps
Reset Internet Explorer 7-7.00.6000.16386
Open IE and click on Tools menu and then select Internet options.
Tap on Advanced Tab and hit Reset button.
Also, check "Delete Personal Settings" option and click on Reset button.
Finally, tap on Close button and then restart your Internet Explorer. As a result, you will find the complete Removal of .bip Extension virus.
Reset Chrome 57.0.2987
Open Chrome browser, click on Chrome menu and tap on Settings option.
Type Reset into the search box and finally click on Reset button.
- After resetting Chrome, .bip Extension virus will be removed Tips For .
Reset Mozilla:38.1.1
Open Mozilla FF, tap on Firefox menu >> select Help option and click Troubleshooting Information.
Click on the "Refresh Firefox" from top of the page.
In the appeared dialog box, hit "Refresh Firefox" button.
Resetting Mozilla Firefox will result in the complete Removal of .bip Extension virus.


text:
The past months I've been studying the mathematics involved in understanding Maxwell's equations, and Einstein's work. A few nights back I was sitting in the kitchen, and was thinking about this:
Stand a certain distance in your backyard, away from a tree. Imagine this tree is about 50 meters away from you.
Walk toward the tree, touch it, and walk back. You've traversed a "space" of 50 meters, and possibly 30 seconds to a minute worth of "time".
Now let's change a physics parameter. We all know that the only reason we see the tree is because light from the sun (or moon) bounces off of it and travels to your eyes. Instead of light traveling from the tree to your eyes almost instantly, let's say light takes much much longer – insanely longer – 10 years to travel across the distance of your backyard. You stand the same distance away. You then walk toward the tree. If you're carrying a pocket watch with you, you still get to the tree in the same amount of time, and it takes the same amount of time to get back (on your watch), but if you watch the environment, you'll see 10 years pass as you approach the tree, then watch those 10 years "rewind" as you walk back to where you started.
As light's speed becomes slower and slower, each step of yours traverses more and more "environment" time.
Also, isn't there "space" that existed for each of those moments in time? Using the slow-light experiment (10 years for light to cross yard), say you walk half-way to the tree and stop. When you spin around in a circle and look around you, it would seem that you could walk forward at that "time". Each moment in "time" there was a backyard ("space") for you to walk around in, wasn't there?
By the time you've walked half-way to the tree, and stop, you would've seen 5 years worth of "back yard time" go by. You would've seen five winters, five springs, five summers, five falls, and all the changes in weather. You'd see rain, sunny days, the breeze blowing the leaves, little kids running around playing sports, birds flying, daytimes, night-times, etc. When you stop, since light is moving slowly, you'd watch all this "play" very slowly. You'd watch it all in super slow motion. When you move toward the tree, it'd be like you hit fast forward. For the sake of this example, let's say all the kids, animals, trees, weather, etc., were slowed down to match the speed of light. (If they weren't, God knows how to birds would know how to fly around, or the kids know how to play sports with one another!) They don't notice that light's been slowed down, because everything is slowed down to match it (at least to them). Even though it's weird to think of, let's just let that be our assumption, for now.
[ Note: You can see we're already starting off with a weird assumption. It gets weird because WE'RE ASSUMING LIGHT'S VELOCITY IS DIFFERENT FOR DIFFERENT OBSERVERS! In reality, light's speed is always constant, no matter the observer. People think that's a weird assumption, but when I think about it, the weird assumption is to say it varies from observer to observer, as we'll soon see!]
So let's start the weirdness. One of the weirdest things to me is that when you take a step forward, you cannot get to the "space" next to you during that "time". You end up mostly traversing time. You take a baby step forward and two weeks pass. In order to stay at that same moment in time (relative to those in the "normal" world), you'd have to walk in concentric rings around the tree, along "time" contours.
This already is a strange thing. If I was to go outside and walk around my backyard right now, the environment stays relatively constant throughout the entire process, so when I walk, I feel like the environment stayed the same, and I traversed an "absolute" kind of space. As for time, my intuition tells me it has passed by in a tick-tock-tick-tock fashion. Time and space seem separate. But they're not, as we can see. When we changed light's speed and made things a bit more extreme to illustrate what's going on, we're seeing a much tighter relationship between space and time.
Another weird question: How would you (this super faster than light mover) appear to those kids in the back yard watching?
The kids would only see you once the light bounced off of you, and back to them. If you didn't give it much thought, you'd think you could "out-run" the light, and tap the little kid on the shoulder BEFORE the light even made it him. How the physics of this would even work baffles me, but we'll try to assume it could be done. You stand in front of the kid, light slowly crawls up to you, reflects off of you, and makes its way toward the kid. You take a few steps the side, make your way behind the kid, then tap him on the shoulder, and wait for the light to make it to him. Sounds like you could do this, right? No, not quite. Here comes the problems.
When we, the "super faster than light" mover take a step forward we end up traversing massive amounts of time, remember? The kid has a bedtime, and has to go to school the next day. He's not going to stand still out there for a month! Wait, I thought we were moving super fast? Or are we now moving EXTREMELY SLOW, and the kid's moving extremely fast? Oh my gosh, how confusing is all of this? We mess around with light, and look what happens!
The reason this is all confusing is because we're making several wrong assumptions. But let's keep compounding the difficulties. I find it kind of fun and interesting.
Assuming you're walking along a time contour near them, all kinds of light would hit you, and bounce off of you as you're traveling along the ring and reflect almost like a strung out ribbon along the time contour. Light just wouldn't hit you where you're "standing", it would hit you in all kinds of locations in space, and would reflect back toward them from all kinds of angles. They'd see this weird blur streak appear almost instantaneously, then disappear. (I guess?) I'll have to think on that one more.
You could wreak havok on these people's world just by walking back and forth to the tree, and doing zig-zag patterns across the yard. Light from all kinds of different times would be bouncing off of you, and reflecting back to people at different "environment times". Talk about confusing! What would that look like? What would people see? Does that even make sense? I don't think so. As you move toward the tree, you travel into some sort of quasi present/future… I don't know what it'd be. And as you walked back, you'd go back into the past. But since we made that weird assumption in the beginning that things remained "normal" to everyone but us, the super-fast faster than light mover, we're modifying both the past, then traveling toward some "environmental present" (which is our "future"), then when we turn around, running back into the "environmental past", and modifying the environment this whole time, as we walk around. This is absolute chaos!
When we take a step, we push our foot off of the Earth and use that to propel us forward. What kind of "super-steps" are these? A force in physics modifies objects accelerations, but man oh man are these "super steps" weird! Super man! Six months in a single stride! But turn around, and this same force propels us into the past! One helluva force!
How would you ever get to a certain part of the backyard during a particular "time"? Say we're not even picky. We just want to make it to the other side of the backyard, during the same day. Like we used to do, before we were "super fast". It'd be complicated. Taking a step forward "fast-forwards" too much time. You'd have to find a way to really "slow down" your steps, but what does that mean? You're still walking the same "speed" as you were before, traveling toward the tree across your backyard, it's only light's speed that we've modified.
We really face a similar problem in everyday life. We see an environment ("space") in front of us. We take a step forward, but when we move (or even if we don't move), time goes by. Is it possible to be at two places at the same time?
This is super confusing stuff, but a lot of fun. The more I think on it all, the more I see why space and time are treated as a single entity, because there is such a tight relationship between the two. Fully understanding all of this will come down to taking a a lot of time, and thinking on this more, and representing everything in mathematics, like Einstein did. The Lorentz transformation is the key to understanding the thought experiment I just gave. It relates all the variables needed to solve the puzzle. I've read Einstein's papers on relativity several times, but I still need to work on it. These are not simple concepts.
I still get confused between various notions. I have a tendency to think of "absolute space", versus "subjective space", but I'm quite sure this is wrong thinking. If you were following this thought experiment, and in the beginning, thought what we were talking about "made sense", then you too were confused about this same set of ideas. Like for instance in this experiment, I tend to think of an "absolute" backyard, where there is a tree, and there is an absolute distance between me and the tree of 50 meters. I think to myself, "No matter what the speed of light is, that's just an optical illusion. Sure it'd look weird, walking across the backyard and this illusory 'time' flying by as I walk to the tree and back, but that's just because light waves are carrying old dated information, and moves really slow. It's like an alien receiving radio waves we sent out hundreds of years ago in space. These light-waves represent old information, like stars we see in the sky late at night, which have already burned out a long long time ago."
But when I think about it, when do we REALLY see things as they are? Immanuel Kant's entire book, "Critique of Pure Reason" was about whether we know things as are they are in and of themselves, or only how they appear? When I see anything, I only see its "light coat". Light gives the object shape, color, and depth. When you look at a lovely woman, you're seeing light waves bounce off of her. As you speed up, her shape will distort and scew, her movements will speed up or slow down, and even the color of her eyes and skin will move across the color spectrum, all based on the speed you're moving and at what angles you fly by her. What really is this woman, then? Relating all possible images of her by mathematical physics relationships is the closest thing I can think of!
If the tree in the yard is scewing and bending based on how I move relative to it, then what is this "absolute" space? There is no such thing. You might think, like George Berkeley, that though the eyes work on the basis of perspective and objects change based on the distance you are away from them (and adding a slight corrective, speed you're moving), you can rely more solely on the sense of touch, because the size of objects never changes to the sense of touch. Yet if we speed up to high speeds, how would you ever verify this assumption?
Touch is impossible to imagine at high speeds. Let's say you're wanting to touch this beautiful woman we were just talking about. At near light speed velocities, you'd have so much kinetic energy you'd be more dangerous than any bullet, and you'd tear her apart just by nipping her. Mass increases as you approach light speed, so depending on how fast you're going, the more massive you'd be! As for the rest of the senses, hearing is based on air vibrations, and eventually the vibrations would become too rapid to make any audible sound we know of. Your ear drums wouldn't last anyway. Taste would involve a collision of the tongue, so you'd do some serious damage trying to lick her as you fly by. Smell is out of the question too, because the air's moving too quickly. In fact, your entire body would be torn to shreds by collisions with the air, far before you reached anywhere near light speed.
Let's go to incorrect assumption two: the belief in "subjective space". For instance, when we made it half-way across my backyard, stopped, then looked around us, we talked about seeing a 3D space at a particular time. It was confusing because it was both our present, and the environment's past, at the same time. Moving faster than light almost gives us a time machine, like Doctor Who, and we're warping around the space/time fabric of the backyard. Light waves travel through space. They have to travel across space, because light waves MOVE across something. But they also carry a form of "space" with them as well. This "space" light carries seemed less real though.
The space light carried is like those optical illusion tricks people do on sidewalks sometimes. You see a camera take a picture of a painting on a sidewalk, and it looks like a 3D person standing there, but then the camera rotates and you can see that there was no 3D space there at all. It was a 2D painting, but your brain THOUGHT it was 3D. One of those fancy light tricks.
I don't claim to fully understand the solution to all of this. Once I see the physicists explanations of what's going on, the mathematics gets reather intense, which is why I've been spending months cranking on nothing but math. It seems the answer lies in a more firm understanding of the core forces involved, such as electro-magnetism, energy, etc. Understanding energy, electro-magnetic waves, etc., and very clearly dissecting this problem with a scalpel is the answer. I will say a few of my current thoughts though, just for fun, as this is my own journal after all. I don't really value these comments I'm about to say though, because I think the real solution to the problems will only be found in rather complex mathematics related to physics, forces, and electro-magnetism, energy, and quantum physics (possibly).
I think there's a large degree of truth that space is a notion created in our minds by our brains. A very complex form of comparison, based on the colors of the images we see. I noticed when I was flying around using a computer simulator "Real Time Realtivity" where you can fly around an environment at speeds near that of light, the images our eyes would perceive (if that were even possible) aren't really helpful at navigating the world. I remember getting at like 99.998% light speed and I had no idea what was going on. The images created by the simulator were so distorted I couldn't tell what was going on, where I was in the environment, or anything.
I think space comes from some sort of complex evolutionary survival thing when our brains developed. It helps us exist for the short time we're alive. When I play 3D video games, this point always hit me at home even harder. I play a 3D racing game, and the Playstation creates all kinds of images on the TV, and I think there's a 3D world I'm driving around in, but there is no such "space". I see a bunch of colored images and think it's 3D because my brain tells me so. If, by sheer chance, they made some film, which was nothing but fast moving 2D slides that shown on the screen, showing me the same pictures that I saw while playing the game, I would've thought I was immersed in a 3D world, playing the game, just the same.
Time is heavily tied up in our brains too. Time seems to require memory, and possibly a combination of our imagination. If it wasn't for physics and science, nobody would have the faintest idea how "old" the Earth, or the universe is. History is unknown to us, outside of what was written down. Whether or not any of it's true is up for debate. After all, the winners write the historical accounts, and always want to make themselves look good, and their opponents bad. The Catholic church used to go around burning libraries all over the world. Even the little history we do have, a great deal of that was destroyed by superstitious beliefs. I don't even know what's going on in the present half the time, as the news networks are constantly lying to us, having their own agendas.
Time seems to exist only because we remember there was a state of existence before the one we currently see. The universe would probably go on, even if nobody was there to watch it, but I'm just saying we wouldn't be conscious of "time".
Time by itself is a meaningless word. Think of an empty black void. If there is no change, there is no time. Tick-tock-tick-tock requires a mind which does the ticking, and that ticking is the movement of the brain's little gears. Time presupposes that SOMETHING HAS CHANGED. Even in the movies, when they try to show someone has died, the screen goes black, and the person talks to himself or herself, mumbling speech into the void. What they're missing is that thought comes from movements of energy in the brain, and if the brain is no longer functioning, I don't know what kind of speech or conversation they think is going on. They're inferring some sort of existence of a "spirit" or something, which continues to survive, and apparently can operate without the brain or sensory stimulation. I suppose it's possible, but there's no evidence to support such a claim. In fact, evidence points to the contrary. Rational thought processes take place soley in the brain, and if the brain is injured, rational thought becomes impaired.
Since time presupposes a change of something, what kind of change do we see? The kinds of change we see are the objects which we call "matter", and the various phases and states we find those objects in.
And how do we become conscious of matter? Assuming the only sense organ we have is our eyes, light waves. (and at high speeds, this is the only sense organ we have available). Knowing this shows why time is going to be heavily tied in with light, especially when we're moving at high speeds. In order to get time started we have to first see an object, then we must be conscious of a change in that object. You can't have time without objects which you see. Also, without objects, you can have no space. If you had nothing to see, there would be no space. You'd have a flat, 2D black plane, which you'd call the void. Whether a TV screen showing a solid black image is showing you a black painted wall, or an infinite vast 3D open space, is really up to your imagination. Light has to bounce off of something, and hit your eyes, then you see objects. The light makes sure the objects seem spaced apart, and that's how it all gets rolling. You can't have space without time, nor time without space, and you can't have either space nor time without matter. They're the inseperable trio.
Speaking of objects appearing "spaced" apart, this brings up my final thoughts, before I close down this entry.
Before I got busy trying to make money, I used to write 3D graphics engines for fun. That was one of my favorite things to do. There's a lesson we could learn about space, from how computers emulate a 3D environment.
In the old video game Doom, the enemies you fight are 2D sprites. One of the things I found interesting when studying how to write 3D game engines is the use of what they call the "Z-Buffer". Whenever you get into 3D gaming, and start drawing the walls, bad-guys, environmental objects, etc., onto the screen, you first rotate them all using a matrix to line them up relative to the player's camera position (the players "eyes"). Then, each object's coordinates are calculated as to how far they are away from the player's position.
Imagine two bad guys are in front of you, with one quite a ways in the distance, and one right up next to you. The way computer graphics engines draw the environment correctly is for each "bad guy" it draws on the screen, each pixel is assigned a "Z" coordinate. The engine just starts drawing each bad guy to the screen, in no particular order. Now when each bad guy is drawn to the screen, pixel by pixel, if the bad guy's pixel's z-coordinate is less than what was previously there (whatever that may be), it gets drawn, but if it's Z coordinate is greater, that pixel of the bad guy is ignored. The net effect is that objects which are up front "draw over top of" objects which are behind them, and we get the feeling of depth perception.
That's interesting to me, and shows the flaws in the old physics ideas before relativity, where they thought objects were seen instantly. If objects are seen "instantly", and light does not have to travel from the object to the person's eyes in order to see it, then there is no way for "the world" to know which order to draw things to our eyes. There'd be no such thing as one object being in front of another. No such things as doorways, or walls. Everything would be drawn to our eyes in one big mess. Reality has no Z-Buffer, and no rotation matrix making sure objects are drawn to our eyes correctly. "Light" in a very complex fashion is reality's Z-Buffer.
If light moved instantly, what would it mean for light to collide and bounce off of something, or refract when passing through various materials? "When" did it collide with the object? It doesn't make sense.
In reality, if one object is in front of another, portions of the light get blocked by the object in front, whereas the rest of the light makes it to the observer from the object behind. Whatever light makes it to the observer's eyes, determines depth, and which objects we think are in front of the others. Space that we see with our eyes requires light to work like this.
Though many mathematicians seem to give a strong sense of "reality" to points in space, I think such points come from the extremeties of an object's light coat. Which makes me wonder about a further question:
In order for an object to have such "points", requires our eyes to focus light to points. I have very poor vision, and have to wear contacts. Sometimes I'm wearing my glasses, and when I'm riding with my parents, I take off my glasses and look out the window. Everything is blurry splotches. Such things seem to tell me that there's more to geometry than the stuff I'm learning in these math books. When I'm calculating the "volume" and "area" of these shapes and containers, I don't really know exactly what that means.
If you draw a line on a chalkboard, and I sit half-way across the class-room, looking at the board with my glasses I see a thin chalk line. Take off my glasses, and I see a big thick smudge, and even the definitions of the "extremeties" of the chalk line lose focus. Optics and how the eyes work and focus light is very core to understanding geometry, because focusing the light seems to me to be just as important.
I need to get to work, and finish my studies for the day. I'm fascinated with light, and optics, and have to figure all of this out.


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File this one under highly-unlikely-but-conceptually-fascinating rumors in your bizarrely-specific filing system. Cinema Blend reports that the Bond 23 filmmakers are considering Rachel Weisz to play the head of the evil organization, Quantum in the next movie. Other than the source, how does CB bolster this argument? Weisz is friends with Daniel Craig (they're co-starring in an upcoming movie!) and she had a "personal relationship" with Mendes in the past. I'm sold.
But it would be very cool to have a woman play the next Bond villain. I'm sure Weisz would be fantastic in the role (as she is in just about everything), but I think having a woman be the head of Quantum would be a brilliant idea. Cinema Blend is incorrect in saying that no woman has risen above henchman-status among Bond villains. Sophie Marceau was the main baddie of The World Is Not Enough, but I understand trying to forget that movie.
What are your thoughts on having a woman play the head of Quantum? Do you think Weisz would be a good choice or do you have a better killer lady in mind? Let us know in the comments section.


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I like Easter, Charlie has a few days off work, there's chocolate, booze and nothing in particular to do. It's like Christmas but without the stress and obligations.
I don't do a huge amount of cooking at Easter but I always make hot cross buns for Good Friday and something chocolatey. I do a roast on Easter day -chicken this year and something lemony for pudding.
Salted Chocolate Nutella biscuits. These were inspired by this recipe. I didn't use the cookie recipe though preferring to keep it simple with my trusty fork biscuit recipe which I made a little thinner than usual and sprinkled with sea salt before baking.
Chocolate biscuit cake made with pistachios, dried cranberries and dried apricots.
Lemon curd pavlovas. I made some lemon curd earlier this week and thought how lovely, fresh and springlike it was, perfect for an Easter dessert.
Now I must get back to my sock knitting, I'm halfway through the second one now. Such fun!
Happy Easter to you all.


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I am not a feminist. I am not one of those women who protests, speaks up and publicly upholds women's rights. Sometimes I also feel annoyed by the overuse of a feminist rhetoric. However, and despite my "aversion" to a certain type of feminism, during a research I chanced upon "The Worth of Women". It grabbed my attention, so I leafed through it.
I imagine we are sitting in an elegant and quiet garden, I can breathe the scent of flowers and the salty-sea smell coming from the nearby channels. I'm still struggling against my sumptuous and voluminous dress to find a comfortable position, while the conversation is already lively and interesting. The scholarly Corinna discusses her intention to renounce marriage and devote herself to the pursuit of literature and learning, and Leonora, our host, announces her decision to never remarry. We spend the whole afternoon discussing the possibility that a woman might not get married or have children, and the control a woman should have on her own body. Once it's dark we are still criticizing violence against women, and the social prejudice that leads fathers to treat a girl's birth as a tragedy.
Who hasn't spent a whole day chatting and conversing with a group of friends?
What it is surprising is that the conversation described doesn't refer to a situation actually experienced by my friends and me; it indeed refers to a group of seven Venetian noblewomen that gets together at the house of one of them. These seven women are the characters of a book written in 1592, "The Worth of Women", by Modesta Pozzo di Forzi, an Italian female author of the 16th century who wrote under the pen name of Moderata Fonte.
I've just begun reading it, and the opening pages have already involved me and taken me into that same Venetian garden where the conversation is taking place. It is amazing how contemporary the themes covered by the dialogue are: difficulties and frustrantions expressed by the group of nobelewomen aren't so different from the problems we, women, have to deal with today. How is it possible that we are still coping with the same prejudices that have been persecuting us since the beginnig of time?
We are back in the garden of Leonora's house. A question distinctly emerges from our pleasant conversation: how have men managed to achieve such a dominant position over women? "If women are men's inferior in status, it is the result of an abuse introduced by men, and gradually translated into custom to such an extent that men actually believe in their superiority and think they have the right to mistreat and bully women".[1]
These words seem to be taken from a feminist article, but the speech is the expression of the thought of a woman who lived during the 16th century and belonged to the rigid and conservative republic of Venice. The whole book is unified under the main theme of women's worth and men's injustice in failing to recognize it. I'm amazed. Modesta wrote these things when feminism was a long way off. I'm fascinated by the acuteness of Modesta's reflections and by her audacity in writing. "The Worth of Women" is, to all intents and purposes, an ante litteram feminism's manifesto. She was one of the first woman challenging a male establishment by doing what she loved the most: writing. What is more, she used her talent not only to criticize, through literarture, women's condition, but also to assert women's value.
I think about what I would do if I were her, would I be so brave? Would I fight for women's rights? Would I be a feminist in a historical period where this word didn't even exist yet?
I realize that maybe I can say "I am not a feminist" only because there were women like Modesta. I have the privilege of saying that because I don't live in a condition of clear discrimination and violation of my rights. I still can not imagine myself as a hardened fighter, but there is a lesson I have learned from "The Worth of Women": I can be proud of my distinctiveness as a person and as a woman, and I want to share such an awarness with other people in my daily life.
Well, if that is what it seems like to be a feminist, probably, after all, I am.
[1] Moderata Fonte (Modesta Pozzo), The Worth of Women. Wherein Is Clearly Revealed Their nobility and Their Superiority to Men, Edited and Translated by Virginia Cox, The University of Chicago press, London, 1997, p. 61.


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"Fiat money is backed by men with guns; Bitcoin is not. So why should this thing have any value?"--Uber statist economist Paul Krugman.
Monday, October 13, 2008
No wonder the voters are confused: two views of the Obama tax plan
The first is from a recent kavips post, detailing the impact of Senator Barack Obama's tax plan for taxpayers in various increments of income.
It seems to show exactly what the Obama campaign has been claiming all along: 95% of all Americans would do better under his tax plan.
Now here's one from Fausta, that also shows what would happen at each income bracket regarding marginal tax rates under the Obama plan. This one seems to show what Senator John McCain has been saying throughout the campaign: the Obama plan actually raises taxes on a lot of middle class families:
Both of these tables can be backed up by dense articles of explanatory economics, and each could be picked apart--but that's not my point.
My point is this: most people read the headline [from a source whose ideology they are already predisposed to trust]; glance at the table, and then skim the opening paragraph that either claims exhaustive analysis proves Senator Obama is a savior or a liar.
One in a thousand will probably read the entire article, but won't every wonder if possibly the writer could be biased.
One in ten thousand will know that his/her source is telling him/her exactly what he/she wants to hear, but will take the information as useful talking points to employ around the office or at dinner parties.
One in one hundred thousand will be intellectually honest enough to go check for a contrary view of the plan, but at least two-thirds of these will read the other opinion and realize, "I have absolutely no idea which of these sources is correct," and will tend to fall back on a favored commentator to break it down.
Assume 140 million voters. If one/third of one in one hundred thousand voters actually (a) takes the time to investigate the differences between the two pictures; and (b) either knows or learns enough to distinguish between them, that means that 1,400 voters will try to figure it out, and only 467 voters will succeed.
467 voters out of 140,000,000?
OK, I made up the one in a thousand stats, and so forth, because I don't have any hard numbers to use. But I'm willing to bet that I'm not that far wrong. Let's assume I am, and that one in ten thousand people actually takes the time to do all the work and reach the right conclusions: that's still only 14,000 voters.
In other words, the votes of people who actually take the time and have the ability to understand the differences in the two presentations of Senator Obama's tax plan are at best one-one-hundredth of one percent of the total.
Which is ... inconsequential.
Maybe I'm under-estimating the intelligence and attention span of the American people, but based on the people I talk to in person and encounter in the blogosphere, I don't think so.
For every cassandra who can actually penetrate the fog, I think there are really 9,999 more liberals and conservatives who either cannot or will not.
Regardless of whether they vote Republican or Democrat (or even third party), there's a technical term for that: fucking lemmings.
We deserve the government we get.
5 comments:
- tom said...
For at least some of us who have the capacity to do the research, but have not, the question is not "what are the facts?", but "why waste the time?".
After making the assumptions that 1) Obama gets elected, 2) He wasn't lying about how he intends to change the tax structure, 3) No crisis will come along and force him to alter his plans, 4) He actually gets Congress to pass the bulk of his program without adding a lot of amendments that alter it in unpredictable ways, and 5) the projections & demographics it was based on by some miracle turn out to be mostly correct; it starts to look like there plenty of more productive ways that I could spend my time.
It's not as if my vote matters anyway--I live in Delaware and our 3 EV are going to Obama & Biden no matter how I vote or how the 10-1000 people that I can influence to some significant degree vote.
- October 13, 2008 at 10:16 PM
I would add (6) This is a terribly poor graph.
I don't think it represents what you think it does.
I fall right into this range, with different but similar enough circumstances, so of course I know how my taxes work out.
And I will be the first to reluctantly admit to you that I make out like a bandit at tax time. I even feel a little guilty about it. As much as it would irk me to lose out on my refund, I think this might represent a correction.
And to be honest, it WOULD encourage me to work harder....to get out of my weak household salary range, if I'm no longer making a profit from it.
Darn. So darn, but I'm still in the tank for Obama.
- October 14, 2008 at 12:47 AM
- kavips said...
It's really not that hard to figure out... You can get a better analysis of this discrepancy here .
The key is the word "marginal" What is a marginal tax rate? I had to look it up, too..
Not to break it to anyone, but all of us have been paying higher marginal tax rates for all our lives...
It can be explained this simply. The more money you make with less taxes taken out, the less your marginal rates will be... The more money you make with more taxes withheld, the higher your marginal rates will be.
Obama will raise taxes on those making over $250,000, and reduce taxes on those making less.
The top chart is correct, and the second chart is devious in that it attempts to make you believe something that isn't true, because most of us do not know what a Marginal tax rate is.....
That makes both graphs true.
- October 14, 2008 at 4:28 AM
- Steve Newton said...
I understand the difference between the two; that wasn't my point.
- October 14, 2008 at 6:49 AM
- kavips said...
I wasn't addressing the comment towards you, Steve, but to your readers so that they might thereby insure that they too, right here in Delaware, become one of the 467 knowledgeable ones out of the 140 million...
If you consider it, using the antecedents of your hypothesis, that would make 30 or some of the 467 nationally most astute citizens, hailing from our little fair state...
Which with a broad brush, would raise our intelligence level much higher than the rest of our nation.
:) A noble achievement to be sure..
And all from one little comment... at the end of a great post.... wow.
- October 14, 2008 at 1:16 PM


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As I had a bit of spare time today, I decided to have a go at relaunching this blog, using the same design as my old UK blog at bloomfield.me.uk. It's going to take a while to get everything working correctly, but I hope you'll all bear with me in the interim.
One Reply to "Relaunch"
Just testing that the comments form works.


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Where to stay in Hamburg - a travel guide to Hamburg's neighbourhoods
Find a place to stay
Stretching west of Hamburg's centre, with the Elbe river as its southern border, Altona is a richly varied neighbourhood. The area's Altona-Altstadt part, in the east, has some of the city's prettiest architecture, including the grand Altona City Hall and the reconstructed Fish Auction Hall. The western Ottensen is a prime nightlife spot where hip clubs such as Fabrik, inside a former factory, please the area's artists and young professionals. The neighbourhood's large ethnic population also guarantees an abundance of international dining.
See all hotels in Altona
Harvestehude & Rotherbaum
On the western banks of Alster Lake, Harvestehude is one of Hamburg's most genteel neighbourhoods. Grand rows of turn-of-the-century villas dominate the quiet, residential streets of the area, located just north of Hamburg's centre. Alstervorland, a green stretch along the Alster Lake, draws joggers, walkers and cyclists. To the south is Rotherbaum, where the streets are alive with pubs, bookshops and an art house cinema, courtesy of Hamburg's student population – the main campus of Hamburg's university is just next door.
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Uhlenhorst & Hohenfelde
Smart lakeside villas dominate the suburban Uhlenhorst, located on the western banks of Alster Lake, north of Hamburg's centre. Although largely residential, the area is big on culture, hosting the Ernst Deutsch Theatre, the English Theatre and the Literature House am Schwanenwik, where authors regularly do readings. Around the lake restaurants serve gourmet fare as chic yachts glide by. The less-posh Hohenfelde, south of here, mixes modern residential streets and commercial blocks. Being only a few minutes from the centre makes this area a convenient base for exploring Hamburg.
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See all hotels in Hohenfelde
Saint Georg
Located in central Hamburg's east, the once seedy Saint Georg has become a vibrant, friendly place to visit. The action resolves around Lange Reihe, a colourful street packed with small boutiques, gay bars and hip cafés. Opposite Hamburg's main train station, which connects the area to the airport, is the renowned Deutsches Schauspielhaus theatre. The close-by Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe is a leading museum for the applied arts. Hamburg's Alster Lake is just up the road from here and a two-stop underground journey takes you to the grand City Hall and the city's exclusive Neuer Wall shopping street.
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Saint Pauli
Saint Pauli is Hamburg's prime nightlife district. The streets between Altona and Neustadt are packed with late-night bars, pubs, clubs and cabaret stages. The area's most famous stretch, the Reeperbahn, is home to the city's red-light district, but has long added family-friendly entertainment to the mix. The Beatles, who played some of their earliest shows here, are paid homage to at the Beatlemania Museum, while dusty old shops sell quirky antiques next door. Check the glitzy Schmidt Tivoli for cabaret and the dimly-lit Docks for live bands, or get a taste of Hamburg clubbing at Grosse Freiheit 36.
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From 400 hotels.


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Your Lips Is the Only Air I Want To Breathe
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Like how some people like to people-watch, we sat on the pier boat-watching. Speedboats, yachts, cruise ships, etc. passed by all afternoon.They currently have these fences around because of the concert series, but usually there's nothing blocking our view.The comfy shoes I wore that day :) I got them from Charlotte Russe a few years ago.
Blog title is a lyric from Hit The Light's song, "All or Nothing."
And thank you to Grace of Smile Couture for the Sweet Blog Award & the Honesty Award!
The Honest Award/Tag came with a couple of questions:
Share one thing that nobody knows about you.
Hmm. This is tough, most people already know little things about me. Well, I check out menus online sometimes before I go dine at the restaurant so I already have an idea of what I want - haha does anyone else do that too?
What is your biggest regret in life?
Not going to the Philippines to visit my grandmother when I had a chance.
What would you do with a thousand dollars?
Spend some, save the rest.
If you could go back in time, would you still pick the person you are with right now?
Of course :)
What do you like or dislike about my (the taggers) blog page?
Grace's blog is well organized, and I love her 7 picks of the week!
40 comments :
- sweet said...
awww...love the photos and the photo of your the boyf is soo sweet and perfect!!!
stay in love girl...
take care always
- July 28, 2010 at 9:53 AM
- Maddy said...
I hadn't heard about this concert series, is it still going on?? BTW - you are not the only one that checks out menus beforehand. I do it now so I can plan to eat a healthy meal and not order the first thing that jumps out at me!
- July 28, 2010 at 9:54 AM
- sallyannie☆ said...
Lovely photos :) and cute shoes! I love comfortable shoes :D
- July 28, 2010 at 9:58 AM
- Alex said...
Lovely shoes! Looks like such a fun day out.
- July 28, 2010 at 10:25 AM
- Cafe Fashionista said...
What a beautiful way to spend the day! I'm so glad that the two of you had a good time, Audrey!! :)
- July 28, 2010 at 10:52 AM
- Connie @ SogniESorrisi said...
What great pic--love that blue sky. Congrats on your award. Well deserved!
- July 28, 2010 at 10:57 AM
- Tasha Gregson said...
Congrats on the award!! Great pics, looks like a fun day out and you and your boyfriend make such a great couple xx
- July 28, 2010 at 11:03 AM
- Chic 'n Cheap Living said...
How sweet that you have your favorite, serene spot! Great picture of you two!
- July 28, 2010 at 11:03 AM
- jemina said...
I LOVE all of your pictures!!! wishing you a fabulous day darling!!! xoxo
- July 28, 2010 at 11:10 AM
- Sher said...
OH yes, isn't it wonderful when it seems like you have the whole world to yourselves? You both are such adorable lovebirds!!
Oh and I also check out menus online before goin to a restaurant:)
- July 28, 2010 at 11:10 AM
- Krysten @ After 'I Do' said...
Um LOVE the shoes! Great pics!
- July 28, 2010 at 11:20 AM
- Dancing Branflake said...
Great shoes! And I love those pictures of your afternoon- how special!
- July 28, 2010 at 11:24 AM
- BALLET NEWS said...
just perfect - what a lovely warm post !
- July 28, 2010 at 11:34 AM
- Cheryl: Oh to Be a Muse said...
i love the little crowns on your shoes.
- July 28, 2010 at 11:44 AM
- Reyna♥ said...
Aw, that looked like such a beautiful day. Glad you enjoyed it (:
- July 28, 2010 at 12:54 PM
- Phuong said...
lovely pics and you two looks so cute together
- July 28, 2010 at 12:54 PM
- Vintage Vixen said...
Gorgeous weather you've got there and you and your lovely BF look wonderful together. xxx
- July 28, 2010 at 1:02 PM
- janettaylor said...
What lovely photos!
- July 28, 2010 at 1:08 PM
- Grace said...
Aw, looks gorgeous outside! Glad you two had such a good time together.
- July 28, 2010 at 1:24 PM
- Missy M said...
love your shoes!
Blending Style, Beauty and Fashion
- July 28, 2010 at 1:48 PM
- catwalk criminal said...
great pics, i love it ♥
- July 28, 2010 at 1:55 PM
- Taj Acosta said...
Great photos, I love days like this! xoxo
- July 28, 2010 at 1:58 PM
- Anna G said...
I love this area also. Although I've never visited New York. I could see why you enjoy walking there. I'm very fond one this one park near my house.
- July 28, 2010 at 2:02 PM
- nookie said...
aww such cute photos dear, and love your CR shoes;)
- July 28, 2010 at 2:28 PM
- Krystal said...
fun to learn more about you! i don't pre-check menus which leads to me being indecisive for way too long when we are ordering. oopsy
- July 28, 2010 at 2:29 PM
Beautiful photos! I like to check menus online too sometimes :)
- July 28, 2010 at 3:53 PM
- Elaine said...
Great pics!!
clothed much, a modest fashion blog
- July 28, 2010 at 4:22 PM
- WALK THE SAND said...
Amazing photos. I'm coming to New York in September and cannot wait for all these awesome places!
PS. Stop by and enter my Marc Jacobs giveaway !
- July 28, 2010 at 4:39 PM
- Jaime @ La vie...J'aime said...
Nice photos!
- July 28, 2010 at 6:42 PM
- Jennifer Fabulous said...
Cute photos! That pier looks amazing.
And I loved learning more about you in this post. I am similar to you b/c I also check menus online before I dine. Lol. Otherwise I'm spending like an hour in the restaurant, wasting everyone's time beforehand!!
Wishing you the best rest-of-the-week, ever! xo
- July 28, 2010 at 7:31 PM
- Mina said...
Man I mis New York! These pictures are beautiful! I am so sorry I have been gone for so long. I miss reading your posts!
- July 28, 2010 at 8:59 PM
- Grit and Glamour said...
I love seeing people in love...awesome!
Thanks for stopping by G&G, doll.
- July 28, 2010 at 9:23 PM
- THE ALTERNATIVE WIFE said...
Seems like such a fabulous day! Those are my favorite kinds :)
- July 28, 2010 at 10:29 PM
- Ruta, Look Ugly in a Photograph said...
I check out menu's too, but I usually end up taking forever to decide anyways.
Cute photographs.
- July 28, 2010 at 10:59 PM
- Slamdunk said...
An individual wanting to save found money is certainly an indication of wisdom.
Congrats on the awards.
- July 28, 2010 at 11:03 PM
- Josie said...
You two are too cute. And Pier 54 is absolutely gorgeous!
xo Josie
- July 28, 2010 at 11:17 PM
- Lexy @ Quirky Explosion said...
Aw - definitely looks like an amazing day! Today was so rainy and therefore I'm SUPER ENVIOUS.
And haha, I like that one fact about you! Always prepared!
- July 28, 2010 at 11:45 PM
- The Owl's Closet said...
beautiful pics, audrey! what a lovely stroll by the river:) congrats on ur awards!
- July 29, 2010 at 4:43 AM
- J. said...
Such a romantic couple you two are!
And yes, I always look at menus on line (w/the BF) otherwise we would be eating the breadbasket and drinking water an hour before we order! (He has a hard time w/spur of the moment descions!)
- July 30, 2010 at 10:49 AM
- Carine said...
"What is your biggest regret in life?
Not going to the Philippines to visit my grandmother when I had a chance."
aaw :(
- August 1, 2010 at 9:48 AM


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Brisbane Makes Makercamp
Yesterday was the Brisbane Makes Makercamp at Hackerspace Brisbane and the culmination of the Make Anything competition I had entered.
It was a very full day - the number of interesting people and interesting projects was incredible. The chance to talk with such a large group of like minded people was amazing - by the end of the day my voice was a bit croaky from talking so much but it was price worth paying though for such a great experience.
It was also an opportunity for the Hackerspace to show itself at it's best and it did it great job of it - the number of people who turned up to look around and participate was astounding. As well as the competition itself there were a number of projects and interests from various members on display and it was very clear how many resources the space offers it's members.
As expected the 3D printers were very popular with a range of commercial and home built models on display with their owners on hand to provide tips and tricks as well as giving demonstrations of their use. The quality of some of the objects being printed made me a bit jealous - I really have to devote some more time to tuning my own printer.
One of the more popular exhibits was a Delorean (made famous by the Back to the Future movie franchise) owned by one of the members. He had made the effort to deck it out with a props from the movie including a flux capacitor mounted in the back (unfortunately, not a working one). I do like his choice of number plate as well.
The culmination of the day was the Make Anything competition. Entrants had their projects on display for the whole day so everyone had a chance to look them over and ask questions about how they worked and what they were meant to do. I'm happy to say there was a fair bit of interest in my project and I had a lot of great conversations ranging from the very technical to more general questions about process and techniques.
Of course I made some late night changes the night before (and, of course, they didn't quite work as expected) so there were a few hectic hours for me that morning to get everything back to a working state before I could box it up for transport. Even though the project was not exactly complete I at least had a working prototype to show with most of it functional and working. To compensate I took along a few other completed projects like my Breadboard Prototyping Station and the Babyduino which generated some interest as well (I gave away a few spare Babyduino PCB's and got some helpful feedback on PCB design techniques as a result of that).
Overall it was a great day - personally I learned a lot and got a lot of great ideas and feedback, hopefully I provided the same to others as well. If any of the many people I spoke to during the day are reading this I'd like to say thank you for stopping and having a chat with me - it was much appreciated and a very enjoyable experience.
As for the competition the final results were:
1st Prize: The Port Hack Interactive Clock.
This was very cool. A combination art and technology project using a lot of older bare circuit boards purely for aesthetics and the display using a set of RGB LED's in an infinity mirror. LED's around the edge of the mirror indicated the position of the hour, minute and second hands projected into what looks like an infinite tube.
2nd Prize: The Stellarduino
Another cool idea - an Arduino controlled Telescope positioning and tracking system. Commercial systems cost around $1000 so doing a homebrew version is far more cost effective (not to mention interesting). I hope the maker behind puts the code up - there would be a lot of interesting math behind it.
3rd Prize: Yours truly. As they say, 'I'm just happy to be a contender'.
I wish I had had the opportunity to take more photos of the various projects, unfortunately a lot of my time was spent talking to people. You can see the photos I did manage to get here and hopefully the HSBNE site will put up a collection of photos soon as well.
I'd like to thank everyone at HSBNE involved in putting the day together - you have all done a great job and the results were astounding. I'm really looking forward to the next event. Anyone who is in the Brisbane (AU) area that has an interest in making, designing and building things should really check out the HSBNE space - they are open to visitors every Tuesday night and it's well worth dropping in and seeing what they do there.