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How to Buy a Condo Without Breaking the Bank
If you are considering buying a home, you need to decide whether you are ready to maintain your property. If you are buying a single-family residence, that could include landscaping and outdoor maintenance.
For those not interested in learning how to mow lawns and trim hedges (or hiring someone), buying a condominium might be a better option. Living in a condo can be much like living in an apartment complex.
Of course, there are advantages and disadvantages to buying and financing a condominium. We will discuss those and everything else you should know before buying a condo.
- What is a condominium?
- Why you should buy a condominium
- Why you should not buy a condominium
- Condominium versus single-family residence
- What types of mortgages are available for condominiums?
- The condominium approval process
- Shopping tips for a condominium
What is a condominium?
A condominium is a building or group of buildings that allow buyers to individually own apartments or houses contained in the building. In metropolitan areas like New York City, you're likely to find high-rise condominiums, whereas more suburban areas might feature attached townhomes that were converted into a condo structure.
Some of the more common features of condominiums include:
Common areas
In a condominium, everything outside the walls that you do not own is a common area — this might include lobbies, on-site gyms and rooftop decks. Some condos may feel more like hotels, with 24-hour doormen, large lobbies with business centers, gyms, indoor pools and sometimes even small grocery stores.
Unit owners association
Every condominium will have some sort of association governing it, typically called a condo or unit owners association. The members are usually elected by other condo owners in the building and are tasked with making decisions for the group.
Monthly dues
You will pay monthly dues — ranging from $100 to $700 on average — that cover the maintenance of the building and all common areas. The fees also cover the salaries of condo association employees, doormen, groundskeepers and handymen.
Special assessment fees
These fees are charged periodically to cover major updates or upgrades, such as upgrading plumbing, electric or resurfacing a pool or pool deck surface. Owners are notified of the pending changes, and meetings are usually held so that the building occupants can voice concerns or support for the work.
There is no way to determine how much a special assessment will be, but you can request a reserve analysis study to give you an idea of whether your building has the cash reserves to cover any upcoming repair or upgrade needs. This study should include an evaluation of the remaining life of major items in a building such as the roof, boiler and elevator. It indicates how much the association should have on hand to cover the expected upgrades.
For example, if your building is going to need a new roof that costs $100,000 and there are 50 unit owners, that could result in an assessment of $2,000 to each owner. However, if the building has followed the guidance of a professional reserve analysis study and has adjusted the monthly unit dues in anticipation, the cost of the assessment should be minimal.
One of the other major benefits that condos can offer is amenities within the same building. This may include a gym, pool, spa, laundry services, shuttle services and delivery services.
The catch is, the more bells and whistles you want, the higher your monthly dues are likely to be. For example, if you are looking for a condominium in New York City, you could buy a two-bedroom unit on the Upper East Side with incredible city views for $1,325,000 with monthly common charges of $1,173. You would have an elevator, in-unit washer and dryer, access to a concierge, a live-in super, a gym and an outdoor courtyard.
What if you are looking for something more economical? In Scottsdale, Ariz., $385,900 will get you a two-bedroom, two-and-a-half bath condo with a fireplace, balcony and a view of the desert outside your window with monthly fees of $259.
Why you should buy a condominium
The advantages and disadvantages of buying a condominium often come down to personal preferences about the living environment you want. You also need to consider your short- and long-term investment goals, since condominiums are valued and have different financing requirements than single-family homes.
You do not want to deal with property maintenance
You are pretty much only responsible for everything within the walls of a condominium. Everything outside those walls is handled by your association with the payment of your monthly dues. If you have a crazy work schedule or a job requiring a lot of travel, a condominium may be your best bet.
You like the amenities of an apartment complex, but want to own
If you are used to apartment amenities, like a gym or community pool, and you like being able to access a community center to hold parties and events, a condominium could be a great option for you. As a condominium owner, your payment every month helps builds equity, so you get the benefit of homeownership without giving up the conveniences of apartment-style living.
Your purchase price may be less than a single-family residence
The median price for a condominium in May 2019 was $257,100, according to the National Association of Realtors. Comparing that to the May 2019 median existing single-family home price of $280,200 gives you an idea of the money you could save buying a condominium.
You like having a sense of community
If you are an outgoing person or you simply like the hustle and bustle of having other people around, a condominium can be a great way to build community and meet new people.
Why you should not buy a condominium
Buying a condominium is not for everyone. There are certain reasons you should not buy a condominium.
You will not have the flexibility you have with a single-family home
Condominium associations come with rules called covenants and restrictions, which may limit choices you can make. You may not be allowed to have a pet, or you could be limited to a certain breed or size. There could be noise ordinances that keep you from playing your music loud.
For Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and Fannie Mae-approved condos, you may find some buildings will only let you buy a property as your primary residence. This is because there are lending guidelines that cap the percentage of rental units for a building to retain approval with Fannie Mae, the FHA and Veterans Affairs (VA). This may force you to sell the property if you decide to relocate a short time after buying the condo.
Condos can be harder to resell
There are many things beyond your control when you purchase a condominium. If the association does not manage its budget well or there is litigation against the condominium because someone slipped and fell in the lobby, this may affect your ability to resell.
If the association decides to allow more investors to be involved in your building, buyers may have a harder time getting financing because traditional mortgage programs have strict limitations on the percentage of properties that can be non-owner-occupied in a condo complex. This may reduce the pool of prospective buyers in the future, making it harder to sell.
You may have challenges with neighbors
If you have an apartment, you can always ask to move when your lease is up if you are next to a problematic neighbor. However, if you own, you will have to work with the condo association to file nuisance complaints and hope the association takes action to curb the neighbor's behavior.
You may be attached to a neighbor above, below and beside you. If you are a more private person and do not like small talk in the elevator or hallways, condominium ownership may not be for you.
You may have increases in your monthly housing payment
When you have a single-family residence and a fixed-rate mortgage, the only portion of your monthly housing payment that could potentially increase relates to taxes and homeowners insurance tied to the property. You pay the costs of maintaining the home as you are able and willing, giving you control over when the expenses are incurred.
When you own a condominium, you agree to a fixed maintenance cost and to paying your fair share of costs that may be incurred to maintain and upgrade your building. That means you have no control over increases in maintenance-related assessments, which could result in more frequent increases in your monthly housing payment as the property needs change over time.
Condominium versus single-family residence
Before you start looking at condominiums instead of single-family residences, it is helpful to have a side-by-side comparison of the pros and cons of each. The graphic below provides a quick reference to help you with the decision of whether to "go condo" or not.
What types of mortgages are available for condominiums?
Most traditional home loan programs can be used to buy a condominium. However, because condominiums require a separate approval process to make sure the condo meets guidelines specific to each loan program, you may not find all lenders will offer them.
Here are the minimum credit requirements for buying a condo.
Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac minimum requirements
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are private companies sponsored by the government to buy mortgages from lenders. Most of the guidelines you will need to meet to get a home loan are set by Fannie Mae through conventional loans.
The conventional minimum credit requirements include a 620 score and a 43% recommended maximum debt-to-income (DTI) ratio, with exceptions possible up to 50% with certain compensating factors. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-approved lenders often have a list of approved condominiums. They also have some of the most flexible guidelines for an approval process lenders can follow for unapproved condominiums.
FHA minimum credit requirements
The FHA offers much more flexible lending guidelines than conventional lenders, requiring only a 3.5% down payment with credit scores as low as 580 and DTI ratios of 43%. With a 10% down payment, approved FHA lenders could OK a condominium loan with a score as low as 500.
To buy a condo using FHA financing, it must be on the FHA-approved condominium project list. The process for getting a condominium approved with the FHA is more complex than for conventional lending. In most cases, if the for-sale listing does not indicate that FHA financing is available, it is because the association has not applied for approval or has not updated its approval with the FHA.
VA minimum credit requirements
As an active-duty service member or military veteran, one of the greatest benefits offered by the VA is the ability to buy a home with no down payment. Qualifying guidelines for VA loans for eligible military borrowers are even more flexible than the FHA, with no minimum credit score requirement and much higher tolerances for DTI ratios, although the recommended maximum is 41%.
Like the FHA, the VA will only make loans on VA-approved condominium complexes. The process for getting a condo approved is more involved. Condo associations may not be willing to go through the process, which means you would not be able to use VA financing.
It is important to know if you are buying a non-warrantable condo
You may hear your real estate agent or lender refer to a condominium you are buying as non-warrantable. This simply means it does not meet the guidelines set by Fannie Mae, the FHA or the VA for a number of reasons.
There are alternative lending programs for non-warrantable condominium purchases, but they often require higher down payments and interest rates, and you will have to shop around more for lenders who offer them.
The major difference between qualifying for a condominium loan and a mortgage on a single-family residence is the condo approval process. Lenders will need to review a number of factors about the building, the way the money is handled for repairs and maintenance, whether there are pending lawsuits and whether the building has sufficient insurance coverage to cover a major loss.
The condominium approval process
When you buy a single-family home, lenders are concerned with whether the home is safe and habitable and whether the value is supported by comparables in the local area. When you buy a condominium, there is a separate condo approval process that is required.
This approval process usually involves your lender submitting a Condominium Project Questionnaire for the association to provide information regarding the financial controls, insurance, and covenants and restrictions. Additional information may be requested depending on what is provided on the questionnaire.
You may need to pay a fee so the lender can issue certification approving the project for financing, and the cost can range from $50 to over $250, depending on the size of the association and the amount of information needed.
The following are additional approvals required by a lender for you to purchase a condominium.
- Budget approval
- Insurance approval
- Litigation approval
- Investor concentration
- Reserves approval
- No restrictions on ability to foreclose
Budget approval
Every month that you and the other building occupants pay your monthly association and maintenance fees, you trust that the condo association is managing the money efficiently. That means they take action to ensure the fees are paid on time and there are few delinquencies.
If there is a high percentage of late-paying owners, it could be a red flag to a lender that the building budget is not being managed well. If more than 15% of the total units are more than 60 days behind on payment of their dues, Fannie Mae will not approve financing for the project.
Insurance approval
When you have a building with dozens, if not hundreds, of occupants, things can happen. That's why condominium associations are required to maintain multimillion-dollar insurance policies that cover the common areas in the event of a loss.
Lenders will want to make sure there is adequate coverage to restore not just your apartment, but all the common areas that might be damaged in the case of a fire or similar event. If the association is unwilling or unable to meet the guidelines for insurance coverage required by the lending program, your loan application will be denied.
Litigation approval
Accidents happen. If they do, condo owners may sue the condominium for damages. Most lenders will not want to lend on a property that is involved in an ongoing lawsuit. But exceptions may be made if proof can be provided that the nature of the lawsuit will not affect the operations of the association or that sufficient insurance is in effect to cover the claim.
If a lender determines that litigation could be prolonged and damages could exceed the insurance coverage, more than likely you will be denied. In some cases, lenders may not allow financing on any condominium that has pending litigation, regardless of the nature of the lawsuit.
Investor concentration
If you are buying your home as a primary residence, lenders want to ensure that the surrounding units are also primary residences. As a result, Fannie Mae, the FHA and the VA have requirements limiting the number of investors allowed in a building you are purchasing.
You will not usually know what the investor concentration is unless you ask the listing agent — you will get the answer when the condo certification form is completed by the association. Fannie Mae guidelines set a standard that no more than 50% of the properties can be owned by investors.
Reserves approval
When you own real estate, you need to consider the cost of maintaining the property. However, because you are only responsible for what occurs within the walls of your condo, the responsibility of maintaining everything outside those walls falls on the condo association.
To ensure that there will be funds for upgrades and repairs that will be needed as a property ages, reserves are usually set aside by the condo association to cover the costs of expected repairs. Lenders look at the amount of reserves to determine if the association has enough savings to cover reasonable costs.
This protects the lender in a few ways. First, it wants to make sure you have the ability to repay the condominium loan. Because your monthly association fees could be subject to large increases if your association does not have the reserves to cover a major repair or improvement, you might end up with a monthly payment that becomes unaffordable.
Also, lenders want to make sure there are sufficient reserves to maintain the property in the condition that you bought it, because they are making a loan to you based on the value of the property. If the building falls into a state of disrepair, the values could go down, making it harder to sell if you default on the loan.
No restrictions on ability to foreclose
When you take out a mortgage, lenders want to ensure they are in "first position" if your loan goes to foreclosure. This means they want to be able to recoup their costs before everyone else.
This is one of the primary reasons why lenders like to pay your property taxes by collecting funds with an escrow account every month. If you get behind on property taxes and there is a tax foreclosure, the property taxes take priority over your mortgage, which means the mortgage company could end up stuck with a major loss.
With certain condos, there may be a covenant that gives the association the power to collect past-due maintenance and association fees in priority over your mortgage. If this is the case, you will likely have to either make a very large down payment or choose a lender that does financing on non-warrantable condos.
Is the condominium approved for the type of loan you want?
Unless you have a large down payment for a condo, the first thing you will want to check is whether your loan is on one of the approved condo lists. This simply means the condominium is preapproved for financing and meets the agency (Fannie Mae, FHA or VA) guidelines for condominium financing.
Depending on how much you are putting down and the type of loan for which you are applying, you may be able to get your condo approved quickly.
|Lending Agency
|Condo Approval Process
|Down Payment Required
|Fannie Mae
|Limited review
|10% for primary residence
|Fannie Mae
|Full review
|3% for primary residence
|Must be on approved list
|Must be on approved list
Shopping tips for a condominium
In many ways, buying a condominium is no different than buying a single-family home. You want to make sure that you like the layout, the location is convenient and the price is supported by other recent sales in your condominium.
You'll need to pay extra close attention to the total monthly fees because you'll have to add them to your monthly payment to figure out your total monthly housing expense. In cities such as New York or San Francisco, those fees may be very high, so make sure that you can not only afford them, but that you can also qualify for the loan with them as part of your monthly housing payment.
You'll also need to consider things such as parking, security, storage and access to a pool or gym, as those features often come with an extra cost. Ask your agent to get a copy of the condo association board's meeting minutes. You will get an idea of whether there are any legal or budget concerns, and you can move onto another property before incurring the costs of a condo certification on a property that has issues.
Final thoughts about buying a condominium
Condominiums can be a great way to become a homeowner if you have done your homework about the building and condo association. You need to make sure the budget is being managed correctly and is well-capitalized for future repairs and any potential insurance claims. If you are buying a warrantable condo with traditional loan programs, you have an extra layer of protection because the lender will double-check to make sure the condo is in good standing before approving your loan.
If you decide to buy a property that does not fit the Fannie Mae, FHA or VA condo requirements, be prepared to make a higher down payment and pay a higher interest rate. Just be sure you understand the reasons the property cannot be approved for regular financing — it could prevent you from buying in a building that could drop in value.
The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publishing.


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The widow of one of the four suicide bombers who killed 52 people in the July 7 attacks on London's transit system says radicals in British mosques poisoned her peace-loving husband's mind.
Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of Jamaican-born Jamal Germaine Lindsay, told The Sun newspaper that her husband came under the influence of Muslim fanatics he met late last year, who twisted and poisoned his mind. She said he became increasingly angry as he saw reports of Muslim civilians being killed in the streets of Iraq, Bosnia, Palestine and Israel.
Ms. Lewthwaite, who like her husband is a convert to Islam, said his behavior had become increasingly erratic in days prior to the bombings, to the point that she ordered him out of the house hours ahead of the attacks.
Jamal Lindsay is believed to have killed 26 people in the July 7 subway bombings.
Some information for this report provided by AP and Reuters.

subset: commoncrawl


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The gluten-free breadsticks recipe is a quick and easy recipe in my cookbook, Celeste's Best Gluten-Free, Allergen-Free Recipes. In under a half hour from start to finish, you can put an end to your hunger for bread. We enjoy these gluten-free breadsticks alongside a bowl of hot soup or they're terrific to accompany any meal.
I made the breadsticks and they were so yummy!! I am going to make them again tomorrow using less water because I wasn't able to manipulate the dough and roll it on the cookie sheet to take on the oil. Nonetheless, all 4 of us loved them and my son and hubby are a tough crowd to please.
I made the breadsticks again today with a little less water and they came out perfect! Much easier to handle and shape + the use of the oil. (They tasted just as good as last night) I used a little pastry tool to put a design on the top of the breadsticks just because:) I also added some Italian spices to 2 in case the family wasn't a a fan, but they were. Kuddo's to you!!! ~Stephanie
I made bread sticks and the family enjoyed them. It was very easy. I appreciate the changes. It was the first time I made bread sticks. I made lasagna and breadsticks. Color us happy. Will try pizza next. It feels to good to eat bready substances. ~Jeri
I am so excited!!! I feel like it's Christmas around here!!! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for doing this for families like ours. I love that you have discovered your gift and are sharing it with the world! Many Blessings to you! ~Stephanie


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|Project by waffles
|posted 06-02-2014 03:41 PM
|1661 views
|2 times favorited
|4 comments
My good friends were getting married and I had seen a box at a previous wedding where the attendees would drop notes in it with comments/advice to the couple over the course of the reception. I wanted to build something very unique to match the individuals getting married, because they deserved something that I have never seen before. I love it when there is more going on than meets the eye so I used miter joints that I then covered with bloodwood, then for the top I recessed a piece of curly maple into the box and then split the two halves on the table saw. The coolest part in my opinion is the corners on the top which happened entirely by accident, I was putting the chamfer on the top with the router table, stopping short to avoid tearout with the plan of going back with a sharp chisel to knock them down, I took a step back and decided it was a beautiful accident and finessed the corners to symmetry. For the finish I pore filled the lacewood and popped the tiger maple with some shellac/vintage maple transtint (kudos to Marc for the know how). I then followed up with some arm-r-seal followed by arm-r-seal satin. It turned out pretty nice, as with every project a step forward is taken in the journey of woodworking, but more steps are then added (you improve but realize other areas that can be improved).
4 comments so far
#1 posted 06-02-2014 03:44 PM
Very nicely done—great choice of woods.
-- John C. -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth." George Washington
#2 posted 06-03-2014 12:57 AM
Very unique design on those top corners. And some beautiful lacewood!
-- " I'll try to be nicer, if you'll try to be smarter" gfadvm
#3 posted 06-05-2014 02:35 AM
I sure it will be a wonderful gift and well thought of
-- Norman - I never never make a mistake, I just change the design.
#4 posted 04-20-2016 04:36 PM
This box is absolutely beautiful.
helluvawreck aka Charles
-- helluvawreck aka Charles, http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com
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Health professionals from across Canada are gathered in Ottawa to discuss a growing, urgent health crisis — opioid addiction, overdose and death.
Here is a by-the-numbers look:
Six or seven — Number of Canadians who die daily from opioid overdose, according to Ontario Health Minister Eric Hoskins
One in eight — Deaths of Ontarians 25 to 34 years in 2010 related to opioids.
100 — Number of times fentanyl is more powerful than morphine.
488 — Number of illicit drug deaths in British Columbia as of the end of August 2016, according to the coroner, roughly 61 deaths a month.
655 — Number of fentanyl-related deaths in Canada between 2009 and 2014, according to the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse.
800 — Number of illicit drug overdose deaths expected in British Columbia in 2016, half of which are expected to involve fentanyl.
'It's going to become an unstoppable plague in this country,' says premier Christy Clark of opioid crisis
Premier Christy Clark says unless the federal government declares a national public health emergency in response to the growing number of opioid-related deaths in this country, the crisis will only get worse.
But Clark said unless the federal government steps up and declares a national public health emergency, the crisis will spread across the country.
"If we don't try and nip it in the bud — and it's probably well past that already in British Columbia — it's going to become an unstoppable plague in this country," said Clark.
Canada should declare a national public health emergency over its deadly opioid crisis, health care experts urged Friday as the perils of addiction, overdose and death came under the microscope in Ottawa.
The country with the second-highest per capita prescription drug rates in the world now faces a situation so dire it demands a response at the highest levels of government, said Dr. David Juurlink, head of pharmacology and toxicology at Toronto's Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre.


text: Nicholas Saul is Professor of German at the University of Durham. He has held Guest Professorships at Cologne and Vermont. His chief scholarly interests are Romanticism, Realisms, Classical Modernism, Romanies and literary Darwinisms. He has published essays on writers from Wilhelm Bölsche to Wilkie Collins, Frederick the Great of Prussia, Goethe, Wilhelm Raabe and Bram Stoker, also on suicide, death and utopias. Recent books are Gypsies and Orientalism in German Literature and Anthropology of the Long Nineteenth Century (2007), The Cambridge Companion to German Romanticism (2009), The Evolution of Literature (2011, with Simon J. James), and Realism and Romanticism in German Literature (2013, with Dirk Göttsche). He led a project The Experience of Emergence at the Durham Institute of Advanced Study 2014-2015, and is currently writing a monograph Interrogations of Evolutionism in German Literature 1859-2008.


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Damage Reduction (NWN)
|Damage Reduction (NWN)
|Basic Information
|Featured in...
|Neverwinter Nights
This represents a creature's ability to ignore a certain amount of melee damage (bludgeoning, slashing, or piercing) from a single hit unless the weapon inflicting the wound has an enhancement bonus equal to or greater than the damage reduction. Damage reduction is listed along with the amount of damage ignored and the power of the weapon needed to penetrate the effect. Thus a creature with 20/+3 damage reduction ignores the first 20 points of damage from any weapon that does not have an enhancement bonus of +3 or greater. Non-melee damages such as from elemental or magical attacks ignore damage reduction.
Creatures that have damage reduction are considered to have natural attacks equal to that damage reduction. For example a red dragon has a damage reduction of 20/+3. When attacking other opponents with damage reduction it is considered to have an innate enhancement bonus of +3.


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Stephen Shachtman was named as the recipient of a $60,000 commission on Sunday at the conclusion of the 2017 Sculpture at the River Market. His sixteen foot sculpture composed of CorTen steel, bronze and slate is entitled "A." It will be placed at the Southwest Community Center (6401 West Baseline Road) in 2018.
Shachtman's sculpture captures the varied activities of the Southwest Community Center site. The convergence of these functions is represented by the central sphere which represents the community coming together. The layers of the sandstone in the sphere reflect the variety of people who make up the community. The steel and bronze portion of the "A" represents Arkansas.
It will be fabricated in CorTen steel with a bronze cap at the point of each pillar. The tallest form measures approximately sixteen (16) feet high. The overall footprint will be approximately ten (10) feet in diameter.
Sculptors who were juried in to participate in the 2016 Show and Sale were invited to submit proposals for the new commission. A committee reviewed the 29 submissions and narrowed them down to seven semi-finalists. The semi-finalist proposals were on display Friday, April 21, during the preview party. Guests at the party had the opportunity to review the proposals and then to vote. Following that, the three finalists were announced. In addition to Shachtman, the other finalists were Jack Hill and Ted Schaal. A panel of judges selected the winner from the three finalists.
City Director Dean Kumpuris, one of the founders of Sculpture at the River Market discussed the location selection. "Over the past few years we have started placing sculpture throughout Little Rock. When thinking about the location for the installation in 2018, the Southwest Community Center immediately came to mind."
"Not only is there an active community center at that location," he continued, "it is also home to the Police Department's Southwest precinct. The Dee Brown branch of CALS is located there and just recently expanded. In addition to an office of the County Health Department, Arkansas Children's Hospital is building a clinic out there. This collection of recreational, educational, safety, and health resources makes this location an important spot not only for Southwest Little Rock, but all Little Rock."
Shacthman's "A" will join six other sculptures that have been recognized previously with the commissions through the Sculpture at the River Market's Public Art Monument Sculpture Competition.
* The 2011 winner was Chapel, whose work The Center was installed near the Junction Bridge.
* In 2012 the recipient was Bryan Massey's Nautilus. This was installed to the north of the Marriott Hotel near the new children's spray fountain.
* The 2013 winner was Ted Schaal for his piece Open Window which was placed near the La Petite Roche plaza and First Security Amphitheatre.
* Lorri Acott's Peace was the 2014 commission winner; it is sited at the southeast corner of Main and 2nd Streets.
* Michael Warrick's Mockingbird Tree, the 2015 winner, is installed at the corner of Chenal Parkway and Chenal Valley Drive.
* Clay Enoch's United, which won in 2016, will be installed at Central High School in September 2017 as part of the activities to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the integration of that school


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Late last week, Shark Boy pasted a very mysterious video on the official Poptropica Blog. The video is titled, The Legend is Coming. It's not very easy to understand what it's about, but the video sure is cool. It doesn't seem like it's related to the new Mystery Train Island, but instead might be about another new island or a special new feature coming soon to Poptropica. At the end of the video, it says it's coming in September.
The creators also posted an info page about Mystery Train Island that contains more details about what the new island will be like. And we should expect it very soon (at least if you're a paid member and get early access).
Here is what the info page has to say about Mystery Train Island:
How do you solve a mystery when everyone is a suspect? It's 1893, and some of the world's brightest minds are traveling by train to the World's Fair in Chicago. But after a dastardly crime puts the fate of the Fair in peril, only you can piece together the clues and collar the criminal. All aboard for a whodunit that will keep you guessing until the last twist of the tracks!


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Michigan Auto Transport
While road trips can be fun, treks to other states, from Michigan (MI), just to move a vehicle can be time-consuming, stressful, and expensive. If you're in Michigan and need to move a car, truck, or van to another state — or in the reverse direction — you really need to contact American Auto Transport AAT.
We've shipped vehicles for car buyers, movers and dealerships. We are experts in this business and have transported thousands of vehicles to and from the state of Michigan.
Offering safe and secure auto transportation across the United States, and the national leader in auto transport services, American Auto Transport AAT has many satisfied clients and numerous repeat customers. We'd very much like for you to join their ranks. We take care of all of the coordination and logistics for you, so you don't need to stress. And our Michigan auto transport services are very affordable, too.
We will save you money. You won't be required to buy a one-way plane ticket or pay for food, gas, or hotel rooms. Those are all expenses that can — and do — add-up, fast:
- Cost of Plane Ticket: $349 to $1,200
- Cost of Food: $200 to $400
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Grand Total: $2,500!
That's an awful lot of money to be spending just to move an auto. If you contact American Auto Transport AAT, you won't be spending nearly that much — we are affordable.
The fact is that shipping your car intrastate due to a move or a vehicle purchase can be costly. Let the professionals take care of it and be rest assured that your card will arrive safely and securely to its destination.
All you need to do is contact us: we'll provide you with an absolutely free auto transportation quote, as well as discuss your situation and answer your questions. Call American Auto Transport today at (866) 327-7863 for more information on Michigan auto transport!


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The Museum of the Southwest has a unique and exciting permanent collection. Amongst its holding is artwork from the Southwest ranging from ancient to contemporary. The archaeology collection consists of approximately 45,000 artifacts. The art collection comprises over 1,700 objects which include paintings, prints, sculpture, drawings, photographs, textiles, ceramics, basketry and mixed media works.
Archaeology Collection
Included in the Museum of the Southwest Archaeology Collection is the largest archaeological surface collection in Texas. Bud Bissell collected these artifacts throughout his lifetime. The collection comprises of lithics, pottery shards, manos and metates.
Projectile Points from Edwards Plateau
After his famously successful The Birds of America, John James Audubon undertook the large task of documenting the quadruped mammals. Nearing the end of his life, his son John Woodhouse Audubon helped his father complete the task and later published the works. These lithographs represent various species, many of which are now extinct.
John Woodhouse Audubon
Nine-Banded Armadillo, Male
Audubon Acquisition Fund
Karl Bodmer traveled on the Missouri River expedition with Prince Maximilian in 1832. During this trip he created watercolor paintings depicting the people and landscapes. Upon his return to Europe, he worked with an engraver and made his images into aquatint engravings. These prints were later published in a book about the expedition.
Karl Bodmer
View of the Stone Walls on the Upper Missouri
Aquatint Engraving
Bodmer Acquisition Fund
Casas Grandes
A remarkable collection of Casas Grandes pottery was donated to the Museum of the Southwest by Dr. Kirby Tarry. The Casas Grandes culture thrived in northern Mexico from 1150 to 1400 AD. Their painted ceramics feature abstract geometric designs as well as birds and serpents.
Casas Grandes Culture
Polychrome Bowl
ca 1100 – 1300 AD
Gift of Dr. Kirby Tarry
Contemporary Southwestern Artists
Throughout the years, the Museum of the Southwest has acquired artwork by contemporary southwestern artists showing the depth and changing styles of the Southwestern art. Artists within this collection include Roger Peters, Woody Gwyn, Allan d'Arcangelo, John Fincher, Inukai, Helen Gerardia, Barbara Cleary, Future Akins, Willard Nash and Barnaby Fitzgerald.
Woody Gwyn
Arroyo Wall
Acrylic on Canvas
Gift of Carol and Dwayne A. Chesnut
Woody Crumbo was a Potowami native who used his experience as a dancer to create screen printings and etchings reflecting native life.
Woody Crumbo
Eagle Dancer
ca 1935-1980
Silk Screen
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ed A. Vogler
Edward S. Curtis documented all the native groups of North America starting in 1906. His photogravure prints detail the lives and environment of native peoples.
Edward S. Curtis
A Chief of the Desert – Navajo
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William D. Kennedy
History Collection
The Museum of the Southwest was originally founded as a general museum collecting art, history and science. The history collection ranges from Spanish colonial armor and weaponry to frontier blacksmithing tools.
Chain Mail
16th Century
Museum Acquisition Fund
Joseph Imhof began his career as a printmaker in New York City before moving out west. His paintings and drawings reflect the intense study of individual faces of the native peoples that he encountered.
Joseph Imhof
Untitled (female Indian with hair up)
ca 1907-1955
Charcoal on tissue paper
Gift of Bill and Mary Cheek
Born in Sweetwater, Texas and recipient of the Guggenheim fellowship, Merritt Mauzey was a strong proponent of the lithography technique. His works often show the people and landscapes of rural Texas.
Merritt Mauzey
Plainsman's Dream
ca 1930-1967
Gift of the Artist
The Museum of the Southwest's pottery and basketry mostly consists of modern ceramics from the southwest including Maria Martinez, Golden Rod and works from Mata Ortiz.
Lydia Quezada
Mata Ortiz Pot
ca 1958
Gift of Jerry Boyd
Working as an architect before expanding into abstract photography Burton Pritzker's work mostly deals with capturing light and using interesting and unconventional shapes.
Burton Pritzker
Bushy Plane
Gelatin Silver Photograph
Gift of the Arist
Scharbauer Collection
The Scharbauer Collection features 247 objects relating to the history of the Turner Mansion and the family's love of horse racing. Part of the collection features trophies from the thoroughbred pursuits of Juliette and Fred Turner, Jr., including their 1959 Kentucky Derby trophy won by Tomy Lee. Other trophies, paintings and awards relate to Dorothy and Clarence Scharbauer, Jr.'s quarter-horse and thoroughbred racing passion.
Items accessioned into this new collection include 70 trophies, 25 plates and awards, 12 plaques, 28 art items (comprised of paintings, sculptures and prints), a 16-piece set of personalized Pickard china, jockey silks, horse racing blankets, mint julep cups, and even a rose blanket won by Alysheba at the 1987 Kentucky Derby. In addition to these accessioned items, a paper archive and a small memorabilia archive were established with this generous gift from the Scharbauer Family.
Alysheba Kentucky Derby Trophy and wooden case
Gold with jade base
Gift of the Scharbauer Family
The sculpture collection is comprised of small scale bronze works depicting western themes and larger scale outdoor pieces.
Glenna Goodacre
The Foreman
Gift of Mary B. Kennedy in memory of John W. Blanton
Taos Society of Artists
Stemming from a large collection donated by Mr. and Mrs. Fred T. Hogan, the Museum of the Southwest holds paintings by most of the founding members of the Taos Society of Artists. The collection has also grown to include artwork by several other generations of Taos artists.
Eanger Irving Couse
The Purple Shawl
ca 1910-1930
Oil on Canvas
Gift of Fred T. and Novadean Hogan
The Museum of the Southwest's textile collection consists mostly of 20th century Navajo woven works.
Unknown Artist
Free Design Textile
Gift of Adrian Randle


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6 Exercise Excuses Busted
Too tired to exercise or don't have the time? These experts have heard every excuse in the book to avoid exercise for better diabetes management. Get their help.
There are important reasons to get off the couch and get some exercise, especially if you have type 2 diabetes. Regular physical activity can help you stabilize your blood sugar levels, reduce insulin resistance, boost energy, ease stress, maintain a healthy weight, and better manage complications of type 2 diabetes such as high blood pressure and cholesterol.
"I often refer to exercise as free medication when it comes to better diabetes control," says Lori Zanini, RD, CDE, a certified diabetes educator based in Los Angeles and a national media spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND). "When you exercise regularly, it can help manage your blood sugar for hours after exercising."
But knowing the many benefits of exercise doesn't always make it easier to get off the couch and lace up your sneakers, and it seems there's always an excuse to escape exercise. Whatever is sabotaging your efforts, here are six exercise excuses busted and tips to make exercise with type 2 diabetes more manageable.
Exercise Excuse #1: "I can't find time to exercise."
You don't have to block out an entire hour to reap the benefits of exercise, says Jessica Crandall, RD, CDE, a Denver-based certified diabetes educator and national media spokesperson for the AND. "Even 10-minute bursts of exercise can help."
Short but high-intensity workouts showed big benefits in warding off weight gain, according to a study published in the September/October 2013 issue of the American Journal of Health Promotion. Take the stairs at work or exercise with free weights while you watch TV. Walk, stand, or do squats during down time at work. Schedule workouts like any important meeting or appointment, and set a digital reminder so you won't forget.
Exercise Excuse #2: "I just can't find the energy to exercise."
High blood sugar can lead to fatigue, Zanini says, so it's understandable if you feel too wiped to work out. But talk yourself into a few minutes of exercise because it can boost energy, Crandall says. "Most of the time, you will want to keep going," she says. "Keep your exercise shoes in your car or the entryway of your home so all you have to do is slide the shoes on and get moving."
Exercise Excuse #3: "Exercise is boring."
"Exercise is only boring if you're not aligning it with what you like to do," Crandall says. Find an activity that you enjoy, whether it's a Zumba class or salsa dancing. If your daily walk gets boring, ask a friend to join you or download a new audio book or music playlist. Also plan ahead to mix up your routine with a fun new exercise, Crandall says. She likes to work in a bosu ball for a stability challenge or grab an exercise ball to work her abdominals.
Exercise Excuse #4: "Exercise makes my blood sugar unstable."
For this situation, Crandall suggests a pre-workout snack — a combo of carbohydrates and protein — to keep blood sugar stable. Check your blood sugar before exercising, and if you're planning to exercise for more than 30 minutes, check it every 30 minutes. Ideal blood sugar readings before exercise are 120-180 mg/dL and should be at least 100 mg/dL to continue exercising safely, Zanini says. Keep a carbohydrate snack and glucose tablets with you in case your blood sugar gets low. If your blood sugar is over 240 mg/dL before you start exercising, check for ketones in your urine, and don't exercise if you have ketones, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Exercise Excuse #5: "It's too expensive to join a gym."
There are plenty of ways to be active without spending a lot of money. "I'm a huge fan of online workout videos," Zanini says. "They're free and the options are limitless. They can be a great resource for 10-minute yoga routines or even strength training." Head outside for a daily walk or jog when the weather permits or take a brisk stroll around the nearest indoor shopping mall.
Exercise Excuse #6: "Exercise isn't comfortable for me."
If you're overweight or have limited mobility, talk to your doctor about safe exercises for your current abilities, Zanini says. Try low-impact exercises such as swimming or water aerobics. If you have balance problems due to nerve damage in your feet, stick to chair- or floor-based exercises, or use a wall to help you balance. "No matter what your weight is, movement and physical activity are important. Find your ability and incorporate modifications, if needed. Not everyone has the same fitness level, and there are many exercise options, so find what you can do instead of what you can't," Crandall says.


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Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment 2018 – Direct Link to Apply!
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment 2018 is inviting applications from young and dynamic individuals for the admission to one year Post Graduate Diploma in Banking and Finance Sector. Upon completion of your course, you will be offered appointment in the bank as Probationary Officer in Junior Management Grade I. There are a total of 500 vacancies to fill. This is a golden opportunity for those who seek to have a post-graduation in banking and finance sector. The last date to fill the application form is 17th January 2018. The selection will be based on an Online Written Exam. Read to know more about Syndicate Bank PO vacancies, eligibility criteria, application fees and more.
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Important Dates
|Start Date of
the Online
Application Form
|2nd January
|End Date of
the Online
Application Form
|17th January
|Last Date of
Application Fees
|17th January
Call Letters
|After 5th February
|Date of
Online Exam
|25th February 2018
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Vacancies
|No. of Vacancies
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Eligibility Criteria
1. Age Limit (as on 1st October 2017)
Minimum Age: 20 years
Maximum Age: 28 Years
Age Relaxation
SC/ST: 5 Years
OBC: 3 Years
PWD: 10 Years
2. Educational Qualification (as on 1st October 2017)
You should have a Degree (Graduation) with minimum of 60% (55% for SC/ST/PWD) marks in any discipline from a recognized University OR any equivalent qualification recognized as such by Central Government.
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Exam Pattern & Selection Process
- The selection process will be based on online Written Exam followed by a Personal Interview/Group Discussion.
To know about the detailed Syndicate Bank Exam Pattern, click the link below:
Detailed Syndicate Bank PO Exam Pattern
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – How to Apply
Direct Link to Apply for Syndicate Bank Recruitment
- Click on the above link to Apply Directly for the Syndicate Bank Recruitment.
- Click on New Registration.
- Fill all your personal details and click submit.
- Save your registration number and password for future reference.
- Upload all the relevant documents and validate your personal details.
- After that proceed to pay the application fees.
- Alternatively, you can also apply on Syndicate Bank Official Website.
- Click on careers and then click on PGDBF Programme 2018 – 2019.
- Follow steps from 2 – 6
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Application Fees
UR/OBC: Rs. 600/-
SC/ST/PWD: Rs. 100/-
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Salary/Stipend
- For first nine months of training, you will be paid Rs 3000/- p.m as a stipend.
- During the next three months of internship, you will be paid Rs. 15,000/- p.m
Syndicate Bank PO Recruitment – Official Notification
Download the Official Notification as PDF
For more such Recruitment Notifications, check the link given below.
Ongoing & Upcoming Recruitment
If you are preparing for other recruitment or government exam, practice free test to improve exam preparation.
You can also share your doubts/queries regarding Syndicate Bank Recruitment or any other government exam with our experts on our discussion platform.


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UUD / Politik Pendidikan §170-180
Pasal 176: Hubungan seni dan kerajinan untuk ilmu dan kebudayaan
- Detail
- Kategori: Politik Pendidikan §170-180
Pasal 176: Ilmu kesenian dan keterampilan dapat digolongkan sebagai ilmu pengetahuan, seperti perdagangan, pelayaran dan pertanian yang boleh dipelajari tanpa terikat batasan atau syarat tertentu; dan dapat juga digolongkan sebagai suatu kebudayaan apabila telah dipengaruhi oleh pandangan hidup tertentu, seperti seni lukis dan pahat yang tidak boleh dipelajari apabila bertentangan dengan pandangan Islam.
Article 176: Arts and crafts may be related to science, such as commerce, navigation and agriculture. In such cases, they are studied without restriction or conditions. Sometimes, however, arts and crafts are connected to culture and influenced by a particular viewpoint of life, such as painting and sculpting. If this viewpoint of life contradicts the Islamic viewpoint of life, these arts and crafts are not taken.
The evidence is the evidence for Article 162, which was the generality of the evidences which permitted knowledge/science, and the principle that one type of a permitted thing is prohibited if it leads to harm, because the arts and industries are information, and so they are permitted since they are encompassed by the generality of the evidences regarding knowledge. If they bring about harm due to their being influenced by a particular viewpoint then they are prohibited. This is the case if there is no text forbidding it. As for when there is a text which forbids it, such as drawing something which has a soul (Ruh), whether human, animal, bird or otherwise, or sculpting something with a soul, then it is prohibited because it is forbidden due to the narrations reported which decisively prohibit drawing and sculpting.


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Caitlyn at Motor City Soap is raising funds through Kiva Zip to help fund her first hire. This is Motor City Soap's second Kiva Zip campaign. In 2013 the company received a $2,000 loan to purchase carrier and essential oils in bulk to increase soap production. After paying back this loan in full last month, Caitlyn was offered the opportunity to pursue a second loan and continue growing:
Business has more than doubled since my last loan. I sold at Eastern Market's Sunday Street Market throughout the summer, which increased my exposure to new customers and connected me to other like-minded businesses. I also wrapped up an incredibly successful holiday season last month and look forward to using this momentum as a springboard into 2015.
This second loan for $5,000 will help finance Motor City Soap's first employee, who will work in production and sales starting this spring. An employee will help double Motor City Soap's production and increase retail presence at local markets in and around the City of Detroit. Click here to read the full story and lend as little as $5.


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It is quite common for people to bump into each other because they are too preoccupied with their smartphones. Another typical scenario, instead of looking left or right before crossing the street, people are steadily studying their mobile screens. Both the cases may lead to unnecessary collisions and can be a cause for serious injury.
Following its success in China, the forward-thinking European country, Belgium, has launched the perfect solution for this problem and is already proving a hit among texting fanatics.


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If your dog experiences a prolonged bout of diarrhea, it's possible that he's suffering from campylobacteriosis, a bacterial infection affecting the intestinal tract. Since campylobacteriosis is a zoonotic disease -- transmissible from animals to humans -- be careful when cleaning up your dog's feces. While the risk of campylobacteriosis spreading to humans from dogs is low, it does exist. Canines can pick up the campylobacter from various sources.
Campylobacteriosis in Dogs
The bacteria causing campylobacteriosis, campylobacter jejuni, is commonly found in dogs and in most cases causes no ill effects. Approximately half of all canines harbor campylobacter in their intestinal tracts, with the bacteria shed in fecal material. Puppies and young dogs are more susceptible, as their immune systems haven't yet matured. Besides diarrhea, symptoms of campylobacteriosis in canines include abdominal pain, vomiting, weakness and fever. Your dog might lose his appetite, and his lymph nodes could swell. Campylobacteriosis can last for days or weeks, and your dog might appear to recover only to have his bowels turns watery again. Seek veterinary care if your dog has any of these symptoms.
Campylobacteriosis Transmission
In dogs, the most common means of campylobacter transmission is via exposure to contaminated feces, whether of fellow canines or other infected species. Dogs also contract the bacteria from eating the remains or feces of infected wildlife, especially birds. Because the bacteria can live in soil and water, dogs can pick it up by drinking contaminated water or consuming contaminated dirt. In people, the most common means of transmission occurs from eating infected chickens, which also can affect canines.
Basic Prevention
Although there's no way to guarantee that your dog won't come into contact with campylobacter, basic hygiene measures can reduce the odds. Clean up after your dog in your yard and while out on walks. Wash your dog's bedding regularly, and thoroughly vacuum and clean any carpets or upholstered furniture he uses for sleeping. Because the bacteria is so common in canine feces, don't let your dog sniff -- or lick -- any poop he finds when you're on an outing. Keep him from devouring any wild animals he comes upon in his travels.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Your veterinarian diagnoses campylobacteriosis by testing your dog's stool sample. She'll then prescribe the proper antibiotics to clear up the infection. Untreated, campylobacteriosis can become chronic. It also can cause miscarriage in pregnant dogs. In puppies, the dehydrating effects of persistent diarrhea can prove fatal.
Photo Credits
- PhotoObjects.net/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images


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Image Wells
An image well is an editable version of an image view. For example, the Desktop & Screen Saver preference pane includes an image well that lets the user change the desktop picture.
Image wells support the following editing actions:
|Editing action
|Drag and drop
|The user can drag a new image into the image view.
|The user can press the Delete key to clear the content of the view or revert it to a default image.
|Copy and Paste
|The user can copy the content of the image view or replace it with new pasted content.
An image view must be selected (visibly denoted by a selection ring around the image view) to perform delete, copy, and paste editing functions.
Revert to a default image when necessary. If your image well requires an image, display the default image again if the user clears the content of the image well.
Provide the standard copy and paste menu options if your image view supports these actions. The menu options inform the user that copy and paste is supported, and provide alternate ways to initiate the actions. This may be especially useful to people who rely on accessibility features to navigate your app's interface.
For related guidance, see Image Views.


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Looking for an easy way to go green? Our renewable energy program, envirowatts, may be for you! You can even choose which type of renewable energy you'd like to purchase - solar, wind, hydro or landfill gas.
Purchasing Envirowatts
Each renewable-energy portion will add $2.75 each month to your bill, until you contact us to discontinue participation. For example, if you purchased two portions, your bill would increase by $5.50 per month. The number of portions you'd like to purchase is up to you.
It's simple to participate. Fill out the following form or call us at 270-765-6153.
For more information, visit www.envirowattsky.com.
You can download the form below by clicking here.


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Contrary to popular belief, treatment for root canals is a fairly straightforward procedure that relieves tooth pain caused by an inflamed or infected tooth. Having this procedure performed by an experienced endodontist can save your tooth from further damage and tooth loss. If you are experiencing dental pain or notice signs of an infection around a tooth, partner with our experienced team in St. Petersburg, FL. Our lead endodontist, Dr. Randall Hedrick is board-certified and has performed over 15,000 gentle root canal therapy procedures and can help save your smile from infection and tooth loss.
Our doctors perform gentle root canal therapy to:
Once your endodontist has determined which tooth is infected or has pulp damage, the area will be numbed with local anesthetic. The doctor can then make a small opening in the tooth to access the pulp chamber deep inside the tooth. The pulp is removed with special instruments and then the inside of the tooth is cleaned and disinfected. Our endodontists use the EndoVac™ irrigation system that applies suction to pull the cleaning solution down the root canal before vacuuming it away. This technology has proven to be an extremely effective way to disinfect the root canals and greatly reduces the changes of needing re-treatment. In some cases, the root canals must be reshaped and smoothed out to accommodate a new root canal filling.
Once the root filling materials are placed, the tooth is sealed. Your restorative dentist may place a crown on top of the filled tooth to complete tooth restoration. At St. Petersburg Endodontics, everything is performed in-house and you will be in the hands of one of the most experienced, board certified endodontists in St. Petersburg, FL. Our endodontists choose to utilize high-powered microscopes for every treatment. This technology helps us see in great detail the areas in need of root canal therapy, significantly improving the accuracy of the procedure and the predictability of the results. With our techniques and technology, we are able to set ourselves apart as one of the most advanced endocontic practices in Pinellas County.


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I came across a headline the other day. How to make millions out of idea sex. Great title. It sure grabbed my attention. And reading on the article described how G.I. Joe came into being. The action figure that has made millions for the company that owns the rights and is now a movie. It all started like this. Two separate ideas that got together.
A doll + action = G.I. Joe.
That's idea sex.
And that's where great ideas often come from. Bringing things together in new and never before thought of ways. And there are heaps of examples. As daggy as it is there's the American Spork (we have the Splayd), a combination knife, fork and spoon that does the job perfectly. For us blokes we'd probably prefer the Bar-B-Mate which slices, dices, pierces and scrapes those steaks to perfection. And speaking of steak, a good red goes well. The screw cap replacing good old fashioned cork. Getting away from food for a minute what about Crocs – waterproof clogs that began their days in European day spas and now span across the globe. And then theres the Cronut. The brainchild of chef Dominique Ansel, it's a donut crossed with a croissant and it's taken the world by storm. There's even a page on his website dedicated to how to get your hands on one of these. It's not easy and that's a genius part of the marketing that has caused the Cronut to go viral.
Great ideas are often just a combination of two other elements. It's not rocket science. Maybe you have to work your way through a few combinations before you find a winner, but persistence is everything. Did I mention the original G.I. Joe prototype sold at auction for $US200,000?
What's your next great idea?


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I'm supposed to be making Christmas cards all year round. Yeah, right. It's about a month since the last one. But here's one, finally. The entire image, with houses, Merry Christmas, and snowflakes on the left side, is from a designer paper. Unfortunately I don't remember which brand.
I have matted the paper on brown cardstock, and then on glittery offwhite paper. I filled in Merry Christmas with Sakura Stardust gel pen. In the corners I've added snowflakes that I've punched out with Martha Stewart punches from offwhite and white glittery paper.
I submit this card to the following challenges:
Beautiful Christmas card Maria. Thank you for playing along with our Challenge at Penny's Paper-Crafty. We would love to see you again … Anet DTx
Lovely card, thank you for playing along with Merry Monday.
What a gorgeous creation!
Thanks for sharing this at Crafty Friends.
It sparkles beautifully.
Hope to see you again soon over at our challenge.
Linda DT-CF
What a lovely Holiday Card!! Thank you for playin' along with our Bugaboo Stamps/Catch The Bug Challenge this week! We hope you'll play along this week with our newest Theme Challenge: Birds, Bees and Butterflies!
Hugs & Happy Days!
Min – Bugaboo Stamps DT
Lovely card! Thank you so much for sharing at Fussy & Fancy and good luck with the challenge. Judy DT x


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public art
JunkFunk Festa della Musica and Festa dei Popoli - Sanremo, Italy.
Workshops making musical instruments out of recycled materials in the beautiful costal town of Sanremo, leading up to a performance in the central square. The following year the project expanded to include musicians from UK running music workshops, culminating in a procession with 200 people.


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Call Your Senators…
Per this post here and that post there.
Here's a link to the phone number for every Democratic Sen. You know what to do.
Image: John Leach, "Fabianus offers peace or war to the Carthaginian Senate," from A Comic History of Rome, c. 1850.Explore posts in the same categories: Health Care, Policy, political follies, Republican knavery
Tags: dudes, Health Care Reform, The Senate, Work itYou can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.


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Your little star will be comfy all day long in our 100% cotton cord dungarees. The cosy jersey lining will keep them snug, while easy-access poppers underneath make it quick and simple at nappy time. The height-adjustable shoulder straps will even grow with your little one. Jazz them up with one of our bright long- or short-sleeved t-shirts underneath.
- Adjustable shoulder straps
- Leg poppers for easy nappy changing
- 100% cotton cord
- Super soft to the touch
- Machine washable at 30 degrees
- Machine wash inside out at 30°
- Wash with similar colours
- Reshape while damp and dry flat
- Do not tumble dry
- Warm iron on reverse
- Do not dry clean
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By Adam Hoge
(CBS) Over the past three weeks, I've taken an in-depth look at every Big Ten team. Now it's time to deliver a verdict.
Does the Big Ten have a legitimate national championship contender? Who will make it to the Big Ten Championship Game? How many teams will make bowl games?
Below is my prediction for every Big Ten team, including overall record, conference record and bowl game projection:
LISTEN: 670 The Score's College Football Roundtable
1. Michigan Wolverines
Predicted Regular Season Record: 9-3 (6-2 Big Ten)
2011 Record: 11-2 (6-2)
Key Game: Oct. 20 vs Michigan State. The Spartans might be the better team, but Michigan gets the game in Ann Arbor and ends their four-game losing streak against the Spartans.
Trap Game: Oct. 6 at Purdue. The Boilermakers are going to be sneaky this year and they'll be ready in their Big Ten opener.
Postseason: Big Ten Championship Game, Rose Bowl
2. Michigan State Spartans
Predicted Regular Season Record: 10-2 (6-2)
2011 Record: 11-3 (7-2)
Key Game: Oct. 20 at Michigan. If the Spartans win in Ann Arbor, not only will they be in the driver's seat in the Legends Division, but they will be in the thick of the BCS National Championship Game conversation.
Trap Game: Nov. 24 at Minnesota. The Gophers figure to get better as the season goes on and they gave the Spartans trouble last year in East Lansing.
Postseason: Fiesta Bowl. The Big Ten Championship Game appearance actually kept the Spartans out of a BCS bowl last year. This year, they get the same benefit Michigan did a year ago.
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
Predicted Regular Season Record: 8-4 (4-4)
2011 Record: 7-6 (4-4)
Key Game: Oct. 13 at Michigan State. If the Hawkeyes want to compete in the Legends this season, they need to set the tone early with an upset in East Lansing. It won't be easy.
Trap Game: Oct. 27 at Northwestern. Iowa ended its three-game losing streak against the Wildcats last year, but it won't be easy to win in Evanston.
Postseason: Gator Bowl.
4. Nebraska Cornhuskers
Predicted Regular Season Record: 8-4 (4-4)
2011 Record: 5-3
Key Game: Oct. 27 vs Michigan. It will be nearly impossible for the Cornhuskers to win the Legends if they don't take care of business at home against the Wolverines.
Trap Game: Oct. 20 at Northwestern. You don't have to warn the Cornhuskers. They got beat by the Wildcats at home last year.
Postseason: Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
5. Northwestern Wildcats
Predicted Regular Season Record: 7-5 (4-4)
2011 Record: 6-7 (3-5)
Key Game: Oct. 20 vs Nebraska. It's not inconceivable for Northwestern to be 7-0 going into this game. A win would give the Wildcats a realistic shot at the Big Ten Championship Game.
Trap Game: Oct. 13 at Minnesota. The Gophers will be better this year and if the 'Cats get caught looking ahead at the Nebraska game, they'll leave Minneapolis with a loss.
Postseason: Meineke Car Care Bowl.
6. Minnesota Golden Gophers
Predicted Regular Season Record: 5-7 (2-6)
2011 Record: 3-9 (2-6)
Key Game: Oct. 13 vs Northwestern. This is the type of game the Gophers should expect to win this season. It would be a confidence booster early in the Big Ten schedule.
Trap Game: Sept. 15 vs Western Michigan. The Broncos might be the best team in the MAC and QB Alex Carder will give the Gophers' secondary a test.
Postseason: None.
1. Wisconsin Badgers
Predicted Regular Season Record: 10-2 (6-2)
2011 Record: 11-3 (6-2)
Key Game: Oct. 13 at Purdue. Most would expect this to be the trap game, but with Ohio State ineligible for the postseason, the Badgers can afford to lose a couple as long as they take care of the Boilermakers on the road.
Trap Game: Nov. 24 at Penn State. The Badgers' last two trips to Happy Valley were awful and they might still need this one to clinch another trip to Indy.
Postseason: Big Ten Championship Game, Capital One Bowl.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes
Predicted Regular Season Record: 10-2 (6-2)
2011 Record: 6-7 (3-5)
Key Game: Nov. 24 vs Michigan. With no postseason to play for, Urban Meyer has made it clear: this is their bowl game this year.
Trap Game: Nov. 3 vs Illinois. This will be Ohio State's ninth game in nine weeks and with a bye week before a big close against Wisconsin and Michigan, this could be one of those sleepy games that results in upset.
Postseason: Not eligible.
3. Purdue Boilermakers
Predicted Regular Season Record: 9-3 (5-3)
2011 Record: 7-6 (3-5)
Key Game: Oct. 13 vs Wisconsin. This is a must-win if the Boilermakers want to seriously challenge the Badgers for the Leaders title.
Trap Game: Nov. 24 vs Indiana. The home team has lost three straight in this series and the Hoosiers should improve as the season goes on.
Postseason: Outback Bowl
4. Illinois Fighting Illini
Predicted Regular Season Record: 6-6 (3-5)
2011 Record: 7-6 (2-6)
Key Game: Oct. 6 at Wisconsin. Like Purdue, Illinois has to beat Wisconsin head-to-head if they want to challenge the Badgers for the Leaders title.
Trap Game: Nov. 10 vs Minnesota. The Gophers will improve as the year goes on and it seems like the Illini drop a game like this every season.
Postseason: TicketCity Bowl.
5. Penn State Nittany Lions
Predicted Regular Season Record: 4-8 (1-7)
2011 Record: 9-4 (6-2)
Key Game: Sept. 29 at Illinois. If Penn State is going a perform a miracle this season, it needs to set the tone in its first Big Ten game.
Trap Game: Sept. 1 vs Ohio. The optimism Bill O'Brien has brought to State College could disappear Week 1 against a pretty good Ohio team.
Postseason: Not eligible.
6. Indiana Hoosiers
Predicted Regular Season Record: 4-8 (1-7)
2011 Record: 1-11 (0-8)
Key Game: Sept. 29 at Northwestern. Getting Kevin Wilson's first Big Ten win in Week 1 of the conference schedule would be a pretty big step for this program.
Trap Game: Sept. 8 at Massachusetts. UMass isn't a great team, but considering IU didn't beat an FBS school in 2011, this is no gimmie on the road.
Postseason: None.
Adam is the Sports Editor for CBSChicago.com and specializes in coverage of the Bears, White Sox and college sports. He was born and raised in Lincoln Park and attended St. Ignatius College Prep before going off to the University of Wisconsin-Madison where he earned a Journalism degree. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHogeCBS and read more of his columns here.


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As solar production expands, a new discussion emerges about its worth to Missouri
Solar power is a small but growing source of energy in Missouri. Solar power installation expanded by more than 7,000 percent in three years, from 2009 to 2012, according to the Missouri Division of Energy. And solar capacity has expanded by more than 150 percent each year since Missouri voters approved a renewable energy measure in 2008. The strong growthRead more


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Yearly, the California Department of Education acknowledges excellent public schools in California with the Civic Learning Award. Schools are awarded in one of three areas: Excellence, Distinction, and Merit. For the 2017-2018 school year, only one middle school in all of California was awarded the Civic Learning Award of Distinction, Oak Grove Middle School of the Jamul-Dulzura Union School District.
Oak Grove Middle School, located in rural Jamul of San Diego County, won the award based on their Constitution-themed curriculum which is a required part of Social Studies class. The award is also a reflection of other programs Oak Grove offers like Project Citizen and We the People. Project Citizen helps students to become active civic participants by identifying problems, exploring solutions, and presenting plans to local policy makers. We the People is a program that promotes critical thinking in students with a historical basis for issues of today.
Staff and teachers at Oak Grove Middle School proudly provide students with these and many other educational opportunities. The caring staff at Oak Grove provides instruction that doesn't just teach students facts, but gives students a connection between what they are learning and the real world, which translates into student participation in school government and the democratic process as adults. This type of civic-based education is what lead Oak Grove Middle School to be a stand-out California public school for the Civic Learning Awards.
Media ContactCompany Name: Jamul-Dulzura Union School DistrictContact Person: Liz BystedtEmail: Send EmailPhone: 619-669-7702Address:14581 Lyons Valley Road City: JamulState: CA 91935Country: United StatesWebsite: https://jdusd.net/


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Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) are needed whenever a property is:
built (so this includes self build) sold rented
In Scotland (which has been slightly ahead of the UK generally in introducing energy certificates) from December 1, 2008, houses for sale have had to be marketed with a Home Report. The home pack includes an Energy […]
|Selfbuild Central takes great care to provide correct information but we do not warrant its completeness or its accuracy and neither do we accept any liability whatsoever for the use to which the information is put. Where links are provided always check the original source, especially for updated information. Copyright © 2020 Selfbuild Central - All Rights Reserved


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52 thoughts on "The Road to Discovery"
This is a perfect example of how to approach life. There are few hard and fast rules. Whether it's writing, cooking, drinking wines, exploring tea, making furniture, painting or whatever you like to do, learn the basics and then adapt to who you are and how you feel at the moment. When we stop trying to do things "the right way" we find the way that's right for us. And we'll be flexible enough to know that what was right last week might need a tweaking this week. Life should be filled with creativity and discovery instead of have-to and perfection.
Well said, I so agree with this philosophy. my kids have asked for recipes and discovered that I have rarely weighed anything and have had to resort to watch me do it..
I love reading about your days in the kitchen with Kayla!
I love the way you describe your time with Kayla. It makes me smile as this is the way I cook too. I start with a recipe (whether it's an old family one written like yours, as a baseline or another I've found somewhere) and go from there.
This is how I cook too! I have a question unrelated to this post. Hoping Laura or Nora will take pity on me. I've tried to research what has happened to the author Linda Howard? After Nora, she was my favorite romantic suspense author for years. She started a series with Linda Jones that never continued and I swear the last book published with her name on it (years ago now) wasn't even written by her. Anybody know anything?
Thanks. Cannot WAIT for The Obsession to get here!!
While I am neither Nora nor Laura, I do have an answer. Check out Linda Howards facebook page for what she is up to: https://www.facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones/
Thank you! I guess I hadn't tried hard enough on Facebook? I don't know. Still it's good to know LH is alive and well. Ididn't find any info on why she isn't publishing but I did find that LJ is publishing a sequel to Blood Born. Interesting. Thanks again.
Check out Facebook.com/LindaHowardLindaJones
"Writers, friends. We talk about food, writing, books, pets, food, travel, weird happenings with electronics, and — oh yeah — food. After all, we need our strength for writing."
thanks 🙂
Sandy Linda Howard has a new book coming out May 10, 2016 called Troublemaker.
Linda H is a fav of mine too. You can find her on Facebook using Linda Howard/Linda Jones. She kind of keeps everybody up to date on what's going on in her life. She doesn't publish as much, but she does still write. She has a collaboration coming out soon w/Jones, and a self-published one in April, I think. Enjoy!
What a great time for you and your granddaughter! The memories you are forming will stay with her forever!
As a retired teacher, I can appreciate what you said about your writing style – everyone does indeed approach this task differently. Like you said, there is no one right way to do this! Thanks for sharing your day with us!
I see that your creativity (even in the kitchen) and demonstration of love (for your family, etc.) is what makes you the brilliant author and person you are. Thank you for sharing this wonderful day with us. You are still a wonderful teacher – even if you don't wanna be. It just flows from you.
LOL! A fun post to read. I have to say the guilty look on Grandda's face is wonderful. Did he really think he could sneak a taste and not be caught? I'm just imagining how great your kitchen smelled. mmmm….. 😀
PS: The cake looked really good.
Your cooking by instinct reminds me so much of my grandmother. When you asked how to make something, she would give you the ingredients. It would be a handful of this, a bit of that, etc. I do miss her Doughboys (fried dough, but much lighter than you get at fairs). I also don't measure sometimes when cooking certain dishes and my meatballs are seldom the same.
Wonderful. Thank you. Happy cooking and happy writing. MC
How fabulous a grand-daughter you have. What a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon! My mother cooked the same way. She made wonderful polish dishes and when I asked her for recipes for them, she said well, I don't measure….the dough is a "feel right" and some are "taste right and what I have in my cabinet". I tried like your Kat watching to write things down once too and I thought I had it but trying it out, it didn't taste like hers. Some didn't even LOOK like hers! I cook like that now too….improvise and experiment.
Awesome Nora!!!!! I do the same with my 3 grandkids 🙂 Chris III isn't doing to bad, he makes a good Mac & Cheese. Tatum is a hot mess, she needs more patients, her brownies turned into weapons, but, she's getting there. Kerrigan, she rocks in the kitchen, she even sets a attractive table . Anyway, I can relate with you on how much fun it is to spend this kind of time with your grandkids 🙂 Thanks for sharing your moments
My children wanted a cookbook of the family recipes and I just had to do my best but the bottom of each page had a section called moms notes where I could put I do this or that or don't do that. My kids love it. Nora you cook like I do. Love your books. The movies are ok but I always want to say no you left out this and this lol.
Nora mentioned choosing what her heroin looks like, but she almost always resembles her! More of that baseline stuff in action.
I can't possible resemble the bulk of my heroines! I don't understand how anyone would see that. I have tall girls, short girls, curvy girls, lean girls, redheads, blondes, brunettes, raven-haired, short, long, straight, curly. Dimples, sharp cheekbones, wide mouths, overbites, underbites, etc, etc.
But, I do have the baseline of all usual female parts in common.
LOL!! I have to agree the only thing in common is the female parts.
hah! No kidding.
The detail and research that goes into your characters is what brings them alive for me. it must be a fascinating process for you. Your attention to the smallest details makes it possible for the readers to see them in 3D …they're not flat. Not just the characters, either; the details involved with all the locations brings them alive. One of characteristics that drew me to your books is how you describe the feelings and thoughts of ALL the characters …not just a few main ones. You are able to show the thoughts of the male characters, as well as the female. I remember you remarked once, many years ago, how growing up with brothers helped you with this. A lot of who you are must come out in your characters…and hah! hah! ..I'm not referring to the serial killers 🙂 .
Thank you for your sense of humour & honour ..and so much more, that comes out in your books.
Yes! I couldn't agree with you more, Annie. That "3D" versus "flat" aspect of the characters — it's not only the inclusion of detailed information, but also how the information is presented so that it becomes an integral part of the story. I've read so many books by other writers in the "romance fiction" genre in which the (often VERY detailed) descriptions of how characters look, what they're wearing, how rooms are furnished, etc. merely add length without transporting you to the world in which the characters live and providing insight into the characters themselves.
Selective memory at work…
I'd say, having read (and re-read, and in some cases re-re-read!) a HUGE number of her books, Nora Roberts (and her alter ego J.D. Robb) does a fantastic job of depicting heroines, heroes and supporting characters with a great variety of physical appearances. If you're reading only the novels in the In Death series, then yes, the heroine and hero look the same from one story to the next, as do the recurring supporting characters (well, Peabody does gain and lose weight, and of course the color of Mavis' hair changes every time we see her!). 🙂
I think I have read the In Death books 4 or 5 or more times. Actually listened because I don't read them. I just say how many times I've read them instead of writing re-re-re-re-re-read/listened. 🙂 I agree with your post!
What a great deposit into her memory bank!
Great day, great story, great sharing! Thank you
I once heard that a recipe is a formula that isn't hard and fast but malleable to customize to your own taste. Baking is a little more precise and less forgiving, and since I HATE to measure and be so precise, I prefer to cook. A little of this, a little more of that, just tweaking or adapting to include what we like, what I have on hand in my pantry, which is well-stocked with essentials like chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, dried pasta, and such. I rarely bake and stick to things that only require 6 ingredients, at most. No sifting, no separating of eggs. I know my limitations when it comes to patience so my baked goods and dessert repertoire consists of 3-ingredient shortbread cookies, a couple of easy cheesecakes, microwave peanut brittle, and a killer chocolate silk pie. And anything out of a box! I take the help where I can get it and buy pre-made pie crusts and frosting.
You're not only teaching your granddaughter a skill that will serve her a lifetime of pleasure but also making priceless memories.
I have no doubt Kayla loved the cooking/baking process, and the bounty she was able create and take home was wonderful. However, these times spent with her grandmother Nora, will be what she'll hold precious and treasure the most! No better recipe for her life than that, truly the icing on the cake, IMH O!! Beautiful post. Thank you.
Nora , I also cook bake & make hot chocolate with a baseline. Nothing ever comes out the same way twice. The only time I measure is when I try a recipe out for the first time or have to whittle it down from serving more than one or two people. As for your books it is easy to see in the books that you do the research yourself . It comes through because it is thorough and enjoyable . The process of writing,cooking , baking is a creative process. The person who creates knows when they are done. I know in baking & cooking if it looks right & tastes good it is done. People have asked me for my chocolate chip cookie recipe which never comes out the same way twice, so after I explain there is no recipe but I will give them the basic ingredients, I don't measure either I say do it to taste , & feel, I have been told it does not taste like mine. I have said it is not suppose to taste like mine it is suppose to taste like theirs.someyimes people don't get it . thank you for giving us a window in your world with your granddaughter . She looks a bit like you.
Loved reading this. I'm a baseline cook for sure when it comes to most things. I can remember my children asking for a repeat on something I'd made. I would have no idea other than basic ingredients what I had done. My mother was even worse with the baseline. Her baking recipes for cakes and sweets was vague at best.
The best part of all of this is the memories you've made with Kayla that she'll carry with her the rest of her life.
Your baseline recipes remind me of my potato salad. It's really simple–just potatoes, Best Foods Mayo, lemon juice, garlic and onion salts and sometimes garlic and onion powder. No boiled eggs, no pickles and no precise recipe! I "invented" my version more than 50 years ago and in spite of trying to figure out precise measurement, it's still comes down to taste!
<3 <3 <3 One of the nicest cooking compliments I've ever had… "Have you watched your mom cook? She never does the same thing twice and it always tastes the same!" Love hearing about your day, your writing, and teaching your kids/ grandkids to cook. Thank you!
This reminds me of how my mom cooked/baked. She was of Ukrainian descent. I asked for her recipe for paska (a sweet bread). She told me the ingredients and guessed at the amounts. Then she said, "Add flour with your right hand and pinch the dough with your left. When the dough is no longer sticky to the touch, it has enough flour."
I bake and cook the same way as Nora. A little bit here and there. Bake until done. I've had friends ask for recipes and I try to write them out best as I can,but my mother never wrote anything down either and I learned from her. It's wonderful that you can pass on your family recipes to your grand daughter.
What beautiful memories for you and Kayla! I remember the look my German grandma gave me when she asked about the noodles sitting on the cutting board. I told her the book said to 'rest them'. She not only poo-poohed THAT, she gave me an awesome noodle recipe (full of 'until it looks right') that requires no resting whatsoever. Makes me smile at the memory every time I make them. Good memories all around.
Gosh I am so late in replying. Last night was spent with my grandchildren. Today has been recuperation day. The best advice I had was from a friend of mine who sad… " Go have fun, come home and hibernate." so that is what I did in spades.
Cooking or writing or anything that you do has to have a starting point and who's to say there is a right or wrong way? I do digital scrapbooking and while some of my friends in the group choose a paper and elements first, I choose my photo first and pick the papers and elements to fit the photo. No it is not for everyone, but it works for me.
I can never duplicate anything. My soups is never the same, and more especially my meatloaf. I use the same ingredients but it is never the same as the one I made the last time. I substitute a lot of different things… No garlic hmmm maybe I will toss a bit of cumin in that pot of beef stew… ok not bad… and so on.
My future daughter in law watched me today make Frito Salad. It was fun to see her surprise when I just threw all the salad ingredients in with some of this and that and added a bottle of Catalina dressing to the mix and top our bowls with crushed Frito's ha.
I am reading a Vision In White. I am getting all misty eyed I suppose because my son is getting married in a few months. Going online, looking at wedding dresses and veils and all of the other things that go into a wedding. I am just along for the ride because her mom is getting married too and they are able to share this special time together.
Good night in my corner of the world. Can't wait to read the next blog post! It will be great I know… take care Beth
I so enjoyed today's blog!!! Sounds like a wonderful day!!! What I wouldn't give to spend a day cooking with you! Lol
This is also my preferred method of cooking and even baking, although I'm a bit more precise with measurements when baking. I do try to write my adjustments down for the next time, though. 🙂
I picked up a trick for dough balls. Instead of a standard egg wash- I turn them into my version of garlic knots. I use a little EVOO, add fresh garlic which I run through my garlic press- add garlic powder, a pinch of salt, & a pinch of paprika for color. Brush on top of dough balls, pop in 350 oven, for app. 15 minutes. The house smells divine, & they taste heavenly. All assuming you like garlic.
Oh, thank you so much for this post! From now on I'm going to say "That's how Nora does it too" when people question my approach to writing. Outlines, schematics, lists of characters… I can't deal with them, but – even though I am a published author- I feel insecure when people tell me that's the "professional" way to work. Well, not anymore.
I guess it's just how some people roll. Cooking works the same way for me too. And even knitting and sewing. Like you said, recipes and patterns are only a baseline.
I cook and bake the same way. What looks right. This was a great story as my 14 year old step granddaughter asked me to teach her to cook and she will be coming up north this summer to spend a week learning and I will teach her about bases and then the joy of creating
I always blamed my lack of cooking skills on my mother. I'd ask how much of this or that to put in and she'd say, "Until it looks right." I guess maybe that's standard, so I'll give her a break. I just plain old don't cook very well!
Nora, your mother's pound cake sounds very like my mother's Million Dollar Pound Cake, except I do have the recipe for it….and it tastes so good the next day with fresh strawberries (sublimated with a bit of sugar for those juices) piled on top. Mom's uses vanilla & almond for the flavorings & not sour cream. Hmm, may have to try…and have the family accuse me of heresy!
The potato & ham soup looks so good I may be fixing that for supper tonight! Many thanks!
Love this post, as I have learned over the years to cook the same way. When we first got married, I had to have measurements for everything..LOL 30+ years later, I cook like you do, find something that looks interesting and just tweak or modify it from there. My family enjoys it, and my daughter is learning -finally- to do the same thing. I love your books/blog and posts, keep them coming!
When I first married I followed the recipes as if my life depended on that – it might 😉
It was so stupid to get all stressed out because I happened not to have such item or not knowing what it was.
One day when moving I don't know why I had to decluter and between this and that I gave all the recipe books away. I thought I'd baked and cooked enough items to invent or improved adding this and removing that. No need for all those recipe mags and books.
I was right. I bet that's why I love to cook. It's a play. I'm just waiting for my own grand-Kayla 🙂 if those children of mine ever mind to do their duty 😉
My Mom cooked the same way!!! About this or that!! But, eventually you learn what "about this" is!! Thanks for sharing that story and all your books!
Nora- This write up was so profound in many ways. First because cooking is a total joy to me and I explore it in all ways and with fun. Just winging it and I create the best things.
Second, because recently (only 2 months now) I gave myself permission to go for it with writing all the stories and fantasies that have been crowding my head since my 20's.
I just started writing and the story just flowed out of me. No outlines, story boards, etc… I don't even know what those are when I read on other romance writing and critique sites.
The story is amazing and the 2 characters and their lives, emotions, fears, etc… have all came out, intertwined and wound up in love. It's been brilliant. If I get stuck, I take some a day and let things bubble as it were and then the next flow or way around the dilemma unfolds. Sometimes, I even wake up at night with the next wave of creativity and have to write in down in a notebook to transcribe later.
It's been freeing for my soul in a way I never imagined. Thank you for writing a validation that one of my favorite authors works in almost the same way!!!
And here I was thinking your AutoChef did it all for you! Wow – what a fabulous piece to read while taking a (very short) break from devouring Brotherhood. (I thought I'd be waiting for weeks to get my reserved copy from the library, but my incredibly observant husband spotted an unreserved copy on the "new books" shelf and snagged it for me. If I cooked and we had a pool, he'd be getting spaghetti & meatballs followed by pool sex!)
Thanks for sharing insights into your family and writing life! I've often wondered how you consistently come up with such wonderful stories. I also appreciate your method of cooking, as my grandmother taught me the same way you are teaching Kayla. When my Gramma Keenie passed away, I was given her "recipe" box, which consisted of ingredients but no measurements, except for the odd one such as "lump of butter the size of a pullet's egg". It still makes me smile when I pull a card out of the old box and have a go at recreating a dish.
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NVIDIA MCP73 Preview
From what know, NVIDIA is slated to do a hard launch of the
MCP73 chipset that is, you can purchase boards as early as 25 September 2007. A
paper launch is expected on the 2nd week of September.
We understand that there will be 3 variants of the chipset, they are :
GeForce 7050-630i, GeForce 7025-630i and 7025-610i. All the 3 has a DX9.0c, SM3 compliant graphics core running 300MHz RAMDAC. NView is supported. Purevideo HD is supposed to be available only on the 7050-630i or MCP73PV.
The MCP73PV (7050-630i) will support up to single channel DDR2-800 while the other 2 supports up to single channel DDR2-667.
The chipset will support one IDE interface, 10 USB ports, 4 SATA II RAID ports. Mediashield RAID 0,1,5 is supported on the higher end chipset. Boards can support DVI, HDMI, D-SUB output. That depends on manufacturers on how they wish to layout their product.
Most of the boards will come with a single GbE and HDA using various codecs.
As final drivers are not ready, we show you some preliminary results using an external graphics card :
As we can see, the MCP73 is single channel DDR2-800 and it can perform quite well against the G965. No doubt the memory performance is poorer, the rest of the results arent' very far off from the G965 chipset.
Next >>>
(C) Copyright 1998-2009 OCWorkbench.com


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About Me
I have an accounting/finance background. Seeing both of my grandmothers struggle with their finances on their own since their generation was raised to believe the husband/father was supposed to take care of those things was a big influence to my career choices. I also like to travel, hiking and photography. Women's literacy, education for girls, Figuring out how to make a difference and bring change to the world Accounting
My Vision
A world where people have the opportunity to be anything they want to be


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The Atige thematic research grants offer current or future staff researchers at French national research institutes the resources needed to establish and develop a research group within a lab on the Genopole biocluster.
Following a call for research proposals, the Atige recipients are selected by an independent review committee.
Since 2001, Genopole has awarded 27 Atiges fellowships.
This partnership includes three axes:
- A financial investment by Tasly in Pharnext of €20 million;
- The creation of a research and development Joint-Venture to develop new combinations of molecules, primarily in cardiovascular and oncology therapeutic areas.
- The license of Pharnext's lead product PXT3003 for Charcot-Marie-Tooth type 1A disease for the Chinese market.
We are looking forward to the future accomplishments that will result from this collaboration!
The diagnosis results from artificial intelligence and an algorithm that process urinary cytology slides. This fundraising will allow VitaDx to move on the next phases of finalizing the clinical trials and further perfect the algorithm to commercialize the diagnosis solution in early 2020.


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Share your best practices for a special report Hotel News Now will roll out in November.
Hey, hoteliers, it's time to brag! Tell us what you do best, and how you do it, and there's a good chance we'll share it with all of our readers inside the industry as part of a special report on Best Practices, to publish in November for distribution at hotel industry conferences.
We want to know your best practices for everything from housekeeping to hiring, from booking groups at your hotel to negotiating a management contract – and everything in between. Do you have a sure-fire approach to rolling out seasonal F&B menus at your hotel restaurant? Do you have a proven formula for incorporating local aesthetics and elements through design? What's your M.O. for revenue managing around big events, or maximizing profits from your rooftop bar? We want to hear them! Hotel News Now is compiling best practices in hotel ownership, operations, management and distribution for a special report which will launch in November. We'll take the best of your best, throw in some we've discovered on our own and share them all with HNN's readership of hoteliers around the world.
Read more about this project, and what we're looking for, in HNN Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Ricca's blog.
Click here to submit your best practices using our custom form. Have a photo that illustrates your best practice? There's a way to share that, too.
For the purposes of this project, we ask you to not mention specific vendor companies in your responses, and we will not accept submissions from hotel industry vendors.
Not all best practice submissions will be published, but we will contact you if we would like to include your submission in publication.
Submissions will be accepted through 1 October.
If you have a question, comment or suggestion on this project, send it to us at firstname.lastname@example.com.