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This series provides insight about the economic and social issues affecting rural Indiana and highlights the public-private partnerships that are helping turn the tide. Check in each Tuesday for a new segment.
Walking down Main Street in some rural Indiana towns often brings an empty feeling from seeing vacant storefronts that years ago sported mannequins modeling the latest dresses, sport coats and shoes for window shoppers. A restaurant was open from morning to night, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. There was a furniture store, perhaps a
jewelry store, a hardware store, a five-and-dime with a soda
fountain, a movie theater. Downtown was busy.
of those businesses are long gone now in many rural communities,
where a thriving downtown is but a memory, at least for those who
have been around long enough to know their town's glory days. For
the young, the sight of empty buildings is how it has always been.
towns need new life. They are showing their age, not just in their
deteriorating buildings but also in the faces of the growing number
of the elderly as people live longer and the swelled ranks of the
baby-boom generation advance into their 60s and 70s.
"Aging in itself is not bad. We like it that people are getting older,"
says Brigitte
Waldorf, a Purdue University agricultural economics professor who
conducts research into a variety of demographic topics, such as
population, employment, immigration, and rural and urban issues.
"Everybody wants to have that long life."
as a growing number of people retire, they leave a hole in the
workforce. The problem is exacerbated by young people who feel that
there is little reason for them to stay in their small town—they
have no prospect of a high-paying, professional job, no career there.
So they leave for opportunities elsewhere, often out of state,
creating an even bigger void in the local workforce.
people in rural areas want broad economic choices," Waldorf says.
"They want to explore the world, and they most certainly will have
more choices if they move to Los Angeles or Indianapolis or Chicago.
If they stay in rural Indiana, the choices are very limited."
The combination of older people retiring and younger people leaving is a
big disadvantage for small, rural communities trying to attract
businesses vital to economic development. If companies don't see a
workforce, they're likely to stay away.
since they don't come, the young people are more willing to leave,"
Waldorf says.
a cycle hard to reverse. Although there is economic development in
some rural areas, much of it is from urban areas such as Indianapolis
getting bigger—both in area and population—expanding outward in
the form of suburbs. Farms that once lined the rural landscape on the
outskirts of the city are now subdivisions and shopping centers as
Indiana becomes more "urbanized"—at least in regions that have
urban areas.
be sure, there are those who prefer to live in rural America for
reasons very close to them—heritage, family, traditional values,
the space, the farm, the peace, the quiet. Life there very much is
their life; they wouldn't have it any other way. Rural living still
is not hard to find for those seeking it; less than 14 percent of
Indiana's population of 6.48 million people live in the 42 most
rural counties, according to Purdue researchers who are producing a
series of publications reporting on issues facing rural Indiana.
purpose of Purdue Extension's Rural
Indiana Issues series is to help state and local leaders better tackle the many
problems facing people in the most rural counties: poverty; lack of
community development; inability to attract business; school
closures; not enough volunteers to help staff food pantries and
provide other services to people in need; fewer banks; and limited
access to health care, healthy food and even broadband Internet
service, which young, urban dwellers consider almost essential to
their being.
this will help provide new insights on specific issues," says
Ayres, a Purdue Extension agricultural economics specialist whose
work focuses on leadership and economic development in rural Indiana.
who is overseeing the project that involves specialists and
researchers throughout Purdue's campus, says local leaders might
benefit the most from the information, spurring communitywide
discussion of issues and helping them to determine courses of action.
leaders need to delve more deeply into the trends in the community
and what it means for their future so that their communities can be
better prepared," Ayres says.
the seat of Carroll
County in north-central Indiana, is one rural community that is
taking stock of itself and seizing opportunities where it finds them.
While the widening of state Route 25 in 2013 and its rerouting around
the city as part of the Hoosier
Heartland Highway has meant less traffic through downtown, local
leaders years ago saw that as a good thing coming, not a death knell
for their city. That is because much of the traffic was from heavy
trucks that caused congestion and posed safety hazards for
"It held us back from some of the things we wanted to do downtown,"
says Mayor
Randy Strasser. "The Heartland removes a lot of those trucks."
That has enabled local leaders to plan improvements and attractions
to make Delphi, as Strasser puts it, "a more walking-friendly
state has designated Delphi as one of six Stellar
Communities for its plans,
which include a new downtown streetscape, restoration of its
1800s-era opera house,
rehabilitation of homes in core downtown neighborhoods and a new
"gateway trail" connecting the Hoosier Heartland Corridor—a
route roughly from Lafayette to Fort Wayne and, ultimately, to
Toledo, Ohio—to the downtown, the Wabash
& Erie Canal, neighborhoods and other trails. The Indiana
Office of Community and Rural Affairs began the program in 2011 as a
way to help smaller communities with their development projects,
making them eligible for funding to bring them to reality. (Other
Stellar Communities to date are Bedford, Greencastle, North Vernon,
Princeton and Richmond.)
projects are expected to be completed in 2016 and cost $18 million.
That includes $2.4 million from the city and $1.5 million the Delphi
Preservation Society is contributing toward the $4 million
renovation of the opera house, which Strasser calls the linchpin of
the development initiative. Plans
are for the opera house to become a community center, with a stage
for plays and concerts, and to be a site for wedding receptions and
other events.
city envisions the projects leading to other long-term
improvements—new shops, loft apartments, restaurants with outdoor
dining—all bringing more visitors walking the downtown instead of
driving through it.
says local leaders wanting to initiate such development projects need
broad-based support and involvement of the community.
requires some planning and some organization and some leadership,
which is absolutely key," Ayres says. "And bringing the people
together to see those opportunities."
A sampling of Purdue Extension publications in the series, all available free of charge at Extension's The Education Store, with each publication searchable by its number:
Next Tuesday: Many Purdue Agriculture graduates return to their home communities to work, raise a family and volunteer in the community. Two families who chose this path have joined many generations of their ancestors to preserve rural Indiana as a viable place to work and live.


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I have found on occasion that even 'Christian' novels will have a certain amount of violence or what I shall describe veritably, unchristian language or actions. Life changing stories brings often a certain amount of wariness on my part. Still I believe I try to be objective and keep an open mind when choosing a book.
I was singularly attracted by the title 'A Place Called Blessing' written by John Trent, Ph D. The resume sounded certainly interesting and once I began reading the first chapter, I quickly realized I made the right choice!
Life is not always easy and for many families it can be heartbreaking and even unhealthy. For Josh and his two brothers, sleeping on the floor and often going to bed hungry is almost a daily occurrence.
Their parents are drunks, often leaving the children alone until one night disaster strikes. What follows is life changing as well as disastrous and when another tragedy splits up the family, Josh is left all by himself.
Ten years later, he is out on his own, an eighteen year old looking for a job and somewhere to live.
As we read on, his life seems to be going just downhill until one day he meets a friend at work and positive changes finally happens for Josh! He learns to trust again!
There will be more heartbreak in his young life but in the end, Josh finds there is such a place called Blessing!
This is a book that literally grabs you and I found it to be an excellent addition to any family library!
The many lessons it reflected will bring much encouragement to parents and teens alike and I give it a resounding 5 stars!
I received this book free from Booksneeze as part of their Blogger Review program. I was not asked to write a positive review and the opinions expressed are entirely my own.
I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

subset: commoncrawl


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Green leaf elegant porcelain flower vase.
The green series are natural colors which are eco-friendly .We love making OEM designs and will endeavour to accommodate your needs and specail requirement.
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1. Free samples?


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Category: vegetable plots
Pashley Manor Gardens
May 5, 2015
Visit Pashley Manor Gardens, on the border of Sussex and Kent, and see a wide range of vegetables grown from seed supplied by Dobies of Devon. For many years Dobies has been supporting Pashley Manor by providing the vegetable seed for their lovely and productive kitchen garden. Once the crops have been harvested they are cooked and served in the garden café so be sure to visit there too! Continue Reading
Blight Free Tomatoes
March 4, 2015
Many gardeners have at some point suffered the disappointment of their entire season's tomato crop being devastated by blight. With spores being carried on the wind tomato blight can spread for many miles and although some blight resistant tomatoes are already available none have been able to fight off all strains of the disease. Until now. Continue Reading
Vegetable delights
March 10, 2013
Sometimes, I think that gardeners, if they are not also cooks, forget that vegetables are grown to be eaten! Yet for what other purpose do we take such loving care and attention of our vegetable plot or allotment, our pride and joy? Newcomers may be overwhelmed. On large plots particularly, you often see long rows of one variety, as if you were feeding the biblical 5,000; and no way would the produce still be tender by the time the end of the row is reached. Maybe, the intention is to preserve or freeze the surplus. Shorter rows and more variety might be more useful; or sown and grown in small patches. But with the 'grow your own' phenomenon still on the increase, there is always the possibility that the cook in the kitchen is unsure of how to prepare some of the more unusual varieties. The urge to grow outweighs other considerations.
Continue Reading
When dreams become reality
January 13, 2013
Whether you are reclaiming ground, starting from scratch or re-planning an existing garden, turning dreams into reality requires a certain amount of foresight and strategy. But where to begin, particularly if you are new to gardening? I looked back at the blog posts and statistics for all I have written on this Dobies blog over the last two years and noticed that the topic that still attracts the most attention is anything to do with layouts and cropping.
Continue Reading
Thinking of Summer !!
October 12, 2012
Touring on the continent this summer in our motor-home, whilst the UK wet seemed to follow wherever we travelled, I was nevertheless always drawn to the vegetable stalls in every market – a reminder of other, hotter summers in years long gone, and particularly herbs, and GARLIC. Subtlety of flavour, life-enhancing, considered by many to be a herbal wonder drug, with a reputation in folklore for preventing or treating everything from the common cold and 'flu to the legendary plague! It is nevertheless a powerful natural antibiotic and antioxidant, and is claimed to assist in the management of blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
Continue Reading


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Plenty going on in the garden though with a good assortment of Finches. Best of which have been 4 Bramblings, 1 Redpoll, 1 Siskin, and a good sized flock of 22 Greenfinches.
Out of the village, Hoe Lane has been fairly uneventful with a flock of 30+ Chaffinches, and 6 Waxwings the highlights. Also 20+ Lapwings and an albino Redwing in the area.
The rest of my time birding has been spent "re-negotiating" access to some private fields locally. It's always heartening how generous the local landowners are towards letting a birdwatcher on their land. Such arrangements pretty much guarantee a tranquil hour or so birding off the beaten track.


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The band was in Europe. I had been sick for a couple of days. It had been raining for 3 days. I spent most of my time off stage in a van or on a dirty dressing room couch. Then one day, the rain stopped. I stepped out of the van in some parking lot in Berlin and I could feel the sun on my face. I knew in that moment why people used to worship the sun… I just couldn't figure out why they stopped.
Surya Namaskara.


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Bakia's New Blog LayoutPosted by Robyn Williams at 20:07
I've been working on my boyfriends website layout forever, because it's been giving me non-stop problems. So yesterday, I sat down and completely recoded it and it's fixed. So now all I gotta do is add all the content.
While waiting for said content, he also asked me to redo his blog layout to resemble his new website layout so that's what I did today.
Check it out :


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Monday, December 22, 2008
Steve Huston...until Jan 11th
Steve Huston exhibit is in town in Beverly Hills!!!!! http://www.yargerfineart.com/main.html
I talked witht he owners for a bit... they are very personable and they have Huston's sketchbook out there for you to see! Must go again... I must! Happy Holidays!
Posted by Rodney Fuentebella at 10:36 PM 3 comments:
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
x12 Westwood studies
An awesome painter in Dreamsworks (Nathan Fowkes) inspired my to do these studies... so some of us at work did studies from our spectacular 18th floor view of westwood in los angeles....enjoy!...the majority of these took between 10-20min to do for each. Enjoy!
Posted by Rodney Fuentebella at 4:17 PM 7 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


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The Monarch of the Glen of range of Blended Scotch Whiskies offers an a varied selection of differing premium blends from the clean and crisp 3 year old to a more complex and luxurious 15 year old. Each of the blends in the range has a selection of some of the finest Highland and Speyside Single Malts chosen by our Master Blender to compliment the Lowland grain whisky to create an experience which is individual and exciting.
Clean, lingering and satisfying
Monarch of the Glen 3 Year Old Blended Scotch Whisky is perfectly balanced using the highest quality malt and grain whiskies delivering a surprisingly complex depth of flavour for such a youthful blend. The vanilla nose is crisp and clean deceptively hiding the rich and deep mellow sweetness that develops on the palate. The finish is clean, lingering, and satisfying.
Vanilla hints with a crisp and clean nose.
Rich and deep with a mellow sweetness.
A lingering sweetness, clean and refreshing on the palate.
This product comes in 40% and 43% alcohol.


text:
Charlotte Macaluso
The Pueblo City Schools Superintendent of Schools, reports to the Board of Education and provides administrative leadership to a public school district of over 2,400 employees and nearly 18,000 students.
The superintendent is primarily responsible for administering the policies of the Board of Education. The superintendent's responsibilities include overseeing a strategic plan, managing a budget of more than $200 million, driving a comprehensive curriculum to international standards, building and strengthening relationships with parents and a community of more than 100,000 and representing the school district as the primary spokesperson.
For additional information please e-mail or call us (719) 549-7103.
Administration >


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770 Straight-fit pant in lightweight garment-dyed chino
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The chinos for the guy who's looking for a fit that's actually easy to move (and sit) in, our 770 straight fit is slim through the hip and thigh, with a straight leg. We wash each pair for over 300 minutes for that perfect broken-in feel (so it's as if you've had them forever from day one). This pair has been garment-dyed for a vintage look with lots of highs and lows of color at the seams.
- Cotton.
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- Import.
- Select stores.
- Item G4195.


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Dec 09, 2015
Garden City, KS-Garden City improved to 10-4 with a 83-73 win over Allen County. Josh Fleming paved the way scoring 19 points and Diontae Jones added 9 while Gage Loy and JT Bennett scored 8 each.
Garden City shot 44% from the field and 81% from the free throw line. Allen County's Jarmaine Long led all scorers with 21 points. The Busters will host Coffeyville Saturday Night at 7:30 PM.


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Tango Extends Offer And Urges Shareholders To Take No Action In Response To Calipso's Offer
Home News, Reports and Presentations News Releases
Tango Mining Pte. Ltd. ("Tango"), the special purpose vehicle owned by PT ANTAM Tbk and Shenzhen Zhongjin Lingnan Nonfemet Co. Ltd, formed to make the takeover offer for Herald Resources Limited ("Herald"), announces that it has extended its unconditional Offer so that it now closes at 5pm Perth time on 15 July 2008.
Tango is currently considering its options and will provide an update to Herald shareholders shortly. Due to this Tango will extend the closing date of its Offer by a week from 5pm Perth time on 8 July 2008 to 5pm Perth time on 15 July 2008.
Tango urges Herald shareholders to TAKE NO ACTION in response to Calipso's offer until Tango has clarified its position.
Shareholder Information
The Tango Offer will now close at 5pm Perth time on Tuesday, 15 July 2008 (unless further extended).
Herald shareholders can accept the Tango Offer by completing the Acceptance Form sent to them in the original Tango Bidder's Statement and also included in the Third Supplementary Bidder's Statement dated 3 June 2008 sent to them.
|Precious Metals Prices
PT Antam (Persero) Tbk
|Base Metals Prices
PT Antam (Persero) Tbk


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In 1952, two young Argentines, Ernesto Guevara and Alberto Granado, set out on a road trip to discover the real Latin America. Ernesto is a 23-year-old medical student specializing in leprology, and Alberto, 29, is a biochemist. The tale follows their journey as they unveil the rich and complex human and social topography of the Latin American continent.
Official Site: www.motorcyclediariesmovie.com
Director: Walter Salles
Producer: Michael Nozik, Edgard Tenenbaum and Karen Tenkhoff
Cast: Gael García Bernal, Rodrigo De La Serna, Mia Maestro, Mercedes Moran, Jean Pierre Noher, Gustavo Bueno and Jorge Chiarella
Sorry there are no upcoming showtimes for The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta)


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Home Toy Parking
Played 7699 times
Home Toy Parking game information:
Are you ready for a new fun toy parking challenge? In which you must use your skills to park the 18 wheeler in some of the hardest parking spots you ever seen!
Use arrow keys to drive and see how skilled you are behind the wheels! Press space to brake the trailer and the toy truck.
Complete in each level to become the best driver and see if you can handle all 10 levels and 30 parking spots. Enjoy this home truck parking and good luck!
Have fun!
How to play:
Use arrow keys to drive the tuck
Add this game to your website or blog!
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With the continuation of the election related equity market rally comes even lower SPX option implied volatility. The curve shifted lower across the board, but do note the angle steepens a bit between VIX and VXV with VXV representing IV into 2017.
The performance table lives up to expectations after a week where the S&P 500 rose 3%. A couple of things that are worth note. VVIX remains at relatively high levels despite VIX being under pressure. SKEW finished the week under 120.00 which is interesting considering VIX is low and SKEW has spent most of the year at the higher end of historical averages.
UVXY lost 20% and VXX was down more than 10% last week which just adds to what was a tough year for long volatility funds. SVXY managed to pick up 10% which places the short volatility ETF at up over 78% for 2016.
The table below continues with the low volatility theme that was last week. Only a handful of volatility indexes quoted by CBOE were higher with VXGS leading the way.
Mid-afternoon Thursday with VXX at 26.40 someone came in with a trade picking a range for VXX on standard December (12/16) expiration. Specifically, they sold the VXX Dec 27.50 Put for 1.82 and sold the VXX Dec 28.00 Call for 0.52. An iron condor was created with a purchase of the Dec 23.50 Puts at 0.07 and Dec 32.50 Calls for 0.14. After all that a credit of 2.13 was taken in along with a payoff that looks like the diagram below.
Futures questions? Get answers at TD Ameritrade.Free futures education and specialists available day and night.
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OK, so there is this trend lately to make sure that everyone is 'beautiful.' And I'm not particularly on board.
See, to me, everyone has strengths. Everyone has weaknesses. There's nothing wrong with that. Some people are short, some people are dumb, some people are ugly. Those sound like awful words, and in some ways they are and shouldn't be used in polite company. However, I don't think the solution is to redefine the antonyms of those words so that they apply to absolutely everyone.
Dictionary.com defines beauty as "the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest)." However, I feel like most people define it as visually pleasing when it is used in a generic context. If something is not intensely visually pleasing, it is not beautiful.
But my point is this: People do not have to be beautiful to be good and of worth.
You don't have to be 'normal,' or clever, or pretty, or talented, or even functional, to be good. Period. Being good is all about your choices, which are unrelated to any of those.
The people I know who are not 'normal' (aka 'weird') are great because they add humour and variety to my life.
The people I know who are not clever can be great because they teach me the value of perseverance and trying even when they won't ever do very well.
The people I know who are not fully functional teach me the value of persisting despite obstacles, and finding alternative ways to get things done. The ones that are truly and completely not functional, teach me to love and to serve without expecting anything in return.
The people I know who are not pretty teach me to look beyond the surface for other qualities.
Now, I have known a lot of annoying people. But most of them are annoying because of their choices, not because of vacuous societal judgments or inborn traits.
So embrace the good in you, fight the bad, always try your best, and you will always be splendid. You don't need to be the best at everything--or even ANYTHING--to be wonderful.
Cecret Lake
3 months ago


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Visa Cash and Equivalents vs Deposit Liabilities Analysis
|V -- USA Stock
Visa financial indicator trend analysis is much more than just breaking down Visa prevalent accounting drivers to predict future trends. We encourage investors to analyze account correlations over time for multiple indicators to determine whether Visa is a good investment. Please check the relationship between Visa Cash and Equivalents and its Deposit Liabilities accounts. Also please take a look at World Market Map.
Cash and Equivalents vs Deposit Liabilities
Accounts Relationship
Cash and Equivalents vs Deposit Liabilities
Significance: Strong Contrarian Relationship
Overlapping area represents amount of trend that can be explained by analyzing historical patterns of Visa Cash and Equivalents account and Deposit Liabilities
Correlation Coefficient
|Relationship Direction
|Relationship Strength
|Very Weak
Cash and EquivalentsA component of [Assets] representing the amount of currency on hand as well as demand deposits with banks or financial institutions.
Deposit LiabilitiesA component of [Liabilities] representing the total of all deposit liabilities held; including foreign and domestic; interest and noninterest bearing. May include demand deposits; saving deposits; Negotiable Order of Withdrawal and time deposits among others.
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text:
I had coffee with my friend Joelle this weekend, she's just come back from an "excellent, intense, inspiring" month with David Garrigues in his new Kovalam shala (he's there a month or so a year from now on supposedly). We were talking about drop backs, as you do, and she was mentioning his arms over technique which I explored for a while I seem to remember ( probably the Venkatesh influence of Boodiba - miss her) but seemed to have forgotten about.
Explored it a little Sunday, loved it actually, felt very gentle, smooth.... intuitive actually. Although I probably didn't feel that way a couple of years back when hanging back seemed unbearable.
David has an Asana kitchen on this of course Asana Kitchen: Dropping Back Parts 1-2
Thought I'd try it in Kapo too....just to see.
Does David use this approach to kapo in his 2nd series video, really should get a copy, especially now as I'm working on getting my 2nd back. (Update: Unfortunaely still not available in the UK and $65 to get it from the US - we need download versions for the international Ashtanga community, David Robson does this of course).
|learn more here
I've started looking at full vinyasa 2nd series too, that's interesting. God, when I think of all the extra breaths I've tended to take preparing for kapo and then afterwards before moving on to the next posture. Here your straight in five breaths, another five in B then move on.
Not sure how you go about dropping on to your heels with this method but I'm curious enough to play with it, explore a little.
There you go, old style asana post...
Rather than being an arse to somebody (as well as ourselves) this morning may I suggest confronting some of our own demons. Twenty-five breaths in kapo should do it or start with five and see how it goes.
Here's the video of my second go at this approach (tried it for the first time yesterday, liked it).
I've also started exploring the heel lift since Norman Sjoman's workshop, still not sure about that either, not quite got the hang of the shift of balance.
Full vinyasa is tricky with kapo, the uttanasana before samastithi, last thing you want to do, much rather spend a couple of extra breaths in Adho Mukha Svanasana
Update : Peg Mulqueen (Ashtanga Dispatch) I remembered is a student of David's and I seem to remember she had a kapo video a while back, perhaps she uses the arms outstretched version. indeed she does, here it is.
Below is the approach I've been using up until now. I think I got the hands firmly behind the neck approach from my old blog friend Liz although this particular video seems to have been inspired by the Richard Freeman workshop from a year ago (added link to the original post), seems to do a good job at keeping the arms in and thus allowing the heel grab from the air, not sure how to go about getting a similar effect from the arms outstretched approach, suggestions?
Thursday, 15 March 2012
Richard Freeman AYC backbending workshop transcribed, "It works I tell ya".
Note about kapo. I'll be happy with getting my heels back, not really bothered about going any further up the calf than that. the heels give some purchase allowing you to draw yourself in nicely and settle, that said, ankles are even nicer, no chance of slipping off and you can start exploring those long Rishi series breath counts.
See this page from the top of the blog on the 'Rishi series'
'Originally there were five series: Primary, Intermediate, Advanced A, Advanced B, and the fifth was the "rishi" series'.
Nancy Gilgoff 'Yoga as it was'
Just had a thought, wonder if the Rishi series was full vinyasa, why wouldn't it be.
Talking of full vinyasa finally got around to ordering Lino Miele and Gwendoline Hunt demonstrating full vinyasa 2nd and Advanced A.
Here's a link to a very sweet page on Gwendoline
In Memoriam: Gwendoline Hunt, 1930-2004


text: Large-area X-ray camera SANTA CLARA, Calif., May 14, 2009 – Rad-icon Imaging Corp. has expanded its line of very large area (VLA) CMOS x-ray cameras with the introduction of the SkiaGraph8 EV. The camera supports x-ray energies of up to 160 kVp and is designed to meet the rigorous imaging requirements of a variety of medical and industrial radiography applications. It features low power consumption and high detective quantum efficiency. The camera builds upon a tiled configuration of the company's RadEye100 VLA CMOS image sensors to achieve a total active sensing area of 20 × 20 cm. It provides real-time imaging at up to 1.4 fps, or 5.3 fps in binned mode, 12-bit digital contrast resolution and 5-line pairs per millimeter spatial resolution. A choice of scintillators provides high sensitivity. A Gd2O2S (Gadox) integrated direct-contact scintillator converts x-ray photons into visible light that is sensed by the CMOS photodiodes. A thin graphite cover protects the sensor from accidental damage and from ambient light. Analog signals from the photodiode sensors are digitized in eight or more parallel analog/digital channels and then interleaved for maximum transmission across a high-speed parallel digital interface. The camera delivers 2000 × 2048-pixel resolution and has an LVDS interface that integrates easily with image acquisition hardware. It is supplied with ready-to-run software and drivers and offers a variety of frame grabber options, including Ethernet. Dynamic range is 72 dB, power dissipation is <5 W, operating temperature is from 0 to 50 °C, and pixel spacing is 96 µm. The compact camera measures 244 × 279 × 33 mm and weighs 3.5 kg. Medical applications for the camera include general radiography, tissue biopsy and bone densitometry. It is also suitable for use in industrial inspection, nondestructive testing of plastics and composite inspection. For more information, visit: www.rad-icon.com Rad-icon Imaging Corp. 3193 Belick Street Unit 1 Santa Clara, CA 95054 Phone: (408) 486-0886 Fax: (408) 486-0882


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Fluoresthread (60 meters) by PACKSMALLPLAYBIG - Trick
- Description
- Send to a Friend
- Recommended
|The best option on the market to do the gypsy thread.
It is 100% cotton, easy to break and UV or blue LED light sensitive.
Even with normal light, you will love this thread.
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text:
|Pounding Stone on a High Ridge
The buckeye seeds have slipped out
of their jackets and rest, smooth,
rock-hard, on wet oak and sycamore leaves.
One sprout in each seed prepares to pierce
through taut skin and claw its way
into humus. Newts plod
over moss and leaves, recoiling
as we step near them. They blend
with wet leaves so well
that we have to watch each step.
We stop at a mossy outcrop of rock
and slide our fingers over slick
red-bud branches, the fan-like leaves
plastering rock and soil. We swear
the rocks--tolerant of roots, harboring
other creatures, sprouting star moss--
are as significant and mysterious
as ourselves. In the distance,
a black phoebe chirps, the steward
of the confluence of the creeks.
The people who once ground
acorns on the flat rocks
by these creeks have vanished,
their descendants building
|Pestles on a Pounding Stone
casinos on nearby reservations.
We honor friends who, fighting
for wildness, have been threatened,
blackballed, and ruined, and we slowly
build a fortress with these rocks,
for a moment no longer trespassers,
our chants protecting the solitude
of the heron, the granaries
of the woodpecker, the ranges
of the newt and bobcat and all the tribes
of trees and flowers, our magic
gathered from wetness, moss, fallen leaves.


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Friend's Email:
Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
|Huff - The Complete First Season
Actors: Hank Azaria, Paget Brewster, Anton Yelchin, Andy Comeau, Blythe Danner
Directors: Dan Lerner, Daniel Attias, Ellen S. Pressman, Mark Piznarski, Martha Coolidge
Genres: Drama, Television
UR 2006 11hr 35min
Dr. Craig Huffstodt is a family man and a successful psychiatrist who gets a wake-up call when one of his patients, a 15-year-old boy, commits suicide during a therapy session. Huff's whole existence - as doctor, husband, ... more »
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Member Movie Reviews
Patricia M. from HAGERSTOWN, MD
Reviewed on 11/3/2016...
Great entire series! Similar to "In Treatment"... follows the personal and inner life of a career psychiatrist. Extremely well done.
Wendy B. from MICANOPY, FL
Reviewed on 9/30/2013...
This show can be watched multiple times, & it just gets better & better. & I found season 2 on Amazon that ties everything up pretty nicely. I can't understand why they cancelled this show. Deep, funny, profoundly sad, & magical, & the ending, I promise will both surprise you & knock u to your knees. FABULOUS series.
Canes N. from WALLACE, NC
Reviewed on 9/8/2010...
This show starts off a little slow but really gets going at about episode 4. Great characters and Blythe Danner is fabulous as the matriarch.
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
Geonn W. Cannon | Oklahoma | 03/17/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Whenever people talk about the great shows pay cable has to offer, they always talk about HBO. Sopranos, Six Feet Under, Sex and the City, Deadwood... Showtime never gets a mention, despite such great and innovative programs such as Dead Like Me, Jeremiah and now: Huff.
With Huff, like all their shows, Showtime manages to make a show with conflicted, real characters without resorting to graphic sex or violence. The language is still as harsh as ever, but it's nothing you probably wouldn't hear in the course of a day if you were in these situations.
Even if HBO gets all the press for their sex and violence, Showtime has another winner with Huff. Great stories, wonderfully real characters who - gasp! - make mistakes, amazing acting... Craig Huffstodt and Hank Azaria are two different people who happen to look and sound a lot alike, I must say. Paget Brewster is completely believable as the harried housewife and who would have thought Blythe Danner could be unlikeable?!
Give this show a chance. The storylines don't resolve at the end of one episode, the characters strike realistically and behave much as you'd expect while you're hoping and praying they won't be that self-destructive.
And hey, Bob Saget plays a drug-addicted former sitcom star in one episode. It's almost worth the price of the set alone. ;-D"
Simply the best
imsocrazy | vass | 03/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This and Weeds are the most entertaining shows on television. Hank Azaria is just incredible and the only person who could play Huff. Oliver Platt is an absolute comic genius and I am madly in love with him. He is in a class by himself and deserves his own 5 stars. The way the whole family interacts is so fascinating and complicated and keeps me wanting more. I have watched the whole first season again just because I can't get enough!!! Bring on season 2."
Best Show on TV at a great price
Douglas Mashkow | 03/26/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I love Sopranos, Six Feet, etc., but I consider "Huff" the best show on television. Hank Azaria is great as usual, but the performances given by Blythe Danner and Oliver Platt are superlative, both deserving of "Best Supporting" Emmys.
With the price set at $25 (with a $25 rebate if you subscribe to Shotime), the DVD set is a great way to get acquainted with "Huff."


text: Gov. Haley Barbour has appointed John R. Kelly to the Mississippi State Board of Education. Kelly's term begins July 1, and he must be confirmed by the State Senate. The term expires June 30, 2020. Kelly is Gulfport's chief administrative officer and oversees the day-to-day operations of city departments. He has served in the position since 2006. Kelly, a Utica ...Read More »


text:
Meuniere sauce
From "Chef Paul Prudhomme's Louisiana Kitchen," by Paul Prudhomme.
1 cup Basic seafood stock (See recipe) or canned seafood stock
3/4 teaspoon minced garlic
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 In a 1-quart saucepan combine the stock and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
2 In a 1-quart saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter over high heat. Add the flour and whisk with a metal whisk until smooth, about 10 seconds. Remove from heat.
3 Return stock mixture to a medium heat. Gradually add the butter mixture to the stock mixture, whisking constantly until smooth. Reduce heat to very low. Add the remaining 2 1/2 sticks of butter, about a third at a time, whisking constantly each time until butter is melted. Gradually add the Worcestershire, whisking constantly, and add the salt.
4 Continue cooking until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes, whisking often. The sauce may be kept warm (or reheated) by setting the pan over another pan of hot (but not boiling) water.
Makes about 2 cups.
Nutrition information per 1/4 cup: 323 calories, 94% calories from fat, 34 g fat, 21 g saturated fat, 92 mg cholesterol, 3 g carbohydrates, 1 g protein, 209 mg sodium, 0 g fiber


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the boy had a surprise activity planned for the day....
we got in his truck with our bathing suits, shorts, lunch packed in a cooler, and a blanket.
we drove until we got to his mom and dad's house (i thought, oh great, we're going to clean his tool trailer which is parked in their yard) where he went into the shop to reveal ..... (excitement mounting yet?!) a big long green metal rod with a little horizontal bar accross the top and bits at the end that stuck up. Stuck this mossy coloured creation into his hitch and got back into the truck. As we drove to the front of the yard I was instructed to go in the house and get a jug, ice, drinks, etc. and find some old beach towels because we forgot that. Out front, boy backed up to the trailer, which clearly wasn't going to mount onto the hitch with that green rod. . . I still couldn't figure it out.
Can you?
Well, then the lean-to door was openned to reveal what made it all make sense. It looked like a banana. We hoisted it up on top of the truck, strapped it down and drove off proudly. After a stop at Tim Hortons we whipped accross the Golden Eares bridge and followed the Golden Eares mountain peaks until we landed at Alouette.
Had an awesome day! Do you know what we did?
Here's another clue to give it all away: it is featured on the Canadian 100 dollar bill.
Sorry no photos, that will be the next post!
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Guessing game...
Love From Ayla on Thursday, July 08, 2010
2 comments:
- Leif and Laura said...
My guess is canoeing? But I can't figure out what the long green rod is. Your description doesn't sound like a paddle!
- July 08, 2010
- Terrylynne said...
I Know, I know - do I get to "guess"?? LOL I didn't know he had such a "romantic streak" to him - enjoy it while it lasts!!
I want to hear more - and see pictures!
- July 08, 2010
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Family hope for inquest date
A sister of murdered Castlederg teenager Arlene Arkinson has described the delay in the opening of an inquest into her death as "mental torture".
Kathleen Arkinson made the comment amid hopes that a timetable for the opening of the inquest will be agreed this week.
Fifteen yearold Arlene Arkinson went missing following a night out in Bundoran in August 1994. Her remains have never been found despite a number of searches.
Ms Arkinson said the inquest had been due to begin in November 2011 but has been hit by a series of legal delays. "It has been mental torture for us as a family," she said. "Every time a door opens for us it is closed again. We get our hopes raised only to have them knocked down again. We have been fighting for this for six years and were told that it would be in November 2011 then when that passed we were told it would be March 2012 and then that passed by too.
"We will be travelling up to Belfast tomorrow and hopefully we will get a date for the opening of the inquest. We are hopeful but past experience has told us that we could be waiting longer," she said. Ms Arkinson also said that her family are determined to keep campaigning for the truth about her sister's death.
"This has been going on far too long. We just want to know the truth, We want to know the details, that is what an inquest is for and we are entitled to that truth.
"It has been a long road and may be longer still but I am not giving up hope," she said.


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Is there anything that better illustrates literary fiction's contemporary enthralment to the market than HarperCollins' series of Jane Austen modernisations? As John Mullan points out in the Observer, Austen's novels are specifically about the manners, modes and social constructs of the time in which she was writing, all of which have now gone by the board. He outlines them all and shows how Austen's plots hinge on them entirely: the formality of naming which creates the crucial romantic misunderstanding in Sense and Sensibility, the rigid rules of sexual behaviour which, adhered to or breached, can create commitments and misunderstandings that would never happen now (Persuasion and Sense and Sensibility), the unbreakable trap that marriage was, the fact that a single woman had lost her chance of it by the age of 27, and so on...
I suppose people will object that it's the characters that can be replicated, that the interest is in seeing those same characters negotiate a different set of social circumstances. But this is to subscribe to a pretty naive concept of 'character' and, more crucially, of what a novel is. Most of us, I guess, have been told that we are like a certain older relative, that we share their character, and many of have us felt that indeed we are and do, and in that sense we can see character as something that is passed down through families, determined by our genes, and therefore given and constant. But we are not in fact those older relatives: we may share certain personality traits but we are also formed by the different things that happen to us and the different society in which we live. Change the circumstances and you change the way a person is going to a behave, and thus in turn their character. And what is a novel - that most social of forms - but a depiction of the way people behave (action) when a certain set of social circumstances is applied to them?
A novel and its characters, as I discussed in a previous post, are also, supremely, constructs of language: to change the language of a novel - an essential part of the project in any modernisation - is to destroy its soul. And as Mullan points out, when the Marianne of Austen's Sense and Sensibility is finally driven to swear it is a most dramatic moment, but Joanna Trollope has her 'using the F-word on page 6, so when things turn really bad what extreme words does she have left?' Swearing means something different nowadays: it doesn't indicate the same thing about situations or characters, and the fact that Trollope's Marianne swears does not make her the same character as Austen's.
I really can't see what's actually being replicated here. Except for one thing: the lovely glow that a best-selling classic lights in the heart and a publisher's bank balance.
Tuesday, November 05, 2013
Austen modernisations, really?
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text:
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text:
Players appreciate DeBoer's emotion behind benchby Mike G. Morreale
NEWARK, N.J. -- Peter DeBoer believes there's just one difference between those rival teams he faced as a coach in the Ontario Hockey League with the Kitchener Rangers to now as the head man working the bench for the New Jersey Devils.
"The type of emotion that's involved is the same, but the only difference is you have 10 million people here [watching]," DeBoer said during a media conference call on Tuesday afternoon.
DeBoer and several players took the time to speak with the media during an off-day after an emotional 4-1 victory in Game 4 against the New York Rangers on Monday at Prudential Center. The triumph enabled the Devils to even the best-of-seven, 2-2, with Game 5 slated Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.
Parise's play does the talking in Game 4Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer
In Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Zach Parise let his play do the talking with a pair of goals and one assist to lead the Devils to a 4-1 victory. READ MORE ›
DeBoer was quick to mention his OHL battles against rivals Guelph, where current Devils assistant coach Dave Barr coached, and London, where former Washington Capitals coach Dale Hunter once ruled. Let's face it, though, he'd be hard-pressed to recall a shouting match during a game much like the one he participated in with Rangers coach John Tortorella 6:18 into the third period of Game 4.
It all started after Rangers forward Mike Rupp punched Devils goalie Martin Brodeur with his left hand, triggering a few scuffles on the ice and a verbal confrontation between the two coaches on the bench.
"I think emotion takes over," DeBoer said. "I don't know the word 'defend,' but I took offense at what happened on the ice, and that was my outlet, right or wrong."
Right or wrong, his players certainly took notice.
"It's part of the game and part of playoff hockey, and Pete's been really good to us all playoff long," Brodeur said. "Usually he puts his emotions in check a little bit but at that time of the game, it was probably appropriate for him to step out and have a little conversation. Whatever was said, I don't know, but we know he cares. I think he shows a lot of people that he's really into this just as much as the players."
Devils forward Travis Zajac knows against an archrival, it's tough to sometimes control emotions.
"We play each other so often and every game is a war against [the Rangers]," Zajac said. "For me, in my first year, seeing leaders like [Patrik Elias] and Marty, and seeing the way they competed against that team. It makes it easy to get involved and hate that team."
Zajac said he had no issue with DeBoer's response following Rupp's left-handed chop to Brodeur's chest.
"He's an emotional guy and he wants to win just like us, and it rubs off on us to see how much he cares about the players and his team and about us having success … it makes us feel good," Zajac said.
DeBoer doesn't believe there will be any carryover from Game 4 into Game 5 -- there's just too much at stake. When asked if he thought the extracurricular activity after the whistle would have occurred had the Devils not taken a 3-0 lead, he responded, "No."
The Hudson River rivalry is actually everything DeBoer imagined it would be.
"I think emotion takes over. I don't know the word 'defend,' but I took offense at what happened on the ice, and that was my outlet, right or wrong."
-- Devils' coach Peter DeBoer
"It's exactly what I had heard it was, and what I anticipated it would be," DeBoer said. "I'd heard about it and it's lived up to its billing. The most important thing for us is the young guys learning to manage their emotions against a rival like the Rangers. I think they've done a very good job of that."
Devils captain Zach Parise wasn't surprised by DeBoer's reaction to what transpired after the whistle. The teams combined for 48 minutes in penalties in the third period on Monday. The Rangers were assessed seven minors and two misconducts totaling 34 minutes.
"We know how much of a competitor he is and he cares about his players and he cares about winning and he's emotionally involved in the games just as we all are," Parise said. "I think it's great to see when your coach is involved like that and cares like that. I think he's done a great job throughout the playoffs of keeping his cool when things have gone good or bad.
"He's always done a good job of keeping everything even keel and, I don't know, something just happened that pushed him over the edge [in Game 4] and that's fine with us. We know he cares about us and cares about the team."
Follow Mike Morreale on Twitter at: @mike_morreale


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TN Department of Labor Outlines Safety Requirements for Zip Line Operations
NASHVILLE – Sailing through forests at lightning speed is gaining popularity with thrill-seekers as zip lining becomes more and more common in Tennessee, and the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development aims to ensure the experience is safe for riders.
In October 2012 the TN Department of Labor established policies for zip line installation and operation, consistent with ACCT (Association for Challenge Course Technology) standards to inspect zip lines beginning in January 2013. All commercial zip line operators are required to inform the Tennessee Department of Labor & Workforce Development when they set up their businesses so they can be inspected and be granted a permit issued by the Department.
"We inspect zip lines a minimum of once a year, the same frequency as we inspect amusement rides. We make sure operators have a certificate of insurance and all the paperwork to back up their daily inspections – showing that the operators inspected harnesses and platforms and other apparatus before riders used the equipment. They must also show they have met the requirement to have an annual ACCT-certified person inspect and re-certify their whole zip line system, making sure it follows industry standards," said Lee Bentley, amusement device inspector manager. Before coming to the department, Bentley was the technical supervisor at Universal Studios in Orlando for 17 years where he set up Jurassic Park. He also worked for Dollywood in Sevierville for several years.
Bentley said if a zip line is found to be unsafe, it is red-tagged the same as any amusement ride, meaning it cannot be operated and the tag cannot be removed until he or someone from his division has re-inspected it. He helps the zip line businesses he inspects get up to speed and meet specifications before they re-open. He said sometimes they do not know about ACCT, so he educates them on how that association can guide them in making their operations safe.
ACCT has a book that deals with specifics such as how to attach to a tree, how to put on a cable, how to position a platform onto a tree, and how to make sure anchors are able to support weight loads. ACCT will even provide recommended vendors to set up the zip line operation.
Because of the increasing prevalence of commercial zip lines, the department has recently hired a second person to help inspect these amusement devices. Those interested in starting a zip line company or would like to have their existing zip line business inspected should call the Workplace Regulations and Compliance Division of the TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development at (615)741-2858 or contact Lee Bentley, Amusement Device Inspector Manager, at (865)307-2415.
- # # # -
ATTACHED PICTURE - Lee Bentley, Amusement Device Inspector Manager


text:
This is an author's blog written by Pico Triano. 'Pico's Profile' will tell you a little about me. 'Pico's Stuff' will lead you to links and information on how you can access all my publicly available writing. 'Friends and Family' advertises websites on behalf of family and friends. The 'Friend Book Reviews' page is where I review materials written by the many friends I have made as a writer. Finally I recently added a review page for general reviews.
Sunday, 31 August 2014
From Pico's Pen Has a New Home
From Pico's Pen has a new url. This will be the last post at this address. I do get a steady stream of traffic here and would like to see that all transfer over to the new site. If you have found this site please click on the link here http://frompicospen.blogspot.ca/ to visit my new site. If you are one of my followers, please follow the new site. This one will remain open but will not be maintained or updated anymore.
The new website should be a lot better. It will be easier to follow my writing if you are so inclined. It will also incorporate everything I have learned about this site in time.
Thanks for reading. Looking forward to all my readers visiting the new site.
Pico Triano
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Spooky Fever Ray download
Back in March, one half of The Knife Karin Dreijer Andersson released a solo album under the name Fever Ray.
The self-titled album is one of the year's best, full of claustrophobic electronic-pop songs that blend into each other so well that it almost finishes before it begins, leaving you reaching for the repeat button.
Fever Ray have performed the album's tracks at some 50 shows, all of them reported to be among the most disturbing of recent years. Venues were completely filled with dry ice, through which you could vaguely make out eerie figures on the stage: a deeply sinister clown, someone dressed as a kind of insect.
This weekend, a recording of one of these shows has been made available to readers of The Guardian.
Guardian "readers" can download the album from http://guardian.co.uk/feverray
Crowd sourcing a Nine Inch Nails show
On August 23rd, Nine Inch Nails performed their self-hate masterpiece The Downward Spiral live in its entirety for the first time ever.
While the band were unwilling to pay the venue's exorbitant fees to have the performance professionally recorded, they were able to negotiate an open camera policy, meaning fans could film the show themselves using anything from a mobile phone to hi-def video camera.
Almost as soon as the show ended, fans started using the nin.com forums and quasi official NIN fan sites NIN Hotline and thisoneisonus.org to hunt out and compile footage from all who attended. Now only two months later, a polished multi-cam edited downloadable DVD of the full Webster Hall performance has appeared.
Forget crowd surfing - crowd sourcing is the new thing to do at rock concerts.
You can download the DVD from http://theninhotline.net/features/TDSlive/ or stream the YouTube channel here.


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TUF 18: Jessamyn Duke Fighter Blog, Episode 4September 26, 2013
Note: All quotes and material were obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report through one-on-one between Jessamyn Duke and Bleacher Report's Riley Kontek.
Coming off Chris Beal's loss to Chris Holdsworth, my team was now 0-2 going into the next female fight with Team Tate in control. At the picks the two smallest women were chosen, Roxanne Modafferi and Jessica Rakoczy, my teammate.
It was a fight we would have picked, but we were going to wait until the last female fight because, unfortunately, Jessica hurt her shoulder in the elimination fight against Revelina Berto. She got caught in an armlock and everyone knew she was banged up. After she won her fight against Revelina, she sat on the bleachers for the rest of the fights with an icepack on her shoulder.
So in a perfect world, we'd have opted for more time for her shoulder to heal. But in the TUF house, you don't always do what you want to do; you do what you have to do.
Jessica couldn't train to her fullest because of her injury. She could barely move her shoulder or even sleep on it. It wasn't a secret either because she was constantly icing it. It was her right shoulder so all she could really throw was her left punch, which you saw when she was working on a drill with Ronda Rousey. It wasn't until she was picked to fight that the coaches even started working her right shoulder and grappling. Team Tate knew she was hurt, and that's why they picked her. Shades of Chris Beal...
The confrontation of the episode was between Coach Edmond and Team Tate's guest coach Dennis Hallman, a UFC veteran. At one of the weigh-ins, which they didn't show on TV, Hallman was staring a hole through Edmond. This was the first time we had seen Hallman and for some reason he decided to try and mean mug Edmond. It's one thing to glance and catch eyes with somebody, but he was making it obvious.
Finally, Edmond spoke up and said, "What's your problem man, why are you staring at me?" What you saw on the show was Edmond giving Dennis the look back because he was insulted by it.
In the locker room, Ronda was sure Hallman was trying to provoke Edmond into a fight to get him kicked off the show, which would have hurt our team because Edmond was considered the head coach and Dennis was a temporary guest coach for them. We thought it was a cheap tactic, but the episode only shows Edmond's reaction, not what provoked him. Trust me, Hallman started it.
Edmond has a temper to begin with, so they knew it would push his buttons, but he kept his cool. Of course, Dana White stepped in and tried to calm the situation down saying things like, "This isn't what the show is all about, this will make the sport bad, please knock it off."
After that Ronda gave him her word that Team Rousey would not engage in any further confrontations, respond to any so called "pranks" and that nothing would happen.
However, this kind of antagonistic behavior would continue for the rest of the show. We just couldn't react because Ronda told us not to do it. She said when she gave her word, she meant it, and we had to honor that as her team.We did, but the result was Team Tate would kind of bully us knowing that we wouldn't retaliate.
Going into the house, I didn't really know anything about Jessica Rakoczy in terms of her personal life or the extent of her boxing career. However, she truly became one of my favorite people in the house because she was very passionate about the sport. She was extremely caring and motherly toward us and she had literally everything coming into the house we would need. For instance, somebody would say, "Man, I wish I had a Q-tip" and bam! She would pull out her bag and grab you one.
Of course, she had a heartbreaking background. What she's gone through is the reason she has the passion she does for this sport. It really is true, boxing saved her life. Had she not found boxing, she wouldn't be the person she is today.
You can see her passion in each of her fights. She has the most terrifying warm-up I've ever seen, and it's because she draws on the pain from her past to give her strength and it makes her fight with a vengeance.
As for Roxanne, you can see how positive and friendly she is on the show. That's her true character, and she's just impossible not to like. Everyone got along with her, and she was really fun to be around.
She was making that toilet paper man in our room and at first I was like, "This is really what you're doing right now?" Then a couple minutes later, I'm on the floor helping her and having a blast. Her playful outlook and happy attitude are just really infectious. That was great because we needed someone like that in the house.
In the cage, though, Roxanne is one of the toughest fighters in the world. She's no joke when she fights, and people sometimes underestimate her because she is so nice and friendly. She can take a shot and keep coming forward and she's a serious threat on the ground. Going into the fight, we had to stress to Jessica how dangerous Roxanne really was, which gave her a little fear going in, but that's a good thing because she went into the fight prepared and not overconfident.
Jessica admitted having Roxanne as a roommate and opponent was kind of awkward, but we sat down at the beginning of the show when we chose rooms and discussed the ground rules of what we could talk about and what we would do when inevitably one of us would be fighting her. Would somebody move rooms?
What we decided was that it wouldn't be a big deal and we would stick with everyone in the room. I could understand the awkwardness Jessica had though, because I don't like to be buddy-buddy friends with somebody before a fight because that can lead you to treating someone like a sparring partner instead of an opponent. After the fight, I'm all about being friends but beforehand I need some space. That obviously wasn't the case with the fight between Jessica and Roxanne.
Fight time came and I thought it was a good, competitive bout. Roxanne won the first round with her grappling and positions. She did get reversed at one point and took some damage, but she still took the round. On the other hand, Jessica is extremely explosive and strong, so Roxanne had a hard time holding her down to do any real harm.
At one point, she had her in a really tight armbar. I think because Jessica was such a handful, Roxanne tired out a little bit in the first round. You could see she was a little gassed in between rounds.
Jessica's speed and accuracy with her punches were the key to her win. Roxanne threw a spinning back fist which she side-stepped and countered hard in the blink of an eye. At one point, Jessica got back on her feet and was adjusting her shorts while avoiding punches to her head. That's how quick she is. She was still fresh, and Roxanne was definitely getting a little winded.
The refereeing in that fight was some of the strangest I had ever seen. The way he stopped Jessica in the middle of striking Roxanne and screamed in her face was weird. We thought she was hitting Roxanne in the back of the head. He pulled her off to the side and talked to her, but didn't take a point.
She did grab the fence unintentionally several times but just because it wasn't on purpose, doesn't excuse it, so she probably should have gotten a point taken.
You can't give that many warnings. If you are going to give that many warnings, you have to take a point or stop giving warnings. I don't think taking the point would have done anything to change the fight outcome, but she probably should have been penalized.
The finish of the fight was crazy. Roxanne was lifted up by Jessica and slammed to the mat. Her head bounced off really hard and you could tell from her eyes that she didn't know where she was. She got hit again, and it looked like it brought her back to consciousness, which happens. One more punch and she was out again, and that's when the stoppage came. Sometimes you get knocked out and another strike wakes you back up, and that's what I think was the case there.
The stoppage may have seemed late because Roxanne looked loopy while on the ground, but she was still throwing her legs up for attacks, and we were yelling for her to back off. Roxanne's dangerous even when she's hurt badly and that's why I think the ref let it go as long as he did. That final punch that earned the stoppage may have been overkill, but the ref was giving her a chance to work.
The mood after Roxanne lost was pretty crappy. We were elated that Jessica won and Team Rousey had gained control, but we were also extremely bummed for Roxy. There was no excessive celebration; everyone was just concerned that she was okay. Of course, being the awesome person she is, she immediately wanted to see Jessica and congratulate her. She truly is a good soul and a class act.
So finally, we got to pick the next fight and Ronda went with Davey Grant from our team against Louis Fissette of their team. She picked Davey because he was ready and had been asking for a fight. He was peaking in training, which is great because that's when you get the best performance in the cage.
He's kind of a goofy guy, and a bit of a roughneck in training. He spars hard, wrestles hard, fights hard and overall trains hard. He loves to bang and he loves to get in there and go. We knew he had to get in there and fight right away.
Louis was the guy who lost to Holdsworth in the fight to get into the house but took Timmy Gorman's spot when he got injured. We viewed Louis as their weakest fighter, so that's why we chose him. That being said, his fight with Holdsworth showed he could go hard and would probably be a tough opponent.
We had a ton of confidence in Davey, which was great for me because, if he won and we retained the pick, I would get the next fight. I was supposed to be next if Chris Beal had won, but that didn't happen. Of course, I was feeling very confident Davey could win, so my excitement started building just knowing I'd have a fight of my own very soon.
**Tune in next week to hear Jessamyn's thoughts on the continued tension between coaching staffs, more in-depth stories from the house and her thoughts on the fight between Davey Grant and Louis Fissette as well as the next female fight pick.


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Hold off on the dinner reservations and don't worry about calling the florist. AT&T is running a special on their "red" devices from now until February 14th - the LG Shine, the BlackJack 2 and the Curve 8310 - all at a promotional $99.99 price point. For that someone special that is still hanging on to their buggy Windows Mobile or Palm device, now is the time to show them how you really feel. Give the ultimate gift of a new Red Curve at a great price.
"Chocolates and flowers are standby gifts for Valentine's Day, but this year we're spicing things up by offering terrific deals for those who want to go with something different," said Andy Wilson, vice president of National Marketing for AT&T's wireless unit. "These eye-catching red devices are available at a great promotional price, and with unlimited Mobile to Mobile calling and unlimited text messaging plans, it's easy and affordable for consumers to stay connected with loved ones."
Information on the promotion and included calling and data plans at AT&T.
This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy for more details.


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Get the latest Alpinestars clothing, t-shirts, caps & hoodies from Two Seasons, the UK's fastest growing board sports retailer. Alpinestars are one of the biggest auto and moto brands around so get involved if you're a fan!!!!
Alpinestars is the premier motocross company which have huge selections of casual apparels. From tShirts, shorts, hat, and many other sporty accessories. Luckily, you will find both comfortable and trendy look in Alpinestars T Shirts. Zephyrsports.com is the best place for you to find high quality sport clothing. One of the notable brands that offer you the best clothing is Alpinestars. This brand has a good reputation as one of the brands that offer the best sport apparels and gears. The most important aspect of what you wear is that you are comfortable in it. There are so many types of sport clothing provided in the online store so that you can easily find the best for you. And also, you will be able to choose your favourite design.
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and as importantly, the making of:
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
"i ain't no CGI teddy yo!"
the new weetabix ad:
and as importantly, the making of:
and as importantly, the making of:
Saturday, 10 September 2011
2 hamsters a £
"a single to tottenham court road please."
"that'll be a guinea-pig please."
"here's a rabbit."
"and here's your hamster change, good day."
Posted by Em Mathews at 19:26 0 comments
Friday, 9 September 2011
white nights
because some peoples' dreams are more beautiful than others. this is oh land's white nights made by canada and found via yourmusictoday (credit where credit's due). i think the singer looks like january jones and vanessa paradis' love child i.e. v.perdy. let it also be known that i'm a sucker for a nordic accent. nuffaher, artistically i particularly like the lady leg animals. right, inspired, going to put on something floaty and dance like kate bush on hampstead heath. enjoy!
Posted by Em Mathews at 21:15 1 comments
locust love
Posted by Em Mathews at 15:00 0 comments
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These 'Spicy Hot Chocolate Macarons' from Chezus put a twist on the classic treat. The recipe calls for many of the same ingredients that would be found in both a regular chocolate macaron recipe or a mixed hot chocolate drink, but there's also a hint of spiciness that comes from half a teaspoon of chipotle powder. This is simply added into the cocoa powder in the recipe so it's present, but not overpowering.
Once the shells of the macarons have been made, they are loaded with a texture-rich filling of smooth marshmallow fluff and crushed candy canes.
While the Aztecs first combined dark chocolate and chile dates centuries ago, cult products like Sriracha and Nutella have caused there to be a surge in hybrid dishes and spicy-sweet flavor combinations.
Spicy Peppermint Macarons
More Stats +/-
DIY Marbled Macarons
Raw Matcha Macaroons
Margarita Macaron Recipes
Spooky Skull Macarons
Ice Cream Cone Macarons
This Chocolate Macaron is Filled with Sweet Peppermint & Spicy Chipotle
- By: Laura McQuarrieOct 29, 2015
References: chezus
References: chezus


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Label: Vagrant Records
Released: October 16, 2007
Some bands seem to have potential, but early on, it's unclear whether they'll fulfill that. When I first heard Thrice open for Hot Water Music at the 9:30 Club back in 2002, that's exactly the way I felt about them. The live show was dynamic and energetic, but the two studio albums were trying too hard and the result was disjointed and messy. They certainly had the potential and the big ideas for their own sound, they just hadn't brought everything together yet.
Five years later, Thrice has shown that those weren't just random ramblings on their early releases. They were in fact up to something big and that something begins to really pan out on these first two volumes of The Alchemy Index. The first two of the four EPs that make up their concept album about the medieval elements focus on Fire and Water.
There may not be a better explanation of the success of these volumes than the one-word descriptions that easily came to mind with each. Fire simmers, burns, explodes and ignites. It is the heavier of the albums and its churning rhythms and chunky riffs scorch the ground between hardcore and hard rock. Fire finds the band excelling at what they've been doing for years, turning up the heat enough to make it standout from its post-hardcore peers for both the standalone music as well as its ability to nail the concept.
Water is new ground (or sea) for Thrice. It's very fluid and moves in waves. It's much more low-key, but like water itself, probably more than fire. It is easy to become enveloped in the ebb and flow of its soundscapes which will carry you, pull you under, let you up. It's a cold sea, with ambient electronics and quiet echoes and the very distinct sense of the lapping waves on the surface. Sometimes the waves are big and heavy and others they are calm and gentle, but they are always present. Water's musical pictures are painted with a palette that includes Pink Floyd and King Crimson, but also colors that are distinctly Thrice.
On both EPs, the song titles hide nothing about their theme and in that sense, they may border on telling rather than showing their purpose. The music is never so blunt, yet leaves no more doubt about what it has to say. Concept albums are always a tricky game that can lead even good bands astray. Thrice, however, may have found their true calling with an album that is brilliant, challenging and listenable, a trifecta seldom achieved.
As if making a great record wasn't enough, Thrice is donating a portion of their proceeds to Blood:Water Mission which partners with local villages to build sustainable wells for the thousands of Africans without access to clean water. As little as one dollar can provide water for one person for one year. You can't beat that, so check out their site.
The band will follow this release up with a companion double EP in 2008. Obviously, it will address the elements of air and earth.
Rating: 9/10


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If you buy a 20 year old bottle of Pappy Van Winkles Family Reserve you'll be uncorking a beverage that went into the cask around 1989. Some of us were listening Paula Abdul was singing her first hit "Straight Up". (Incidentally, that's the only way to drink Pappy.) If you buy the 23 year old that's when Eddie Murphy had his only hit song "Party All the Time". If only we were wealthy enough that we could party all the time with Pappy Van Winkles 23. It is an absolutely exquisite bourbon from Old Rip Van Winkle distillery, a subsidiary of Buffalo Trace in Frankfort, Kentucky.
Aging for twenty long years is unusual for bourbon. Bourbons are usually aged considerably less time because: 1) they lose a lot of their volume to evaporation; and 2) an extra long aging process may not have as a positive effect. By design, Pappy has gracefully aged in heavily charred oak casks for lo these many years and if you're lucky, it has come to a package store near you.
Last Saturday night was not the first time that I had tasted Pappy. It's hard to believe that there is a substance on earth that could taste more like bourbon should taste than Pappy Van Winkles. It is indeed the bourbon by which all others should be judged.
When you unwrap your bottle of Pappy 20, the first thing you'll notice is the unassuming, simple bottle and the deep amber red liquid inside. The bottle glistens with all the trappings of a 1989 Porsche 911. The nose is slightly floral, cherry and citrus. The taste is those things plus vanilla. The finish leaves you comforted and complete with no bitterness whatsoever.
Watering this bourbon will kill its unique qualities if you're not careful, so I don't recommend it.
For many experts, Pappy Van Winkles is the world's best bourbon. The Beverage Tasting Institute rates Pappy at 99 out of 100 points. So keep you eyes peeled for this rare find at your local liquor store, and heed the words of Warrant – "Heaven isn't too far away".
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Pappy Van Winkles 20 Family Reserve - Review
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Suntory Yamazaki 18 Year Old Single Malt
The pairing of food with wine has long been a target for ridicule and class envy. Sitcoms and pop culture often poke fun at the wine elitists who know when to open the chardonnay and when to serve the claret.
I too had my doubts about the pairing of food with wine until I recently attended a corporate event on the topic. The event went something like this. The table was set with a collection of eight wines with the sweet dessert wines on the right. Also in each of the table settings was cheese, olives, crackers, jam, and a few other food items. The host instructed us to eat a certain food, then sip the wine. It was remarkable how the flavor of the wine changed. The dessert wines tasted fantastic with the sweet jam and not so good with the cheese, for example.
This is similar to my experience with Suntory Yamazaki 18. When a friend brought it back from his trip to Japan, I was underwhelmed with its seemingly flat taste, including a slight not-so-pleasant aftertaste. I was very disappointed, since my friend had dished out a hefty sum for what seemed to be a mediocre whisky.
Yet, it all made perfect sense when we tried it again on our latest night. So what changed? The meal. The Suntory fell flat when we sipped it with BBQ, but was oh-so-excellent with the meal from Mr. Sushi. The flavor complemented the tuna, octopus and salmon in a most pleasant way. The tartness of the sushi rice and the tartness of the Yamazaki were in sync.
As an aside, you may have seen Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson in the romantic comedy (date movie) "Lost in Translation". That is, you may have seen it if your wife made you. Suntory is the company featured in Bill Murray's ads. The filming of Suntory ads are the reason for him to be in Japan, and while there he meets up with the lovely Scarlett Johansson for shenanigans.
So, on that night, I found myself in the middle of a science experiment. I now had to know if the impact of food was really that great. I turned to the top bourbon, the venerable 20 year old Pappy Van Winkles as a control. Pappy is one of the favorites of all time, not only with the poker geeks, but with the entire world. Just how would it stand up to raw fish, however? The Pappy fell flat on the palate by comparison. Wow!
This blog is dedicated to tasting a world's worth of scotches and bourbon, but I am going to have to rethink my tasting strategy. In order to really understand a whisky, there will have to be several tastings to ensure that the palate has not been affected by food.
It's a tough job, but someone has to do it.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Booker's Bourbon - Review
What goes better with a slab of baby back ribs than fine Kentucky bourbon? How about three slabs, some baked beans, pulled pork and chicken and buckets of spicy BBQ sauce. That's exactly how the gentleman's scotch and poker club (GSPC) started our Sunday afternoon.
Booker's bourbon is one of Jim Bean's special "small batch" bourbons, in the same family as Basil Hayden's. The small batch group of special bourbons from Jim Beam goes back many years. Judging from both the Basil Hayden's and the Booker's, these southern boys really know how to make a whisky.
The distiller tells us that Booker's is the only bourbon bottled straight-from-the-barrel, uncut and unfiltered. That didn't stop the GSPC from sampling it in its entire 120+ proof splendor. The dark caramel-color spirit splashed into the glass led to much anticipation. Like good bourbon, there was no smoke, just smooth honey and fruit. The splash of water opened up vanilla.
By comparison, Booker's bourbon is woodier and less floral than Basil Hayden's, although both are very smooth and enjoyable. The GSPC favored the Booker's for it's slightly more robust flavor, although personally, I made my mind up for owning both. Booker's would be great with the BBQ and Basil Hayden for the nights you eat a salad.
As I sample through more and more bourbons, I'm beginning to see that that most good bourbons should be enjoyed with a splash. Southerners call this "bourbon and branch" referring to pure, clean water from a tiny stream called a "branch".
So when you're smoking up a rack of baby backs, the Bookers Kentucky Bourbon is the perfect flavor marriage to your BBQ.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Aberlour Abunadh – Review
I picked up a bottle of Aberlour Abunadh along with a small box of Cohibas in the duty-free shop at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris. I had flown there to help out my company at a convention, and I was happy to be on my way back home with my hooch and my stogies as a memento. This should make for an interesting attraction at poker night.
When I sat down in my 22C, the aroma of an infrequently showered and frequently cologned French couple in 22D and E struck me hard. The thought of eight hours stuck in this state was starting to make me think I had displeased the airplane Gods somehow. Then a friendly flight attendant pointed out an empty row in the back. Things were looking up.
After takeoff, the drink carts came out. A scotch would be great right now, but would the standard Chivas really hit the spot? I looked at the bottle of Aberlour on the seat next to me and open the cork with a big POP just as the flight attendant walked by. Now BYOB alcoholic beverages are often frowned upon on board most flights, but she seemingly didn't take notice. When the drink cart rolled down the isle, I simply asked for a bottle of water with a cup. Things were still looking up.
I poured. I sniffed deeply and quickly realized… I shouldn't have done that. The whiff stole my breath for a moment. I took a small sip and the fruity, coca cola, cough medicine taste hit the tip of my tongue, while at the same time made my lips numb. It was then that I realized the true meaning of "cask strength". The Aberlour Abunadh is about 60% pure alcohol and is really meant to be drunk with a splash. My bad, but I wouldn't have changed my game plan, even if I knew.
As we hit 30,000 feet, a splash of water formed a beautiful cloudy concoction that slowly began to fade the memory of my very, very tiny hotel room and the French couple a few rows ahead. The sensations that replaced it were sherry and oak, almost cognac-like flavors rather than a smoky scotch. I had eight hours to sip and relax and enjoy the Aberlour, mixing it with varying amounts of water. No matter what quantity of water I added, the scotch stood up and made the flight home a pleasure.
There was plenty left when I brought the scotch to poker night, and I made sure I didn't tell them about the cask-strength. (After all, what are friends for?) Some coughed, and some worried about the enamel on their teeth, but all of them reveled in the experience of the Aberlour Abunadh after they added the splash. There is still one friend who says he prefers it straight up.
Aberlour Abunadh is beginning to appear in liquor stores and online, where apparently it had only been available in duty free shops. If you're into a great scotch experience without a lot of smoke, this unique scotch whisky is worth a sip.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Bowmore 18 - Review
Scotch is the ultimate comfort food, so when my friend Phelps called me and told me he was bringing the "best scotch in the world" to poker night, I was prepared for a comfortable time.
To say the least, the best scotch in the world is difficult to achieve. But many have rated this scotch as one of the best. He had heard that Bowmore 18 had just been voted the "Best in Show Whisky" at the San Francisco Spirits Competition, one of the foremost drinks competitions in the world. The competition included a blind-taste test but judges agreed that Bowmore 18 was 'simply the best'.
So, we opened the bottle with much anticipation.
We poured. We sniffed. Someone said, "Iodine" and "Band-Aids" One of my cohorts said that the aroma of the Bowmore hinted to him of the ritual he went through as a kid, when he scraped his knee. I wouldn't have come up with that on my own, but he was right. It was comforting, and we also got some nice caramel and a touch of smoke.
A sip straight up and I started to be convinced. A complex blend of caramel, floral, and just the right amount of smoke. I thought back to my glasses of Chivas and it occurred to me that this is probably what they were shooting for with their blended whisky, but fell short. This was so much more complex, so much more special, and so much more comforting.
I added a splash of water and this whisky really held up. It was still the same complexity with just a little more mellowness.Is Bowmore 18 the best scotch in the world? I'll only be able to say when I've tasted them all. But for now, this is one of the finest I've ever tasted. So, the next time you scrape your knee; don't reach for your favorite adhesive strip. Reach for the Bowmore 18 and you'll get the comfort you need to mend from your injury.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Michael Lam's Reviews
I discovered this video series on Youtube by a guy name Michael Lam. He has reviewed several of the Islay scotches. Michael seems to prefer the more peaty scotches, and it's interesting to watch this review of Lagavulin 16, among other reviews he has uploaded.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Glenfiddich 12, 15, and 21 - Review
What does aging do to scotch? I had the opportunity to sample through a nine year spread of Glenfiddich, starting with the Glenfiddich 12, moving on to the Glenfiddich 15, and finally the Glenfiddich 21 year old. A word of advice, if you enjoy scotch, it's good to find some friends that share your passion. I was able to bring the 15, while my friends supplied the 12 and 21. Sharing your scotch is a wonderful thing. My friends have a shared passion for scotch, grilled sirloin, and Texas Hold'em. Thoughts of a Saturday night with all three had kept me going through a difficult work week.
According to the Glenfiddich web site, we could have also sampled an 18 year old. We didn't. Neither did we venture into the 30, 40, or 50 year old, or any of the rare Glenfiddichs at this time.
The twelve year old Glenfiddich is a widely available single malt. I often see it along-side the GlenLivet at the local watering hole, hotel bar, and airport bar. It is a scotch made within the Highland tradition, smooth and slightly sweet with very little smoke. As I sampled the 12 year old, I noticed a hint of citrus, almost orange taste. Scotch with a twist. Very good.
The 15 and the 21 are less widely available. As I moved into the 15, I noticed that the citrus was nearly gone. I commented to my friends that it remindied me of comfort food, like macaroni and cheese or toast with butter. They looked at me rather vacantly, but reluctantly agreed. It was a little less sweet, and a little smoother. Other than that, I couldn't tell exactly why I liked it better that the 12, but it did hit my nervous system with a certain feeling of comfort.
Finally, it was time to sample the 21. The changes I noticed right away was a little hint of smoke that wasn't present in the other two, presumably because of its longer stay in the smoked barrel. Most remarkable, though, was the mouth feel – an extremely smooth liqueur-like quality in a scotch made it incredible. That, combined with hints of vanilla made it the best of the bunch and worth the extra cash we had to dish out to sample it.
I tried a splash of water in them all. The 12 and the 15 stood up nicely to the water with little difference. But sadly, the water ruined the 21 year old, taking away the intriguing mouth feel and smoothness, rendering it a little more normal than it is.
Even though I didn't play as well as I could have in poker, I left the meeting of the gentleman's scotch and sirloin club with the 15 year old in hand and a good understanding of what Glenfiddich has to offer in the $100 or less price range. I am impressed with what Glenfiddich has created and look forward to sampling some of their legacy and rarer scotches.


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Monthly View
December, 2017
Second Saturday of the month 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Depending on weather, it will be either in the Visitor Center or on the back porch of the farmhouse.
Join us on the farm. Children and adults alike, ages 5 and up, can join in the fun! There are hands-on demonstrations, crafts, old-fashioned games and even some education. Learn about history and a farming way of life.
Summer break in June, July, August and September.
Show events from all categories


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Come on, join in the enjoyable and make your voice be heard! Life and love are by no means that straightforward. What seems proper to you is probably not so to a different. So, discover these fun love and relationship questions and see where you stand! I do not know if that's an accurate tackle the scenario, particularly when equality between both sexes is broadly accepted now and splitting the invoice is the way to go for many. However I do know that many ladies nonetheless desire to be handled special by a man and paying on the first date is a reflection of that. When a very good guy loves somebody who is broken who has solely known toxic relationships, what he does is teach her she did not deserve something she got. He redefines these horrible standards she has and he chooses to be the exception.
I know that M is poly and when he goes out with another person, I am glad that he's being who he is. For him, this makes him feel whole and good about himself. I'll not like the truth that he is doing something and I am not, however under no circumstances am I going to sabotage his time with that other person. This makes him completely happy. When he checks in with me after his time/date I ask how it was. I am not searching for all of the juicy particulars, as a result of I don't wish to know, … Read More