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by Joe Friel, Coach, Author, Exercise Physiologist
Should you buy a power meter? After all, they aren't cheap and sport is already expensive. You've spent a small fortune on bicycles and all of their assorted and costly components. And don't forget the entry fees, travel to races, special foods and supplements, and on, and on, and on.
And why get a power meter since you already have a perfectly good heart rate monitor? It's just one more gizmo to have to figure out.
So why should you get a power meter? The short answer is that you simply are more likely to achieve your race goals by training—and racing—with a power meter than without. It is the most affective tool you can get to go faster on a bike.
Here's Why
Don't get me wrong, heart rate monitors are great intensity-measuring devices, also. But heart rate by itself actually doesn't tell you much. It's like the tachometer on a car—it tells you how hard the engine is working. Nothing more.
For example, what if your heart rate is 10 beats higher than usual? What does that mean? Is it good or bad? The only way to answer that question is to know if you were putting out more power or less than usual.
Input data such as heart rate isn't meaningful until it is compared with some measure of output. Output is critical to success; input isn't. After all, they don't give awards at races to those who worked the hardest or had the highest heart rates (input), but rather to those who had the fastest time which results from high power (output).
Let's get back to why you should get a power meter.
No More Guessing
Should you buy a power meter or fast wheels? Given the choice I'd recommend a power meter every time. When it comes to speed the engine is always the most important part. A power meter will help you develop a bigger one. With sleek wheels you still have a small engine.
How do they make your engine bigger? Power meters remove most of the guesswork that goes into training and racing. For example, I've known athletes who when doing intervals with heart rate monitors don't call the work interval "started" until their heart rates reach the targeted level which could take several minutes. During that time they are guessing how hard to work. With a power meter you soon learn that the interval starts as soon as the power hits the targeted zone—which means right away. You get the intensity correct immediately with no guesswork. The intervals don't taper off near the ends any more either. This means no wasted training time and precise intensity.
Also, realize that you're not trying to train the heart solely when doing intervals or any workout, for that matter. In fact, what happens in the muscles during workouts, not the heart, is really the key to your success. Heart rate monitors, while quite valuable to training, have many believing that training is just about the heart. It isn't. Power meters allow you to focus more on muscle.
Cheating With Power
Using a power meter in a long steady-state race such as a triathlon or long time trial is almost like cheating. When everyone else is fighting a head wind, excitedly going too fast down wind or guessing how hard to push when going up hill, the athlete with a power meter is just rolling along at the prescribed power. He or she will produce the fastest possible ride given the conditions so long as the optimal target power has been determined through training and observed closely during the race. While something similar can be done with heart rate there are some confounding factors such as the excitement of a race, cardiac drift, the acute effect of diet and the slow response of pulse on hills, accelerating out of corners or when passing others.
Power meters also provide highly accurate details about how your fitness is changing throughout the season. I test the athletes I coach regularly using a combination of heart rate and power. Without this information I really wouldn't know for sure if they are making progress. I'd just be guessing. Now I can precisely compare output with input by dividing the average (or, preferably, "normalized") power for a workout by the average heart rate. An increasing value for similar workouts tells me fitness is improving.
Moving On Up
There are many benefits of training with power. But perhaps the best indicator of their value for performance is the elite athletes who use them. Power meters are common with pro road cyclists and they are becoming increasingly popular with pro triathletes. Cyclists are increasingly using them. Age group triathletes have been slow to adopt this technology, which is unusual. Over the past twenty years triathletes were the first to adopt such innovations as aero bars, beam bikes, deep-dish rims, clipless pedals and gels.
The trend is definitely toward the adoption of power meters in road racing, triathlon and mountain biking. Many are leaning that a power meter will help them race faster. Start setting aside a few bucks a week so that some day you can get one. It will definitely change how well you train and race


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Is there anything quite like seeing the world glide by from behind your motorcycle helmet visor? Nothing but you, your buddies and the open road. The unbelievable rush of roaring along Route 66 at a tidy 75 mph beats a lazy beach holiday any day of the week. For the ultimate rush of a roadtrip with just your bike, backpack and the road, give one of these epic adventure routes a go. Route 66, USA The mother of all road trips, this 3,939km route starts in Chicago and cuts through the country all the way to LA. Depending on how much time you have and what interests you the most, you could either drive a section of it or go the whole hog (on your hog!) and see the whole thing. It winds through Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri, and doing the whole shebang would take 3 to 4 weeks according to seasoned bikers who've lived the legend. With our USA travel insurance, you'll be covered for as much of the journey as you take.
Spend some more time getting to know (and win big in!) Vegas, experiencing Death Valley and admiring the Grand Canyon. The South Island, New Zealand This stretch of land is just breath-taking. Expect to see awe-inspiring landscapes, forests, fjords, mountains and beaches along the way. The other-worldliness of the backdrop to much of the Lord of the Rings movies will be amazing to drive along to. Other bonuses of this route include the lightness of the traffic, the smooth tarmac road surfaces, and the incredible scenery really must be mentioned again. Stop and enjoy the Franz Josef Glacier, revisit civilisation in the city of Nelson, relax on the shores of Lake Mapourika and visit the Aspiring National Park. These are just a few attractions on the 2,100km stretch of road. The Transalpine Route, France, Switzerland, Austria and Italy If staying closer to home with the added bonus of bringing you bike without a huge amount of effort, this is the route for you. Starting in Grenoble in France and winding 2,400km all the way through the Alps to end in Venice, Italy, you've got a couple of options when it comes to traversing the Alps with more easy routes right up to a couple of more challenging ones. Expect spectacular mountain landscapes, steep gradients and a hell of a lot of tunnels, bridges and viaducts. Don't forget to bring a load of loose change for the tolls, and don't miss out on the climb to the Stelvio pass! Ruta 40, Argentina At 5,301km this is one of the world's longest roads. It starts in Cabo Virgenes in Santa Cruz and snakes its way up to Quiaca in Jujuy, with gorgeous views the whole way along the route which runs beside the Andes. This route cuts through or drives by a whopping 20 National Parks! With incredible scenery on offer as well as the chance to ride from the South to the North of this huge country, this route is rightly popular.
Whether you opt for New Zealand, the Alps, Argentina or the USA, travel insurance by Let's Go Insure gives you the cover you need to make the most of your roadtrip without stress. Drive carefully and to drive safely, keep to the speed limit. Always have the necessary documentation and safety gear at hand. Author Plate Ethan Bailey is an experienced adventure traveller and insurance expert with the team at Let's Go Insure. Ethan's passion is to inspire his clients to go just that little bit further, deeper and higher on their travels and his expertise in providing the ideal insurance cover allows them to do just that. If you're looking for the best USA travel insurance Let's Go works with the most experienced underwriters, intermediaries and insurers to offer a range of competitive insurance without compromising on cover.

subset: commoncrawl


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Thursday, August 26, 2010
a broken heart
Seek My face, and I will share My mind with you, opening your eyes to see things from My perspective. Do not let your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid. The peace I give is sufficient for you...... Jesus Calling.
Gwen and I decided to take our little ones to the park on Tuesday. The weather in Nashville is starting to become a little cooler. (We are beckoning it!) We unloaded our vans and they scattered with squeals of excitement! I followed mine to the slides and was quickly approached by a woman that asked "what daycare are you with?" I replied "no maam, we are not a daycare, they belong to us" (all the while my almost 5 year old son, Joshua, is standing right beside me listening to EVERY word) and she said "do you foster them or something?!" and I said "no, they belong to us, we have adopted them" (Joshua's eyebrows are furrowed, looking up at me, at this point wondering how I will respond) "REALLY?!?!? what for?" and I continued my conversation with the lady, trying to have grace, but choosing my words wisely because obviously Joshua was hanging on to my every word. I grabbed Joshua's little hand in mine and led him to a different part of the playground. As I approached Gwen, she could tell that I was seething. We talked through our parts as adoptive Mommy's to spread awareness of adoption, while sheltering our children from the rudeness of the outside world. The look on the lady's face was one of disgust. She did not understand and didn't really want to try. My heart ached for Joshua. My heart felt burdened for the rest of the day. I know that the Lord has me on this journey so that I will call out to him daily. As I left the park, I spoke aloud to Christ..."I do not know how you were able to sit on your throne and watch you son be persecuted time AFTER TIME while He was living on earth. " (Honestly, if I had the power to throw down some lightening on some people, there would be several that would be burnt to a crisp by now!)
I am so thankful that God has me in a place where I can not only see his heart, but feel the pain that he feels for his sweet children.
Do not worry about what other people think of you. The work that I am doing in you is hidden at first. But eventually blossoms will burst forth, and abundant fruit will be borne. Stay on the path of Life with Me. Trust Me wholeheartedly, letting My spirit fill you with joy and peace. Galatians 5:22-23
Saturday, August 21, 2010
A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet that's enough. 1 Timothy 6:6-8
My sweetheart has the gift of numbers. God created his brain to do things with numbers that is JUST NOT NORMAL!! From a very young age he has loved counting and the way that his mind is able to analyze and calculate is TRULY a gift. (there might as well be some type of hi-tech machine up there going cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-ching) it is TRULY amazing. He is a financial planner and works with a large company here in Nashville. He walks into the "corporate world" each morning while I am at home juggling our life with our children. The balance of his world and mine sometimes can sometimes be quite daunting. As he pulls out of the driveway each morning I pray that he guard his heart and that the Lord give me strength. Through the years I have had to pray through putting on my hat that reads "financial planners wife in the corporate world" because I'm not a big make-up and fancy clothes kind of girl and usually, that's what I need to do to look appropriate. I have now embraced this role and think of it as a time to be alone with him away from our children and feel quite honored to claim him as "my "sweets." (after all he is BY FAR the most handsome man at every event that we attend!) I had a friend ask me the other day how we were able to separate our life from being SO entrenched in the "worldly focus " that can sometime go hand in hand with the corporate world and I just giggled. First we are doing well to just SURVIVE life (ha), but secondly, Mike leaves it at the office. This is very hard for most men. The Lord has blessed us with the most unbelievable staff that support Mike and our family. The support that he has in his office is truly sent straight from God and it is because of them that we can leave for a trip and relax, catch up, and rejuvenate for what is to come when we return home. Thirdly, our home is our life. His job is provision for our family, but our HOME IS OUR LIFE.
Mike and I live in one of the wealthiest counties in the nation. We are surrounded by materialism on a much greater scale than most. As I look around me, there are so many people that the wife has taken on the husbands job to define what their family is about. How many times a day do I hear "her husband is a...blahblah blah.., he does such and such for a living.., his client is yada yada yada" It is SO easy to get caught up in all of this talk. I pray fervently DAILY for the Lord to hold me so close to his heart that my focus stays close to His. I long for my focus to stay on "how much is he home?, what are his children's names? how much does he wrestle with his children? does he open the car door for you? does he take you on dates?"
IT IS SUCH A BALANCING ACT...actually, not even balanced these days, just keeping our nose above water is an accomplishment.
So, my question to all of the women out there.....Do you find your self worth in your job or how well you are provided for? Have you told your husband lately that you love him just because of who he is and not for his "accomplishments" in the eyes of our world? Have you told him that you would live in a shack as long as you were with him!?!? I think a lot of the problems that we are faced with as women is because we desire these worldly things and our husbands feel the pressure to provide them for us to make us happy...and the cycle goes on and on and on!
Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed with money which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage-to do good, to be rich in helping others: to be extravagantly generous. If they do, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
The Lord does not promise to shelter us from all of the brokenness in our lives. He does not promise to shower wealth upon us. He DOES however tell us that He will give us refreshment for our minds and bodies. He also promises us that as we increasingly find fulfillment in HIM that all of the other pleasures become less important. I continue to pray that He will fill my heart with His presence and love so that I will not seek the things of this world that are SO VERY empty!
Ask and you shall receive...
Saturday, August 14, 2010
After the concert we awoke to our sweet friend Emily Alexander and her family (teamalexander.blogspot.com) from Texas coming to visit. Through a mutual friend, the Lord knitted our hearts with Emily's three years ago when Gwen was leaving for China to get Maggie. We were all three in the adoption process and Gwen was the first one to travel. We sat on my bed, hands locked, and prayed her off to a foreign country where she was going to hold her abused, burned, child for the first time. Little did we know, a week later I would travel. While Gwen was on the other side of the world holding Maggie, my lips touched Caleb's little cheeks just hours after he was born. All the while, Emily was in Texas fervently praying for the both of us. A few months later, she traveled to Ethiopia and wrapped her arms around sweet little Abe.
our stories in a nutshell:
Gwen and I had traveled the adoption road once before and it had been relatively smooth (Joshua/domestic, Emily/China). On our second Journey, while the health of Caleb was perfect, our journey walking alongside his birthmother was very emotional. Gwen traveled thinking that Maggie was "missing hair"...an easy problem to solve. It only took a few moments to look into her eyes to see the depth of pain and abuse that this child had once suffered. After having Abe home for awhile, an MRI showed that he was missing part of his brain. While Emily's heart broke in half, Gwen and I prayed fervently for her from our homes in Tennessee. Fast forward two years.... Emily goes back to Ethiopia to bring Eyasu home. Mike and I traveled to Uganda to bring Josie Love home....in the process find out that she tests positive for TB and HIV. and several months later Gwen travels to bring Daisy and Joseph home from Uganda......still waiting for tests to know EXACTLY what is going on with Joseph.
We laugh now, saying that how we once thought that the Lord "knitted"our hearts together, we believe now that He "tied, chained, locked, and bolted....and threw the key away!" We look back on the last three years and KNOW that our friendship is divine. If we had not had each other during these times, we would have crumbled. We often talk about God's plan for our lives not being the road that we would have "chosen" but if given the chance to redo it we would "choose" it ALL over again. Our lives have not been filled with happiness. But have been OVERFLOWING with joy. We do not feel like smiling all of the time. We are tired of doctors appointments, medicine, and laundry. BUT we are all three filled to the rim with joy each and every day. It's the kind of joy that only our sweet Savior can give. Not only does He give it, but he gives you someone to walk the journey with(other than our spouses), someone to SHARE the joy with because THAT IS JUST WHAT HE DOES!!!!!
We all went to the HIV/AIDS awareness exhibit together on Thursday night. After walking through it, my heart felt SO heavy. Heavy for all of the people that live around me on a daily basis that have NO IDEA what REALLY goes on around the world. I have NEVER felt so privileged. I left thinking....The Lord has entrusted me with one of these little angels that is infected with this AWFUL virus. He is depending on ME and Mike to love her and care for her. He has given me the opportunity to walk alongside this little girl and see life as she sees it instead of the cloudy goggles that most wear on a daily basis that are smeared with our "worldly joy." Now hear me say, that it doesn't give me the warm fuzzies and make me happy. It gives me sorrow and makes my heart ache.....like never before. It makes me ANGRY that she has to go through life taking meds just to stay alive. But it brings me JOY to feel the Lords presence daily. It brings me peace that only He can give me.
I had a lifelong girlfriend(Amy Drane, whom I love with my whole heart) meet me to go through the exhibit. Amy has two little angels from Guatemala. Going anywhere with my brood is always an adventure for her I am sure. She loaded up with Gwen, Emily, and I and ALL OF OUR KIDDOS and ventured out. After the exhibit, eating out, and heading home, Amy and I were able to talk about the night. She said "I could do life with all of ya'll EVERY DAY!" It made my heart feel SO good to feel that she was not TOTALLY overwhelmed (maybe just a little..haha) with how crazy our lives are. She pointed out how everyone stared at us at the restaurant...which I do not notice anymore, and the joy that we all seem to have while life is HARD. It was at that moment that this blog came to mind.
Life does not always bring happiness...actually, MOST days it does not. BUT IT IS FULL OF JOY.
the Mayernick's, Oatsvall's, and the Alexander's...can you find the mother's? (just look for the dark circles and wrinkles under our eyes!!) too bad Josie is looking down..her head looks like an over grown sea urchin!
sweet baby Abe and "gee gee" Gwen
Joseph Oatsvall...the sweetest smile on earth!
Monday, August 2, 2010
The end of summer is nearing. As I look back over the last few months I have realized several things. The transition from THREE children being at home all day everyday to SEVEN being home every day has been a HUGE transition. One that has left me longing for my bed and pillow once my younger ones were finally in their beds asleep.
I am EXTREMELY aesthetic. I love colorful flowers in the spring and summer. This year rather than just planting flowers in the front, I have planted 5 HUGE planters on my back deck full of the most colorful and beautiful flowers. I have gardenias in several of them so that I can smell their sweetness as I sit on my deck, drink my coffee, and read my bible. I have put up a hummingbird feeder and a golden finch feeder so that I can watch them. The hummingbirds are so intriguing and the golden finches are some of the most beautiful birds that I have ever seen. I realized last week that I have subconsciously done all of this for encouragement. So that I can see glimpses of Christ as I look out my kitchen window after just spending 20 minutes sitting in the floor with little ones rolling all over me. I have needed to feel HIS presence roll over me like the scent of the gardenias as I walk out my back door. The wings on the hummingbird remind me of our lives, moving so rapidly that we can hardly breathe. The only time they stop the flutter is to drink a few drops of nectar to keep them in motion for the next few moments.
I realized that I have moved my "special space" from the front porch to the back porch. Haven't we all? What has happened to the culture of a "neighborhood?" Everyone use to sit out on their front porch and greet people as they passed. Now, we pull up, push the button to our garage door, pull in, and close the garage door behind us. (unless you drive a van like mine that won't fit in my garage..hahaha) We have gone from large families to small families. We say that we have done all of these things to "simplify".....which in reality, haven't these changes done just the opposite? Our lives continue to get faster and faster each year. I am laughing as I type this because I am thinking about my life. I am VERY conservative in starting my children in any kind of organized sport at a young age, we usually do not attend birthday parties before they are school age, and I try to be intentional about "going and doing" with my younger ones. HOWEVER, with each child added, our lives continue to get busy INSIDE my house! Which really doesn't leave TOO much time for business outside our home.
I think that our TB nurses are completely bumfuzzled by our family. Everyday they look around and just shake their heads at all of the commotion. I have gotten to where I just giggle at their expressions. Friday is Josie Love's LAST DOSE of TB meds! I AM SO EXCITED, I CAN HARDLY STAND IT!! We have had to alter her HIV meds because of the TB, so I am ready to see what happens when everything is measured out as it should be.
AND GUESS WHO IS STARTING PRESCHOOL THIS YEAR?!?!?! YEP! Little Miss Josie Love. Sister is SO excited! When we go to church she cannot get up the steps quick enough to make it to her class. Just at the mention of "school" she gets giddy! More to come on her preparations.....
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About Me
- suzanne
- I am a lover of Jesus. I have the most fabulous husband that anyone woman could ask for. The Lord has blessed us with 7 beautiful children. I started this blog so that friends and family could follow our trip to Uganda to visit Katie Davis. I have decided to keep blogging to help bring orphan awareness to the world around me.


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The Kellogg-Briand Pact 1928
Signed in Paris, August 27, 1928
Entered into force 24 July 1929
The President of the German Reich, the President of the United States of America, His Majesty the King of the Belgians, the President of the French Republic, His Majesty the King of Great Britain Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the seas, Emperor of India, His Majesty the King of Italy, His Majesty the Emperor of Japan, the President of the Republic of Poland, the President of the Czechoslovak Republic.
Deeply sensible of their solemn duty to promote the welfare of mankind; Persuaded that the time has come when a frank renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy should be made to the end that the peaceful and friendly relations now existing between their peoples may be perpetuated;
Convinced that all changes in their relations with one another should be sought only by pacific means and be the result of a peaceful and orderly process, and that any signatory Power which shall hereafter seek to promote its national interests by resort to war should be denied the benefits furnished by this treaty;
Hopeful that, encouraged by their example, all the other nations of the world will join in this humane endeavor and by adhering to the present treaty as soon as it comes into force bring their peoples within the scope of its beneficent provisions, thus uniting the civilized nations of the world in a common renunciation of war as an instrument of their national policy;
Have decided to conclude a treaty and for that purpose have appointed as their respective plenipotentiaries:
The President of the German Reich: Dr. Gustav Stresemann, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
The President of the United States of America: The Honorable Frank B. Kellogg, Secretary of State;
His Majesty the King of the Belgians: Mr. Paul Hymans, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State;
The President of the French Republic: Mr. Aristide Briand, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
His Majesty the King of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the seas, Emperor of India:
For Great Britain and Northern Ireland and all parts of the British Empire which are not separate members of the League of Nations:
The Right Honourable Lord Cushendun, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Acting Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs;
For the Dominion of Canada: The Right Honourable William Lyon Mackenzie King, Prime Minister and Minister for External Affairs;
For the Commonwealth of Australia: The Honourable Alexander John McLachlan, Member of the Executive Federal Council;
For the Dominion of New Zealand: The Honourable Sir Christopher James Parr, High Commissioner for New Zealand in Great Britain;
For the Union of South Africa: The Honourable Jacobus Stephanus Smit, High Commissioner for the Union of South Africa in Great Britain;
For the Irish Free State: Mr. William Thomas Cosgrave, President of the Executive Council;
For India: The Right Honourable Lord Cushendun, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Acting Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
His Majesty the King of Italy: Count Gaetano Manzoi2i, His Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary at Paris;
His Majesty the Emperor of Japan: Count Uchida, Privy Councillor; The President of the Republic of Poland: Mr. A. Zaleski, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
The President of the Czechoslovak Republic: Dr. Eduard Benes, Minister for Foreign Affairs;
who, having communicated to one another their full powers found in good and due form have agreed upon the following articles:
The high contracting parties solemnly declare in the names of their respective peoples that they condemn recourse to war for the solution of international controversies, and renounce it as an instrument of national policy in their relations with one another.
The high contracting parties agree that the settlement or solution of all disputes or conflicts of whatever nature or of whatever origin they may be, which may arise among them, shall never be sought except by pacific means.
The present treaty shall be ratified by the high contracting parties Named in the preamble in accordance with their respective constitutional requirements, and shall take effect as between them as soon as all their several instruments of ratification shall have been deposited at Washington.
This treaty shall, when it has come into effect as prescribed in the preceding paragraph, remain open as long as may be necessary for adherence by all the other Powers of the world. Every instrument evidencing the adherence of a Power shall be deposited at Washington and the treaty shall immediately upon such deposit become effective as between the Power thus adhering and the other Powers parties hereto.
It shall be the duty of the Government of the United States to furnish each government named in the preamble and every government subsequently adhering to this treaty with a certified copy of the treaty and of every instrument of ratification or adherence. It shall also be the duty of the Government of the United States telegraphically to notify such governments immediately upon the deposit with it of each instrument of ratification or adherence.
In faith whereof the respective Plenipotentiaries have signed this Treaty in the French and English languages both texts having equal force, and hereunto affix their seals.
Done at Paris the twenty-seventh day of August in the year one thousand nine hundred and twenty-eight.
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text:
Tracey Moffatt
Australia, United States of America
Born: Brisbane, Queensland, Australia 12 Nov 1960
Tracey Moffatt is probably Australia's most successful artist ever, both nationally and internationally. She is certainly one of the few Australian artists to have established a global market for her work. A filmmaker as well as photographer, Moffatt has held around 100 solo exhibitions of her work in Europe, the United States and Australia. Her films, including Nightcries – A Rural Tragedy, 1989, and Bedevil, 1993, have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival, the Dia Centre for the Arts in New York and the National Centre for Photography in Paris.
Over the last 25 years Moffatt has produced a cohesive body of work, from her celebrated 1989 series Something More to the more recent Fourth, 2001. Each series devolves upon an unwritten narrative – a story is implied, but never stated. Part of the artist's project is to dismantle the conventions of storytelling, paradoxically by using artifice alone to tell her tales. At the same time, the power of her work derives from the persuasions of myth. Moffatt's subjects touch on deep-seated, implacable issues, on the wounds that never heal – hence the title of her tragicomic series, Scarred for Life, 1994. Based on true stories told to the artist, this series captures both the pain and the restless energy at the heart of suburban life. Possibly Moffatt's best work to date, its potency is due to the fact that, as the artist has explained, ' … everyone has a tragic tale to tell'.
Like the work of Destiny Deacon, Moffatt's art is sharpened with pain and humour. In works such as Something More and, most explicitly, Laudanum, 1998, she engages the rhetorical confusions of racism through the sado-masochistic dynamic of the colonised subject. Indeed, her avowed ambivalence about being categorised as an Indigenous artist is at odds with her commitment to the fostering of Aboriginal culture, and to the central place of Indigeneity in her work. This seeming contradiction – an apparent moral inconsistency – is resolved in her dedication to the accoutrements of success: as much as Moffatt's work is about pain, it is also about glamour. Moffatt's vision is essentially theatrical, and one might argue that being an art-star – with all its attendant posturing – is as much a part of her practice as the art itself.
Hannah Fink in 'Tradition today: Indigenous art in Australia', Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 2014


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I made these chili chocolate cupcakes (amongst many other things) for the art show/benefit on Saturday. I expected the chili taste to be a bit more noticable in both the cake and frosting, people only noticed it if I told them in advance, but the little buggers were rich and chocolately regardless. I need to work on the cupcake recipe some. I want a richer cake (going to drop the flour content and up the egg) and definitely more spice (maybe more cayenne…) Also going to try to spice up the frosting next time. I wanted to top them with a red hot, but a last minute run over to the nearby grocery store, pharmacy, and liquor store proved fruitless.
makes 78 mini cupcakes / 350 degree oven
4 ounces unsweetend chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup rich cocoa powder
1-1/4 cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cake flower
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks butter
1-1/2 cups dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1. boil water in a kettle then measure out 1-1/4 cup
2. combine chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium sized bowl, add boiling water, whisk until smooth, set aside
3. sift flours, baking soda, chili powder, cayenne, and salt onto parchment or into a bowl, set aside
4. in a standing mixer, beat butter until creamy, scrape down the bowl
5. add brown sugar and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes, scrape down the bowl
6. at medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beat well between each
7. add sour cream and vanilla and beat until combined, scrape down the bowl
8. add about a third of the flour mixture, beat briefly until combined
9. add about half of the chocolate mixture, beat briefly until combined
10. repeat, adding flour, chocolate, then flour, do not overbeat
11. transfer batter into large pastry bag with a plain tip, pipe into mini-cupcake pans with mini-cupcake liners, about 3/4 full
12. bake at 350 degree oven (325 convection) for ~10 minutes or unti cake tester comes out clean
NOTE: Making this many mini cupcakes at once requires a number of pans and a good sized (36″) oven. Next time I try the recipe, I will make regular sized cupcakes, but I am guessing I'd get somewhere around 24… easy to bake off in a normal sized oven.
Chili Chocolate Ganache Frosting
1-1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) butter
2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1. heat cream and butter over medium heat until butter is melted and cream bubbles around saucepan edge
2. place peppers and chopped chocolate in a medium sized bowl, pour heated cream and butter over the chocolate
3. let the mixture sit for about 30 seconds then start whisking it until smooth
4. set aside mixture and stir occasionally with a wooden spoon, it should reach piping consistency within an hour or two
1. transfer ganache into a large pastry bag fitted with a star tip
2. pipe a dollop of ganache on each of the mini cupcakes
3. (optional) top with a red hot (if you can find them)
cooling cupcakes
being served


text:
Like most small, inbred communities, Silicon Valley encourages and thrives on gossip, even when it's of little substance. In popular-speak, Valley gossip has a "low signal to noise ratio," but the rumor mill is vibrantly alive despite that shortcoming — partly due to venture capitalists, whose efforts parallel the day-to-day business of technology.
For VCs looking to capture and monetize any opportunity, rumors are the steaming entrails of IT — worthy of close and usually messy analyses. In addition, vendors themselves spend time in the rumor mill, sometimes as simple customers and sometimes as complex participants wresting value for themselves or wreaking injury on competitors.
The problem is that rather than inspiring open exchanges and dialogue, the end result of IT rumor mongering resembles an echo chamber where ideas gain credence via incestuous feedback loops. Through sheer repetition, even lightweight concepts can develop a sense of gravitas far out of keeping with their actual heft.
One Silicon Valley rumor that may have faint signals buried in the noise engulfing it — or not — is that ODM-made servers are a tangible threat to server OEMs.
Rule vs. Exception
The germ of this notion goes back to the 2008-2009 time frame, when stories arose about Google and Amazon bypassing traditional server OEMs like Dell, HP and IBM by designing systems internally and outsourcing their manufacture to Asia-based original device manufacturers (ODMs), like Quanta, Wistron, Inventec and Compal. The narrative gained further credence in 2010 with Facebook's Open Compute Project for hyperscale IT infrastructures.
In one sense, the threat to server OEMs is quite real. "ODM Direct" sales growth grew robustly by 45.2 percent YOY in Q3 2013 to US$783 million with unit shipments growing by 30.7 percent, according to IDC, while sales by traditional server OEMs (with the exception of Cisco) fell or saw meager growth.
ODM Direct accounted for just 6.5 percent of overall server revenues for the period, IDC estimated, and about 80 percent of sales went to Google, Amazon, Facebook and Rackspace. At a time of slow IT growth, sales going to ODMs are obviously painful for OEMs.
However, I don't believe the ODM model is applicable to the vast majority of server customers. For one thing, since ODM Direct products are essentially "white box" servers, their use requires customer companies to have considerable in-house knowledge and skills in system deployment, configuration, integration, management and maintenance.
That isn't a problem for hyperscale data center owners or even enterprises with similar IT infrastructures, like financial services firms and telcos, but they are the exception rather than the rule in the commercial tech market, and ODM Direct solutions are essentially useless to the vast majority of small-to-medium sized businesses (SMBs).
In addition, the benefits these systems offer correlate directly with the deployment size. In other words, the model works best with thousands of systems, not hundreds, let alone scores or dozens.
Finally, the ODM Direct threat is not entirely linear. For example, since these systems are virtually all x86-based, that makes the ODM Direct market essentially unavailable to traditional enterprise system vendors whose sales are already under pressure. Similarly, since hyperscale customers largely utilize Linux and other open source software, proprietary ISVs, including Microsoft, also are affected.
Vendors Under Pressure
None of this means that server OEMs and system software vendors are doomed. In fact, it's likely the challenge posed by ODMs will spark efforts among OEMs to significantly enhance system solutions through the development of increasingly integrated offerings, deepened partnerships with ISVs, enhanced management processes such as the customized system and software updates offered by VCE, and expanded maintenance agreements. Additionally, OEMs are likely to initiate or increase their efforts engaging hyperscale customers
In fact, that is already happening on a number of fronts. For example, Dell and HP are already doing quite well in what IDC terms "density optimized" servers for hyperscale environments and, in fact, sell into many of the companies that also use ODM Direct systems.
Some solutions common among OEMs, like software enhancement and integrated system innovations, are unlikely to be pursued by ODMs, which should help innovative server OEMs differentiate their solutions and value propositions from ODM Direct offerings.
That said, vendors that are unwilling or unable to take such measures are likely to come under increasing pressure from more proactive competitors and will continue to be victimized by aggressive ODMs.
I'll take a look at two other popular Silicon Valley rumors — the long-term viability of EMC and Cisco's relationship, and Amazon's supposedly unassailable position in cloud computing — in future installments.


text:
Thanks to jrussell, connerlacy, and demcanulty we now have a fully functioning build of a Linux editor for QuNeo!
64-bit Version: download/file.php?id=163
32-bit Version: download/file.php?id=164
The changes from the previous ALPHA version:
- The binary is now named QuNeo-Editor rather than QuNeoEditor.
- Editing multiple QuNeos is supported (unlike the Mac and Windows versions)
- Firmware Updating is now working!
- Toggle Program Change Out is now working!
- Full feature set is available and functioning!
Please report any issues you may come across in the original thread here: Linux Thread
(it's a long thread so the link will take you to when jrussell posted the first build)
To use, unzip the zip which will give you a QuNeo-Editor directory. In this directory is QuNeoEditor - start this from within the QuNeo-Editor directory (this is a requirement!). If you create a short-cut/link for it, make sure to set up the working directory to be the QuNeo-Editor directory. This is a requirement to find the various JSON files necessary for proper operation.
You will need 2 dependancies from your distributions packaging system - asound, which should be installed already in almost any case, and Qt4, which most will also already have installed.
What is working:
- Presets fully editable.
- Preset Import and Export.
- Firmware version detection.
- Update single or all presets.
- Audition/revert preset.
- Swap Pad LEDS
- Toggle Program Change In
- Reset preset/all presets to factory
- Update Firmware - looking for feedback on best permanent solution.
- Toggle Program Change out - windows version does not work for me either!
The QuNeo Editor source is up on github as a private repository. If you'd like access to the source, just send connerlacy a message with your github account name and he'll add you as a collaborator.
The plan is to make the repo fully public in the near future, and hopefully release the QuNexus Editor code as well.
Looking forward!


text:
I was hoping to write a bit this week about how I write in general and how I'm approaching the writing of Windows 8 Secrets, which will be an all-new book with little to no content carried over from previous editions. And, sure enough, I did write about this, but it's getting longer than I'd like--typical--and is meandering in unexpected directions. So in the interest of not letting too much time go by without a new article in this series, here's a peek at what Microsoft and some third party blogs posted this week about Windows 8.
Microsoft has written about two topics on the Building Windows 8 Blog since our last outing: Protecting your digital identity online and picture passwords.
Protecting your digital identity
Today, I recommend a utility called LastPass for managing your online passwords through a web browser such as Chrome. But LastPass isn't just a central clearing house for passwords with a cloud component, it can also generate strong passwords, preventing you from taking the all-too-easy (and insecure) path of simply using the same weak password on every site you visit. LastPass isn't just one of the best utilities I've ever recommended, it's one of the core components of my own toolbox. I use it all the time.
In Windows 8, utilities like LastPass may become somewhat less necessary. According to a B8 post called Protecting your digital identity, Microsoft is building secure password, PIN, and user name management into Windows 8, so that you can tie these important security gateways to your Windows logon.
"The average person using a PC in the United States typically has about 25 online accounts," Microsoft's Dustin Ingalls writes in this post. "[But] the number of unique passwords across those 25 accounts is only about 6." Hence the problem.
Here's the solution, according to Microsoft: Windows 8 will include a centralized Credential Manager, shown below, that lets you view and manage your logon information for web sites, connected applications, and networks. This functionality can be accessed by Internet Explorer 10, of course, as well as any Metro-style app.
Windows 8's Credential Manager
On a related note, Microsoft previously disclosed how it would allow Windows 8 users to logon to the PCs using their Windows Live IDs, and this is, in fact, how all of my Windows 8 PCs are configured today. "One of the great things you get when you sign in to Windows with your Windows Live ID is the ability to sync the credentials you've stored to all of the Windows 8 PCs that you register as your Trusted PCs," Ingalls notes.
Sounds good to me.
Picture passwords
This week's second topic is not new, we learned and wrote about this back at the BUILD conference in September: Microsoft is allowing new, alternate forms of logons to Windows 8 PCs, including a four-digit, phone-like PIN password and a picture password. The latter is the subject of a post this week logically titled Signing in with a picture password. I've configured a few of my Windows 8 PCs for picture passwords and a few with PIN passwords, and have to say I prefer the latter.
Note that neither replaces your normal password. Instead, you can assign a PIN and/or picture password that's used in place of the normal password at logon. A picture password encompasses two bits, a favorite photo from your picture collection and then three touch gestures. To logon using a picture password, you simply duplicate these gestures on top of the picture.
My Picture Password
These gestures include a simple tap, a swipe, a circle drawing, and the like. So you can mix and match to create something unique. (And hopefully not as simple as just poking a person's eyes.)
In typical fashion, Microsoft's post goes into great and pointless detail about how this works, including such silliness as the following mathematical symbols:
Way to make something fun into something boring, guys. But they do address one concern I have with current tap-based PIN and pattern logon systems for smart phones and devices: Protecting against smudges.
"People are often concerned with the smudges left behind on a touch screen and how easy or hard it would be to divine your password based on those markings," Microsoft's Zach Pace writes in the post. "Because the order of gestures, their direction and location all matter, it makes the prospect of guessing the correct gesture set based on smudging very difficult even in the completely clean screen case, let alone on a screen that sees regular touch use."
And that's pretty much all you need to know about that one.
Meanwhile, out in the blogosphere...
With not much Windows 8 news to write about this week, the tech blogs focused on two core topics: Some leaks of the Metro-style Music app that Microsoft will provide in the Windows 8 Beta next February and "news" that usage in September's Developer Preview build has dropped over the intervening months.
WinUnleaked has posted a number of shots of what some have described as Windows 8's "boring" Music app. These shots are marred by an egregious use of watermarking, but here's a representative example:
Would someone please teach these kids how to take a proper screenshot?
Meanwhile, many blogs were reporting that usage in Microsoft's now-outdated Windows 8 Developer Preview has slipped over the past three months. (Well, duh.) This is based on a Chikita study that "measures the corresponding level of activity seen by the yet-to-be-released OS, in order to determine the level of activity and potential user interest in the new operating system as a platform for future software." And what they've found is that usage in the Windows 8 Developer Preview, which is, again, outdated and, more important, aimed solely at developers, "is measurably lower than it was three months ago."
Chikita finds this "troubling," which of course is what the blogs have latched onto. I find it not unexpected and even logical since normal users would quickly discover that the Windows 8 Developer Preview is hard to use day-to-day. Just ask me, I'm doing it. I bet few others are. Including those who are busy writing books about the OS and writing new apps. Just saying.
There are other pseudo-controversies because, you know, the blogosphere needs to drive page views. Last week's "revelation" that Microsoft could "remotely delete Windows 8 apps" sold or downloaded through its coming Windows Store was one such attempt at righteous indignation. But as I noted in last week's Short Takes, this isn't new functionality and is, in fact, entirely acceptable and expected.
Here's what I wrote:
Non-Event of the Week, Part 2: Microsoft Can Remove Apps from Windows 8
As part of its Windows Store revelations this week, Microsoft revealed that it will have the technical ability to remove Metro-style apps and their associated data from users' Windows 8-based PCs. And as you might expect, reading that sentence, some people are up in arms over this because, you know, it's Microsoft. But here's the deal. Every modern app store on Earth features this capability, including Apple's App Store, Google's Android Market, and even Amazon's Kindle Store. On Windows 8, it's being done for security reasons, since an errant app could possibly make it through Microsoft's stringent curation process, and one of the things Microsoft is promising with this app store is that users' safety is Job One. Sorry, but this just makes sense.
And it does.
More soon.


text:
Jessica - Age: 18 - Cupsize: C
One of the advantages of mobile phones nowadays is that most of them have a built in camera. Sending messages to each other with a couple of hornu pictures of yourself attached is great fun, as our Jessica demonstrates here!
Check profile >>
Watch the full set >>
Site information / review
Young Busty videos:
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Split scenes:
Windows .wmv
Full - High - Low
Small URL
Young Busty pictures:
Large 1200px
Extra large 2000px
No watermarks
General information:
Bonus sites:
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Do you prefer girls with breasts a bit to big for their age? Then Young Busty is your ultimate wet dream! They have a huge (teen) modelindex where you can browse through their pics and movies by name, age and cupsize. Big tits look best on young girls!!
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Young Busty has a huge modelindex of young busty girls. Below is a small selection of what you can find in the memberarea.
Carolina (18) D
Alona (18) DD
Katerina (19) E
Gabriella (18) D
Paloma (18) C
Kristina (19) E
Wendy (19) D
Lenka (19) D
Eva (20) DD
Carol (20) E
Andrea (19) DD
Alexa (18) C
Calisyn (18) DD
Liana (20) E
Joanna (19) DD
Lucie (19) D
Vanda (19) E+
Samantha (18) D
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Vivien (20) DD
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Denice (19) DD
Jennifer (19) D
Jaimy (19) DD
Michaela (20) D
18 U.S.C. Section 2257 Compliance Notice - http://www.imco.nl/2257/


text:
n/a deleted
4809 Posts
quote:Originally posted by Guest4178I'm still here not hiding. :)You have my response, which I provided on January 6th. I think Gagner's play has improved recently since he removed the full face shield. I think he will finish up the season okay, but once again, my prediction on Gagner's future progress in not just this season, but future seasons to come. Once again, he's only 24 years old, not yet near his prime or peak.And you still haven't answered my question, which I posted on the same date. Do you think Gagner is injury prone?
JOSHUACANADA PickupHockey Veteran
Canada 2308 Posts
Guest4178 ( )
quote:Originally posted by Guest4178Patience Slozo, patience!You do realize that Gagner has the same number of points (23) as Steve Stamkos at this point in the season! Who could have predicted that! :)I'm kidding of course, but while Stamkos is out injured, you do know that after missing the first 13 games of the season, Gagner returned (early) from his injury, and played two months with a full faceshield. As Joshua stated, very hard coming back from such an injury. Take a look at Alex Burrows. While his points production wasn't very good before his injury, he has zero points in six games with the faceshield. It's gotten so bad, teammate Zack Kassian is starting to taunt him! :)I'll give you another example of a player returning to the line-up wearing a faceshield. Jeremy Roenick wore one after taking a vicious elbow from Darian Hatcher late in the 1998-1999 season. Roenick was a point a game player that season, but in the playoffs, he tallied exactly one point in seven games as Phoenix was eliminated from the playoffs.So if you want to measure Gagner's play this season, I would give him a pass on his earlier play. If you want to measure him on his recent play, Gagner has tallied ten points in the month of January. (9 points in his last 11 games.)He has more points in January than Ryan Kesler (6), Patrick Kane (7), Matt Duchene (8), and the same number of points in January as the Sedin twins combined. (Henrik's played 9 games, and Daniel has played 13 games.) And those guys are going to the Olympics!Maybe Matt Duchene will come up with a "mystery ailment" or fake an injury so Gagner can take his place at the Olympics!?! :) Speaking of injuries, my question to you (do you think Gagner is injury prone?) was based on your earlier comment "If Gagner stays healthy (ha ha)." Not sure what you meant by that, but I don't expect (or need) an answer!I still maintain (and predict) improved performance out of the 24-year old. And I repeatedly restate let's check back in 2-3 seasons. If you want to measure him month to month, or day to day, or start a thread "Gagner day to day stats," that's your prerogative. :)I'm perfectly okay to wait 2-3 seasons (or more) to see how Gagner is doing. He will be 26 or 27 years old at the time!
Alex116 PickupHockey Legend
6113 Posts
quote:Originally posted by Guest4178I should (finally) sign up! I enjoy the dialogue (and opinions) on this site. About to leave town for a few days (and away from e-mails, etc.), so in absence of any responses, I reserve all of my rights! :)
quote:Originally posted by Guest4178To be clear, wearing the full faceshield is not the major impediment. (It does hinder a player's view though. I noticed this with Gagner, and I also noticed it more recently with Alex Burrows.)What was clearly meant (and understand by most) was how difficult it is for a player to come back (especially early) after breaking their jaw. Joshua summed it up best, and from personal experience to boot: "I have received an injury similar to this in the past and outside of the obvious facial damage, is the loss of body mass one gets by the inability to eat solid foods for a while. I am not making excuses for Gagner here, but I would wager a bet he doesn't fully recover from the injury and body mass/strength loss until closer to the playoffs, which for the Oilers means the offseason. Again not trying to make excuses here, but I wrote off his season at the point he received the injury due to the nature of the injury."As for the examples provided, Roenick and Burrows are very good examples of players coming back after suffering a broken jaw. Doesn't matter if the examples took place 15 years ago or 15 days ago. A broken jaw is a broken jaw, and the NHL is the NHL. Why is coming back from a broken jaw 15 years ago different than a player coming back from a broken jaw 15 days ago? I contend that Gagner's early play was affected by him coming back early from breaking his jaw. You don't, and that's okay. (You don't even have to agree with the examples I've provided.) I also contend that Gagner has picked up his play since he discarded the full faceshield a month ago, and it's factual that his play has improved in the month of January. But these are still small snapshots of the overall picture of Gagner's future development.I continue to contend that we will see Gagner's improved play the next 2-3 seasons (and for seasons to come), a contention which I've repeated many times in this thread (I believe the "count" is now up to nine), for which I'm perfectly okay to wait and see this out. If you want to monitor his daily play (or monthly play) in the interim, feel free to start a new thread ("Gagner: Day to Day by Slozo"), so you can take your obsession with Gagner to the next level! :)
Guest4377 ( )
Guest3792 ( )
quote:Originally posted by Guest4377I didn't introduce Kadri to this thread, but thanks for pointing out that he's "your boy!" :) I think the 24-year-old Gagner will improve in years to come, but I'm not ready to call him "my boy." :)And I see you're now measuring performance in 5-game segments. You really should start a new thread "Gagner - Day To Day Stats By Slozo!" :)As for Gagner's performance this season, surely you have to admit his production has been impacted by his injury. This is a reason, not an excuse. No different than numerous other players who have missed games due to injuries, whether they're star players like Stamkos , Letang or Gaborik, or players like Stephen Weiss or Mike Callamerri. If anyone made pre-season predictions on these players (or selected them in a hockey pool), these predictions are affected by their injuries. (Of course.) And especially for a player (like Gagner) who returned at less than 100% healthy. Does this make any of the prognosticators wrong? Or is this really a matter of bad luck? What if Gagner suffered a career-ending injury? To that, would you say "Ha - told you he wouldn't get any points! :)Here's another example of a player affected by missed games - David Clarkson, a player very familiar to Leaf fans. Here's your pre-season prediction on Clarkson: "From Clarkson, I predict - based on his past numbers, and his potential linemates, coupled with it being a new team . . . my "stats plus gut" preditction: 28g, 15a, 43 ptsAt worst, I'll be satisfied with 20 goals, 15 assists."I would give anyone a partial out on their points prediction for Clarkson. He's missed 12 games due to suspensions, and seven games (so far) due to an elbow injury, so you can't blame him for not getting points in games he didn't play. But with only 8 points in 36 games played, this tranlates into only 18 points in a full 82-game season. So anyone predicting 40 or more points out of Clarkson this season would be off the mark by quite a bit. And if you excuse Clarkson's production (or lack thereof) because he missed the first ten games of the season, you have to extend the same "rustiness" to any player coming back after missing ten or more games. But here's the key difference between Clarkson's return and Gagner's return. Clarkson was 100% healthy when he returned to the Leafs lineup (after his suspensions), and Gagner was not. (The latter which has been pointed out many times before.)I will leave it others (and in already established thread) on whether the soon to be 30-year-old Clarkson is a long-term bust. But if anyone thinks the Gagner has reached his peak, I say check back in a few years. A point I've restated numerous times! Why can't you wait Slozo? I can! :)P.S. I'm Guest 4178.
markliso Rookie
Canada 104 Posts
quote:Originally posted by marklisoDone Deal.Gagner to TB for Purcell.Seems like a 1-1 trade is a bit low, I feel that Oilers could've at least gotten a low draft pick out of this too, like a 5th or 6th rounder or even a conditional pick or something.Obviously can see where the oilers are heading with their draft picks and trades, more size and skill. We'll have to see if the chemistry is there on ice.
Leafs81 PickupHockey Pro
735 Posts
quote:Originally posted by Alex116Slozo......THIS the thread you were talking about? Don't see Beans on board the Gagner train so much but Guest4178/4377 (same guy) surely was. Just re-read the 3 pages and I recall this convo, especially the part about how calm this "guest" was/is. I'm pretty sure he'd admit defeat if he were around today considering Gagner's past 2-3 seasons and his current state. Judgement: SLOZO WINS! And it wasn't even close......


text: Ocean City Elementary School honored the October Students of the Month with a luncheon and cake sponsored by Kendall Home Furnishings. Pictured, above, first row, first graders Julianna Johnston, Devin Phillips, Riley Moyer, Jack Greenwood and Renee Fohner; second row, second graders Hannah Short, Jake Gillespie, Darby Moore, Makayla Brown, Emma Carey and Lorelei Auker; third row, third graders Irwin Cabello-Vargas, David Francia-Gomez, Dillon Brown, Isabella Vazquez, Mackenzie Barrett and Brandon Hannon; and, back, fourth graders Rhiannon Howared, Lilly Castellanos-Avalos, Betul Yucel, Kayla Janek, Ryan Ethridge and Katie Mitchell. Submitted Photos


text:
I'm working on a site where it offers online service for two types of users ("service providers" and "service seekers"). Users are required to signup with the type of profile they belong to. We are in the process of designing home page and we want to make it clear for both the parties and encourage signup.
So below are my questions;
Is it a good idea to have two call-to-action signup buttons in the home page? (one for service provider signup and another for service seeker sign up, with two different colors)
Other option is to have a single call-to-action signup button which leads to a page with an option to select profile type. Is this a good idea than having two buttons?
Do you have any examples of this type of home pages?


text:
BERLIN – Assateague Coastal Trust (ACT) hosted its 28th Annual New Years Day beach walk on Assateague Island with over 225 people joining the New Years event.
ACT renamed the event the "Ilia Fehrer-Judy Johnson Memorial Beach Walk" in honor of Fehrer and Johnson, both of whom passed away within the past year. They were founders of the Committee To Preserve Assateague Island, which evolved into the Assateague Coastal Trust.
Assateague Island National Seashore Ranger Chris Seymour welcomed the crowd announcing, "This theme of this year's beach walk is 'Choices'." Seymour continued, "One important choice made by these two pioneering environmentalists Ilia Fehrer and Judy Johnson is that they might have chosen to sit back and watch Assateague developed into 'another Ocean City' rather than speaking out to preserve the fragile barrier island. We are glad you chose to join us today to appreciate Assateague Island."
As the crowd of 225 walkers moved to the beach, Seymour and ACT President Jim Rapp pointed out the dune line, which has been reduced in height this fall, opening the sand flats behind it to potential storm damage. During the walk, a young participant brought the shell of a horseshoe crab to Seymour, who ably described the crab's ancient lineage and explained the valuable contribution that the blood of horseshoe crabs makes to the pharmaceutical industry.
The walk headed north on the beach to the site of the former Thomas B. McCabe House. Once the largest private residence on the island, it was destroyed during a winter storm in 1991 when the dunes were breached by a strong storm surge. The walkers then returned to the State Park concession stand where ACT volunteers served hot cocoa and cookies.


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US Sailors Held Hostage Off Nigeria Freed
Officials: Two Americans held for three weeks healthy and safe.
Nov. 12, 2013 — -- Two American sailors kidnapped by pirates off the coast of Nigeria last month were released over the weekend and are on their way home, according to two U.S. officials.
The civilians, yanked from their oil transport ship by unidentified gunmen, were freed after negotiations successfully yielded a ransom payment, the officials said. They were both safe and healthy when released, the officials said.
State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki confirmed the sailors' release and said the department "welcomes" the news. She declined to provide further details.
ABC News previously reported the U.S. company for whom the sailors worked, the maritime transportation company Edison Chouest Offshore, was negotiating for the sailors' release. U.S. government policy generally bars it from paying ransom for its citizens, but the policy does not extend to private companies.
The mariners' ship, called the C-Retriever, was attacked in the early daylight hours Oct. 23 by an unknown number of armed assailants who then separated the crew by nationality and made off with the Americans, a Pentagon official told ABC News the day of the attack. The captives were only identified as the ship's Captain and its Chief Engineer.
While globally piracy was down last year to its lowest levels in seven years, cases in Nigeria are on the rise. According to the International Maritime Bureau, pirate attacks off Nigeria's coast have jumped by a third this year -- allegedly perpetrated by criminal gangs who are looking for cargo ships with commodities, and seeking ransom for hostages. Around the world there have already been more than 200 "incidents" involving piracy this year, including 11 hijackings, the IMB said.


text:
The Homer Community Food Pantry would like to thank everyone who helped make our first "Empty Bowls" fundraising luncheon a huge success.
From the restaurants and bakeries to the local "chefs" and volunteers, we could not have done it with out you. And to the potters without whom this event would not have happened, thanks.
Finally, to the community of Homer who came out to support the Homer Community Food Pantry, we are forever grateful for your commitment to help those in need.
There are so many folks that need to be thanked,
please see our thank you ad. None should go hungry or
feel helpless in times of need.
Thank you,
Tracy Asselin and the board
of the Homer Community Food Pantr


text:
Article Number: 000132726
Hardware Diagnostic are embedded tools installed in the pre-OS of your server. They are provided by Dell.
It is recommended that you run diagnostics using the Hardware Diagnostics utility, as part of a regular maintenance plan to validate that the attached hardware is functioning properly.
Diagnostics utility have a physical (as opposed to logical) view of the attached hardware, it can identify hardware problems that the operating system and other online tools cannot identify.
You can use the hardware diagnostics utility to validate the memory, I/O devices, CPU, physical disk drives, and other peripherals.
The procedure depends on your Server Generation, shortcuts and screenshots are available below.
Find detailed information in the User Manual of your PowerEdge Server:
Figure 2: Running the Diags
If you chose to Run Diags, you will then need to :
Select Express Test to quick test all components
Select Extended Test to test all components intensively
Select the Custom Test to test single components
Figure 3: Test Options
Choose Custom Test
Choose the drive you want to test
Choose the type of test you want to perform (e.g. Drive Self Test)
Choose your prefered Diagnostic Options
Recommended:Click Run Test to start the process
Figure 4: Testing a hard drive
MpMemory allows you to check the state of your memory.
If you chose the MPMemory option, you will need to select the type of test you want to run :
Express or Custom. For a basic test, you can pick Express.
Figure 5: MpMemory. (English)
For a custom test, check the relevant test you want to pass.
Figure 6: Custom Test. (English)
The time it takes to run the test varies depending on the amount of memory installed in your server.
Don't forget to take a note of the test results.
Servers, PowerEdge, Legacy Server Models, Precision 7920 Rack
22 Sep 2021


text:
Chapati Bread
2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour more for dusting
1 teaspoon salt
Mix flours in food processor; add salt and, with machine running, pour in one cup warm water. Process for about 30 seconds, then remove cover. Dough should be in a well-defined, barely sticky, easy-to-handle ball. If it is too dry, add warm water a tablespoon at a time and process for 5 to 10 seconds after each addition. If it is too wet, which is unlikely, add a tablespoon or two of flour and process briefly.
With floured hands, shape dough into a ball, cover with plastic and let rest for at least 30 minutes. (At this point, you may wrap dough tightly in plastic and refrigerate it for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)
When ready to cook the bread, pinch off a piece of dough and roll as thin as is practical. Dust lightly with flour to keep from sticking and cover with plastic or a damp cloth while you roll out remaining dough. (It is OK to overlap them a bit, but do not stack them.) Or just roll as you go
I grill chapatis until they start to blister, char and puff up a bit, about a minute or so. Turn and repeat. Or you may cook them in a lightly greased hot skillet. Serve immediately.
Consider adding garlic, chopped onion (add by hand), herbs, etc.


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Another Fake Founders Quotation
This time it's James Madison. Google counts over 200,000 webpages attributing the following sentence to him:
Americans have the right and advantage of being armed—unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms.Often that attribution comes with what looks like a citation: "The Federalist Papers #46 at 243-244."
But here's the full text of #46 of the Federalist Papers. It doesn't contain those words. It contains some of them, in the following passage (emphases added):
Let a regular army, fully equal to the resources of the country, be formed; and let it be entirely at the devotion of the federal government; still it would not be going too far to say, that the State governments, with the people on their side, would be able to repel the danger. The highest number to which, according to the best computation, a standing army can be carried in any country, does not exceed one hundredth part of the whole number of souls; or one twenty-fifth part of the number able to bear arms. This proportion would not yield, in the United States, an army of more than twenty-five or thirty thousand men. To these would be opposed a militia amounting to near half a million of citizens with arms in their hands, officered by men chosen from among themselves, fighting for their common liberties, and united and conducted by governments possessing their affections and confidence. It may well be doubted, whether a militia thus circumstanced could ever be conquered by such a proportion of regular troops. Those who are best acquainted with the last successful resistance of this country against the British arms, will be most inclined to deny the possibility of it. Besides the advantage of being armed, which the Americans possess over the people of almost every other nation, the existence of subordinate governments, to which the people are attached, and by which the militia officers are appointed, forms a barrier against the enterprises of ambition, more insurmountable than any which a simple government of any form can admit of. Notwithstanding the military establishments in the several kingdoms of Europe, which are carried as far as the public resources will bear, the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. And it is not certain, that with this aid alone they would not be able to shake off their yokes. But were the people to possess the additional advantages of local governments chosen by themselves, who could collect the national will and direct the national force, and of officers appointed out of the militia, by these governments, and attached both to them and to the militia, it may be affirmed with the greatest assurance, that the throne of every tyranny in Europe would be speedily overturned in spite of the legions which surround it.Madison was writing in favor of the new U.S. Constitution during the ratification debate of 1788. He dismissed the fear that the stronger national government's standing army could become a tool of tyranny by pointing to the militias of the "subordinate governments"—i.e., the states.
Madison contrasted that early American system to European societies, supposedly more susceptible to oppression. He assured readers that those nations lacked two things: arms and "the additional advantages of local governments chosen by themselves." Madison was "not certain" that arms alone could cast off national tyranny, but felt "the greatest assurance" that the combination of arms and local republics could.
Madison didn't address the possibility that state governments could be tyrannical, aided by their militias/armed populace. Or what would happen if the militia system he knew went away and the national government and standing army grew, but governments at all levels also grew more democratic—the situation we have now.
Who cobbled together different phrases from Madison's essay to produce the false quotation? I'm not sure. Wayne LaPierre of the National Rifle Association included it in his 1994 book Guns, Crime, and Freedom, with brackets around the word "have," suggesting that he knew something had changed from the original. Google Books suggests that the quote appeared before that in the American Legion Magazine around 1989. But there are no examples of this Madison "quotation" earlier than that.
Google Books offers an easy modern way to check whether a quotation actually comes from the Federalist Papers, or any other book published in quantity before 1923 (as most of the famous Founders' papers were). Search for the quotation with the "Full view" toggle on. That knocks out all the books still under copyright, including recent books that could just be echoing the same myth back and forth.


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I used Cakewalk products a long time ago and just bought and tried Sonar. Unfortunately it's a mess. I hate the way that the MIDI editor works. It's very, very clunky and hard to use. And when editing midi, the editor does not even show you the extent of the part (clip) that you're working in. So very crude!
The rest of Sonar looks promising, but it's bundleware, much in the same way as Ableton. It's like creaky, rotting tree that's falling over from all of the fruit on its branches. More work is needed for the basic recording and editing of audio and MIDI to make sense and to be a constructive enterprise.
The new Skylight interface is clearly a lot better than the old one, but that's not enough. I used to use Windows Cakewalk, and the editing and arranging in that application was nice. It worked in a sane and intuitive way. I expected the same from Sonar X1 - and I did not get that.
I still have hopes for Sonar, but I'm returning Sonar X1. Maybe someday they'll tighten up the audio and MIDI editing to the point where I could use it. For now it's back to Cubase 6.
It's a drag not knowing how to use a tool, but unfair to blame the software for one's own lack of skill. It's like creaky rotting brain that's musty and crusty from lack of understanding, practice or enough interest to actually learn anything new. I'm just sayin'. . .
No doubt by now you've realized you bought too much software for what you want to do, and have either gone to a more basic cakewalk software package or bought something from another company like Fruity Loops.
Sonar is supposed to be a pro studio solution. Whether you agree with whether or not its up to the task doesn't change the fact that is the reason why it is designed to everything.
As far as the MIDI editor, your problems stemmed from not knowing how to use it. It is rather complex. The only thing crude about Sonar is their standard color scheme which are horrid.
It always amazes me how many naïve people are out there that cannot even get out of their own way and look beyond the end of their noses. It is usually the operator not the product.
OMG! I have been a SONAR user for years, and I just love it, very easy to use and the included plugins are a time saver, specially after I lost all my files and couldn't afford purchasing some old plugins again. (some companies don't have new 64-bits versions anyway) I just don't get why any user would say this, specially SONAR X2 things got just incredible easy to setup. Go figure... I use only SONAR and nothing else for my DAW, and the only extra plugins are my own Wusik plugins. ;-)
How about it William as I have been using Cakewalk since its inception. Sonar X3 is so damn smooth, so easy to get around and has features that are too many to list. Non customers do not know what they are missing.
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Why, hello there lovelies!
Are you setting up for Valentines Day yet?
Having a fancy pants "be mine" soirée?
Are pink and red invading your abode?
Well, no, not yet? No worries – I got you covered :)
I've had numerous requests for some Valentines Day prints for this year.
So, well, enter me "the overachiever" – I made you four!
the prints will print out on standard 8 1/2×11 sheets.
they are each sized at 8×10 so it will print a slim little border around them
just click on the words of the print(s) you wish to print & slap em' in a frame :)
♥ Are you enjoying my free printables?
Please leave me a comment – I would love to hear your thoughts (I always write back :)
xx ♥ m
Terms and Conditions
The above post allows a free printable PDF download; you will need Adobe Reader to do so.
It is free to download at Adobe's website here.
Please read here before you download any of mama♥miss's PDF files…thanks, man!


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2012 Hyundai Azera Review By John Heilig
By JOHN HEILIG
Model: 2012 Hyundai Azera
Engine: 3.3-liter V6
Horsepower/Torque: 293 hp @ 6,400 rpm/255 lb.-ft. @ 5,200 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic with Shiftronic
Wheelbase: 112.0 in.
Length/Width/Height: 193.3 x 73.2 x 57.9 in.
Tires: P245/40R19
Cargo volume: 16.3 cu. ft.
Fuel economy: 20 mpg city/29 mpg highway/16.4 mpg test
Fuel capacity: 18.5 gal.
Curb weight: 3,605-3,825 lbs.
Sticker: $36,875 (includes $875 delivery charge and $4,000 in
options for the technology package)
1. Very quiet
2. Good performance
3. Near luxury
4. Hyundai fluidic styling
<5. Nice package
The Bottom Line: While the Hyundai Azera is technically a premium large sedan, it competes in the same price class as the premium entry-level cars from other manufacturers. And in this class, it outshines the competition in silence, performance and styling.
By coincidence, I happened to have scheduled the Hyundai Azera at the same time that I was attending the introduction of a 2013 mid-size sedan from another manufacturer, who will remain nameless. Now, the Azera is classified as a premium large sedan, but in fact, it competes most favorably with the mid-sizers. The prices are about the same, and if you discount the $4,000 technology package, the Azera comes in at about $32,000, which is nudging the top edge of the "normal" mid-size sedans.
All this is to show that the Azera is a hell of a car, with all the attributes of an entry-level luxury car, yet with the size of a larger car.
The mid-size I'm talking about has a 3.5-liter engine that develops 265 horsepower. The Azera's 3.3-liter engine puts out 293 horses and is quieter doing it. Both are connected to the what-has-become-normal 6-speed automatic transmission.
With all that, you get Hyundai's signature "fluidic styling" that identifies it as a Hyundai in the same family as, among others, the Sonata and Elantra. The sculpted sides and hood really stand out from the crowd.
Put the engine, transmission and luxury touches and the Azera delivers excellent ride quality. It is silent on the highway with little or no road noise intruding into the cabin.
The driver and front passenger ride in heated and cooled seats, while the rear seats are "only" heated. The front seats are comfortable, and in the rear there is excellent leg room as well as a flat floor, so a third passenger can ride back there in comfort. The rear seats also have some side support. All doors have inserts for water bottles. The adjusters for the power seats are on the front doors, just like in a Mercedes-Benz.
We liked the sun shades on the rear side windows and the rear window. The sides are manual while the rear is operated with a button on the dash.
Hyundai has equipped with Azera with a large trunk of 16.3 cubic feet. The rear seats fold, using a release in the trunk, to expand the volume. However, the framing restricts the "hole" between the trunk and the folded rear seats.
The navigation/audio/HVAC screen is clear. I was somewhat disappointed in that I couldn't find my destination on the navigation menu (it said the road didn't exist), yet I could find it on line.
We drove the Azera in some pretty hot weather and the HVAC system cooled us nicely. In addition, the audio side of the menu also worked well with SiriusXM as well as an iPod.
Storage area include a deep center console/arm rest and a glove box that is crowded with all the manuals.
There's a large sunroof that extends back to the rear seats. Only the front half of the roof opens, however.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Korean manufacturers, as exemplified by kissing cousins Hyundai and Kia, are really doing a nice job with their cars of late. While the Azera is a large sedan, it's priced much lower, yet it retains the ride quality of a larger car.
� 2012 The Auto Page


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The Skwinkle is a versatile toy that is also a rattle and teether. The soft, plastic loops are easy for little fingers to grasp and provide comfort to tender gums. The classic wooden rings and beads make a gentle rattling sound while also providing an activity that helps kids develop their motor skills as they slide the moving pieces along the form.
Slip it into your bag or clip it on to a connector ring for your stroller for convenient access to an interactive toy that will keep your baby occupied for hours.
Ages: 3 months & up
Additional information
Title | Default Title |


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Marisa Zanotti
Marisa Zanotti is an artist who creates moving image work. As a performer she was a member of The Cholmoneleys (1989–1992) and also danced for Laurie Booth, Anders Christiansen and Wendy Houston; her commissioned choreographic work includes the direction of several stage and site-responsive performances. She moved into directing drama in 2003 having worked extensively in new writing as a movement director (1996–2002) collaborating with many directors including Vicky Featherstone and John Tiffany. In 2003 she was invited to co-direct David Greig's play San Diego by the author for the Edinburgh International Festival and continues to collaborate with him as a director and writer in the development of screen projects. Her first short film At the End of the Sentence, received BAFTA and BIFA nominations. Zanotti is a senior lecturer in dance at the University of Chichester. Her most recent directorial work includes Edits Film (2012) created with The Featherstonehaughs and Lea Anderson, and she is currently collaborating with Charlie Morrissey on the touring installation Plans of the 10th Floor.


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Silent DVD Archive The films of Jacques Feyder
Welcome to another installment of Silent DVD. It has been a pretty lean year as far as silent films are concerned, and because of that the column hasn't been as regular as I would have wanted. I had grand plans to review older releases during the months that no new silent movies were released, and I'm still trying to work that in, but between my regular review duties and the things that real life has thrown my way, that hasn't happened yet. As far as silent cinema goes, the end of 2006 is looking much better than the beginning. The Criterion Collection is going to release G.W. Pabst's Pandora's Box on November 28th (which just happens to be my birthday). This classic film staring Louise Brooks is currently the #1 pre-order at DVDPlanet and a big seller on Amazon too. I'm glad to see such a great film getting so much attention. The week prior to that, on November 21st, Image will release American Slapstick, a three-disc set of comedy shorts including films staring some lesser known comics such as Syd Chaplin (Charlie's brother), Billy West, Charley Chase, Snub Pollard, Larry Semon, and Frances Lee. On December 5th, Kino is releasing five early films by Ernst Lubitsch under the banner Lubitsch in Berlin. These four discs will be sold seperately and contain Anna Boleyn featureing Emil Jannings, the double feature Oyster Princess & I Don't Want to be a Man, Sumurun, and The Wildcat staring Pola Negri. As for this week's column we have a look at a trio of movies by French director Jacques Feyder. If you haven't heard of him, don't feel bad, I hadn't either until this set arrived. The movies included in this set are very good, and show a talented director who created a wide range of films. The restored prints look wonderful too, making this a great set. I'll be back in just two weeks with reviews of the four Lubitsch discs as well as American Slapstick, and hopefully Pandora's Box if it comes in. The French company Lobster Films has been responsible for some excellent DVD releases in the past couple of years and I always look forward to the films that they are involved with. They helped with the restoration of Criterion's release of Under the Roofs of Paris, were largely responsible for Kino's Slapstick Symposium series, and they were the force behind the excellent (and overlooked) Charley Bowers collection. Lobster has created yet another nice collection of silent movies, this time released through Image, with Rediscover Jacques Feyder: French Film Master. I have to admit that I wasn't familiar with Feyder until I saw this collection and was pleasantly surprised to discover that the three films included in this set are all good movies. Each film is in a different genre, but all of them feature lovely settings, fine acting, and interesting stories. While I wouldn't consider any of these a masterpiece, they are all worth watching. Queen of Atlantis (L'Atlantide, 1921): This adventure film starts off with a strange mystery. A member of the French Foreign Legion, Lt. Saint-Avit (Georges Melchior), is found near death in the Sahara desert and brought back to a fort. In his delirium he raves about another officer, Capt. Morhange (Jean Angelo), who has been missing for years, and his rantings seem to imply that he killed Morhange. Eventually the Lieutenant makes a full recovery and declares that he's going back out into the desert and will never return. When one of his fellow officers presses him about what happened and why he's going off again, Saint Avit tells his story. While crossing the desert, Saint-Avit encounters Capt. Morhange and
the two decide to travel together. At an oasis they are attacked
by bandits, drugged, and taken to the lost city of Atlantis. There
they meet Queen Antinea (Stacia Napierkowska), a ruler so beautiful that
men instantly fall in love with her. Surrounded but a lush forest
which in turn is in the middle of an inhospitable desert, no one ever escapes
and if they do they soon come crawling back so that they can see the Queen
one more time. Antinea marries frequently, and when she tires of
one of her lovers she has them killed and turned into statues that she
places in her library. Can Saint-Avit and Morhange resist her charms?
If they do, will they ever be able to escape?
This was a classic turn of the century adventure in the spirit of H. Rider Haggard's She. It has all of the elements; a lost city, a beautiful and powerful evil woman, and intrepid explorers. I've often found these types of stories to drag in the beginning, but this film gets over that by having a mystery unfold right off the bat. Just how Saint-Avit got to the middle of the Sahara and why he killed his companion, if he did, jump start the film in a nice way. The film does drag a bit in the middle, it takes about an hour to get to the city of Atlantis, but once there things pick up a bit. One of the interesting things about this picture is the way it's structured. Most of the story is told in one long flashback, and there are even flashbacks nestled inside the main flashback the same way the Arabian Nights put stories inside of stories. This can get confusing at times, especially since a couple of the actors look similar, but this is a minor problem. The biggest flaw with this type of storytelling is you know how it is going to end up, since Saint-Avit obviously lives. Once the mystery of the silver hammer and what happened to Morhange is revealed the rest of the film is a bit anticlimactic for that reason. The acting was generally good. Feyder was able to get good performances from all of his actors with the exception of Stacia Napierkowska. She overacted a bit as Queen Antinea, and she was never all that sexy. I had a hard time swallowing that men would fall madly in love with her. This movie was actually filmed in the Sahara desert just outside of Algiers. By all accounts it was a difficult shoot do to the desert conditions, and it was the most expensive French film made up to that time. The expense was worth it though. When it was released the production was met with critical and commercial success and ended up running for an entire year in Paris. Viewed through today's eyes, the movie is slow in parts and could be tightened up a bit, but it is still a good solid film. Crainquebille (1922): In early 20th Century Paris, and old man Jérôme Crainquebille (Maurice de Féraudy), pushes his cart through the streets in the morning selling vegetables, just as he's done everyday for the past 40 years. He is able to eek out a meager living, barely keeping body and soul together, but though he works hard he is content. On this day however he has a run in with the police. While blocking the street waiting for a customer to return with his payment, an officer tells Crainquebille to move along. While trying to explain that he'll only be a minute longer, the officer thinks that the old man has said "Kill the cops.†Even though witnesses say that he's wrong, Crainquebille gets arrested. The poor street peddler is chewed up by the legal system. His lawyer advises him to plead guilty, and when Crainquebille says that he doesn't know what he's done the lawyer only tells him that his attitude will get him nowhere. The trial is confusing and frightening for the old man. Not understanding what's going on, Crainquebille is found guilty and sentenced to a week in jail. Jail, as he soon finds out, is… rather nice. He has a warm bed, a clean floor, three meals a day, and even running water! He enjoys his time there and gets some much needed rest. When he is released from jail however, Crainquebille discovers that things have changed. No one is willing to buy vegetables from him anymore; after all, he's a criminal. No longer able to make a living doing the only job he's known for his entire life, the man sinks slowly into debt. Soon he's kicked out of his apartment and spends all of his time drinking. When the local bar cuts him off because he hasn't paid his bill, Crainquebille thinks back to the time he's spent in jail and even tries to get arrested again, to no avail. With no money, friends, or job, it looks like the poor old man has no hope left in the world. This was a very good film on several levels. The cinematography of 1920's Paris was excellent. The opening sequence had some wonderful imagery, comparing the vegetable peddler going through Paris in the early morning and the police wagon picking up prostitutes. The streets scenes were all interesting to watch, especially those that took place during the day when the avenues were crowded with people. This films message works well without being too overbearing. Feyder, and writer Anatole France who wrote the novel that the movie was based on, warn about the dangers of bureaucracies and also comment on the conditions of the poor. The scene with the lawyer, where Crainquebille is just trying to understand why he's been arrested, was comically absurd. The trial scene was even more surrealistic, with Feyder using different lenses and camera angles to illustrate Crainquebille's confusion and fear. This was an excellent segment, one of the highlights of the movie. (The nightmare scene is also great.) The only place where this movie falls down is at the end. [spoilers ahead] The conclusion is very reminiscent of the end of King Vidor's silent masterpiece The Crowd. The only problem is that none of Crainquebille's problems have been solved. Though he has passed an emotional crisis, the underlying problems are still there and nothing has changed. He's still destitute, has no job or prospects of one, and an alcoholic. Even if he has a better outlook on life, that's not enough to change his life around given the circumstances that he's in. [end of spoilers] Even with a weak ending, this was a fascinating film to watch. Faces of Children (Visages d'enfants, 1925): This was easily the best film in the set; a quiet and touching film that is filled with authentic emotion. The mother of a young boy, Jean (Jean Forest), dies and this naturally has a deep impact on the child. He has loves her very much and her death doesn't change that. He still cherishes her picture and brings flowers to her grave every week. Things go from bad to worse however when his father, after a time of mourning, marries again. His new wife has a daughter, and Jean sees the new additions to the family as interlopers. Even though his father's new wife isn't the typical mean stepmother, Jean has a hard time accepting her. However his relationship with her unfriendly daughter is even worse. When Jean plays a malicious trick on his step sister it ends badly, and the poor boy feels that the only way he can atone for it is by taking his own life. This was a powerful film, much more so than the other two movies in this set. It really took me by surprise. While there is a lot of emotion, the film doesn't become melodramatic or heavy-handed. Feyder was able to create a film with heart without resorting to cheap theatrics as often occurred in the silent era. One of the reasons the movie works so well is because the child actors give outstanding performances. They really put their heart and soul into the production, especially young Jean Forest. He seems to be living the role and give a performance well beyond his years. This film was shot in the French Alps and the scenery was beautiful. All three of Feyder's films presented in this set have made great use of their settings and this one is no different. The mountains are the perfect background for this story, and could be construed as a metaphor for the way Jean feels. These three films prove that Jacques Feyder was a talented director. While I wouldn't consider any of these forgotten masterpieces, the first two are solid films and the last one is very good. The DVD: These three films are presented on three DVDs which come in a clear double-width keepcase. When the case is opened one disc is on the left side and two discs, placed so they partially overlap, are on the right. There is a two sided cover with cast and crew information as well as stills on the back. Audio: All three films are accompanied by a very nice orchestral score that is scene specific. The music enhances the mood of the film without distracting from the images on the screen. I enjoyed all three scores and thought that they all worked well. These are recent recordings so audio defects such as hiss, distortion, and dropouts are not present. The first film has the original French intertitles and the other two come with English title cards. (Note: One intertitle card in Queen of Atlantis did not have a subtitle. This doesn't greatly affect the story though.) Video: These films were restored by collaboration between the Cinémathèque Française, the Netherlands Filmmuseum, the Cinémathèque Royale in Brussels, and Moscow's Gosfilmofond, and this group did a marvelous job. The set looks very good and there are only some minor problems mainly dealing with the way the discs were mastered. On the positive side the films are very clear with amazing detail. The restored image is crisp and has a decent amount of contrast. There are a few scenes where white areas bloom a little and where details are lost, but this is the exception rather than the rule. The films are also tinted and these colored scenes look just as good as the black and white segments. On the down side, Image did not present us with a progressive transfer and interlacing is a problem. This occurs when two half-screens (one consisting of the odd numbered lines, the other even numbered ones) are shown at the same time. During abrupt cuts and scenes with fast motion this creates a double image that is distracting. See the example below where it appears that the man has four eyes. Even with this error (that would have been relatively easy to fix) the picture is better than I was expecting. Extras: I was very disappointed to discover that there weren't any extras at all. With a title like Rediscover Jacques Feyder: French Film Master, you would think that they would include a documentary about the director or at least a text piece giving details of his life and work. Nothing of the sort is found on any of the discs. Only the movies themselves are present. Final Thoughts: This was a very good set. I really enjoyed Faces of Children,
and found the other two films to be good solid productions. It is
a bit disappointing that there are no extras or even a text essay about
Feyder included with the set, especially given the price which is a bit
high for what it is. Even taking that into account though, I wouldn't
have any trouble recommending this set to fans of early cinema.
Comments? Suggestions? Feel free to send me an e-mail.
The 2013 San Francisco Silent Film Festival
The 2009 San Francisco Silent Film Festival Douglas Fairbanks - A Modern Musketeer The General - Kino's Ultimate 2-Disc Edition Compete Archives Review Staff
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