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After my experience to setup a RAID 0 on Intel ICH10R Vs Marvell 88SE9128; I've recently experienced the setup of
a RAID 10 on Intel ICH10R, using the mdadm tool.
To begin, I've never succeeded to install a bootable Operating System directly on the RAID (tested with Fedora 12, Fedora 13, Fedora 14, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS and Mandriva 2010.1).
So I added an additional HDD device dedicated to the OS, that I plugged on the Marvell 88SE9128 (at the moment, it was more easy with cables).
This time, the OS was bootable, but asap there was more or less I/O stress on drives (OS or RAID ones), the system failed with lots of severe I/O errors, and eventually one of the RAID HDD was declared offline (although it was healthy).
As soon as I plugged all the HDD devices on the Intel ICH10R controller (and after a last OS installation ...), everything became perfect : very efficient and very stable with absolutely no I/O error whatever the stress.
For information, there is no problem with optical devices on the Marvell 88SE9128 controller.
Like in my last article on this subject, I can only conclude that if ever there is a RAID configuration on a system, no HDD devices should be plugged to the Marvell 88SE9128 controller; otherwise the system will be strongly instable and will eventually fail.
sharing knowledge earned into design/development/technical delicate and/or difficult situations ...
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17 July 2011
RAID 10 on Intel ICH10R under GNU/Linux (including HDD devices on Marvell 88SE9128)
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BRAZIL: Make a list of every groundbreaking mission NASA has endeavored, and the Kepler spacecraft will sit very near the top of the heap. A year ago NASA verbally expressed it might have a way to bring the satellite back online, and now we ken that the method has worked – Kepler has found another super Earth.
The incipient method of stabilizing Kepler isn't impeccable – Kepler's reduced precision does hurt its ability to accurately pick out exoplanets – and the K2 method, while it sanctions the spacecraft to perpetuate operating, isn't quite as good as conventional research.
Kepler's quantified data in blue, with the redressed, filtered data below it Fortuitously, Vanderberg's team was able to develop a software filtering algorithm that can adjust for the reduced stability of the probe while preserving the allusions of planetary presence that Kepler's mission requires it to detect.
From Kepler to Curiosity, all the way back to the Galileo and Voyager probes, NASA has pushed back our construal of the heavens, often inventing incipient ways of pushing old equipment past its pristine design lifetime and capabilities in the process.

subset: commoncrawl


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Born in
, my smart (brainy) and smart (elegant) friend James Clay is an artist and sculptor who settled down (somewhat) in St. Remy close to 20 years ago. Over the years, he lovingly created a gorgeous one-hectare garden, filled with fruit, palm, pine, and olive trees (he has 60 olive trees, all of them transplanted), plus many varieties of bamboo, flowering plants and shrubs. Hampshire, England
James knows everything about gardening in Provence. Plus, he likes to drink. And he likes to write. So in this new monthly column, he'll serve up essential month-by-month garden tips... with drinks. It's so obvious, no?
If this all seems familiar to you, it's because you read something similar (by which I mean identical) on AlpillesNews.com, where it first appeared. Without further ado, here's James' thoughts on September.
Column #1: Laws of the Lawn
I always breathe a sigh of relief come September. The major heat of the summer is past and, with luck, I've managed to get to this point without losing the lawn; I don't mean in the sense of having misplaced it, rather that it hasn't died on me. Whether you water by a sprinkler system or by irrigation flooding (the ancient and better way), it's always nerve wracking when you lose patches (and it's ugly to boot).
It's common sense to water your lawn either late at night or very early in the morning. With the intense heat, the grass, if watered during the daytime, is liable to burn and of course the water tends to evaporate very quickly. I often think how crazy it is to water during a mistral with blasting temperatures--something one does see here in
, which constitutes the equivalent of burning money! Provence
I wonder if you've noticed what I think of here as a second spring? By mid month, we enjoy a milder heat and what with the abundant water system installed by the Romans, there is a period of growth which is quite surprising. (To quote from the Monty Python film The Life of Brian: "What did the Romans ever do for us?" to which a character replies: "Wine, aqueducts, under-floor heating, roads"...the list is almost endless!)
Lawns in
are high maintenance and quite expensive to keep up so I always advise people (if they are determined to have one) to keep them as small as possible. Another tip during the hotter months is not to cut the grass too close but to let it grow longer than you would do, say, in the spring. Provence
I've finally progressed to a tractor mower (my pride and joy) and they've become far less expensive over the last few years. I find mowing quite therapeutic and it gives me time to survey the garden as I trundle round.
Again, it is best to mow later in the day as the heat declines. The other great thing about mowing is that you can anticipate the coming evening and perhaps reflect on what might be delicious to serve your friends who are coming over to enjoy the cool of the evening on the terrace with you.
Cousin Neil and his delightfully witty wife Becky came to stay last month. Her stunning impression of Skippy the Kangaroo (remember the Australian children's TV show from the early '70's?) had people in tears of laughter; she managed to hold herself back when it came to the jumping element natural to that species! On seeing yours truly alight from his orange (YES orange) tractor calling for a drink, this funny lady suggested making a 'Lawn Boy.' So here's the recipe for this thirst-quenching cocktail.
Put three handfuls of ice and six shots of vodka in the blender, toss in a handful of fresh mint, blend until smooth, adding sugar to taste; fill with lemonade. Add more vodka if you like! Pour into a pitcher, serve in tall glasses--et voila! As your guests are chattering away, take a second or two to admire your freshly mown lawn (always a satisfying moment). My darling Ma would always say, "Keep the lawn cut and the paths weed free and the garden will always pass as well kept."
How right she was...Have a cool September! Cheers.


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Millennia ago, before cannons and flintlocks, sabre-toothed tigers stalked our ancestors. Like most creatures of prey, Darwinian evolution led us to adapt to threats like tigers. We learned to run from danger or, when running wasn't an option, to defend ourselves to the end. This was not only a mindset innate to humans, but a complex biochemical response: when faced with danger, hormones flood the body, blood delivery to muscles is prioritized, senses are heightened. This response, the Flight or Fight response, is triggered in a small part of our brain termed the amygdala.
Fortunately, sabre-toothed tigers don't roam modern-day streets. Our bodies, however, haven't caught up to this reality; the amygdala is standing ready to superhumanize our bodies should our survival be in question. The amygdala works at lightening speed: it bypasses the frontal cortex, where options are considered and debated based on reason and fact, in favour of instinct. Located deep in the part of the brain we share with prehistoric reptiles, the amygdala causes us to react to stress. Sometimes, that stress can be maladaptive, harming us more than it helps. In that sense, our amygdala hijacks our brain, sending our heartrate through the roof and filling our stomach with butterflies.
If you work in a high-stress environment that demands high performance, the amygdala hijack can be deadly. SWAT team snipers, Navy SEALs, 911 operators and emergency workers all face high-stress situations yet must remain level-headed. The conundrum? We are trained to listen to the amygdala! Pattern recognition allows for fast reactions to new information. Secret service agents scan crowds for suspicious patterns just as emergency physicians can spot a heart attack patient from the other side of the room. This allows our mind to pick out problem patterns that are dangerous – to the president, to the patient, to us – and put us on an instinctive reactive pathway.
And this is where the system falls apart; once the hairs on the back of our necks go up and we have been alerted to a threat, we have to quickly overcome the amygdala and analyze the situation. See, the amygdala overcalls threats. A car backfires, and you startle. A plane has some turbulence, and you grip the armrests. We react a little too often to stimuli that the amygdala interprets as threats, but actually aren't.
The trick, then, is to know how to control the physiologic response set off by the peptides coursing through your veins once the amygdala sounds the alarm. Rather than react immediately, we must suppress that crocodile-brain of ours and activate our frontal cortex, the part of the brain that makes us smarter than every other species on the planet. Except maybe dolphins, I hear they are pretty smart, and they've never voted to leave the EU… but I digress.
Whenever I feel my amygdala taking over, I repeat a calming mantra to myself:
Pause, Reflect, Respond.
The amygdala short-circuits the frontal cortex in favour of immediate, instinctive action. My job is to take that intuitive signal and check it against the facts. I pause. I regain control of my brain, quite deliberately, by switching off the hormonal response. A slow, deep breath in pushes the diaphragm downwards, activating the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve activates the parasympathetic nervous system, reversing the effects of the amygdala hijack. Holding the breath stimulates baroreceptors, sending calming signals to the brain. Nodes in the heart are stimulated to slow, epinephrine is moped up and cleared out, and the fog of fear clears from the mind, restoring the analytic abilities of the frontal cortex.
Alerted to danger and ready to think, the next step after pausing is to reflect. Are the facts that I am seeing congruent with the emotions triggered by the amygdala? Is the threat real? Can I obtain more data to confirm my intuition? Some of this will seem very familiar to work done on the psychology of clinical decision making championed by Nova Scotian Pat Crosskerry, and it is! You can check out some of his work if you are more curious on how health care workers think.
Now that I have considered the information, I can respond to the situation. Note the word "respond" rather than "react". A reaction is quick, instinctive; a response is slow, considered. That's not entirely true… skilled and experienced health care workers can experience an amygdala alert, pause, reflect, and respond, in milliseconds – but only because they have trained their brain to do so.
Pause, Reflect, Respond is of course oversimplistic. Pausing, I find, is incredibly challenging when the stakes are high and a room full of people are looking to you for leadership and direction. Reflecting involves teasing out reality from my own perception of reality, where cognitive and social biases are deeply rooted. Responding requires confidence and ability, something I am still developing as a junior doctor, and negative self-talk, self-doubt and "impostor syndrome" frequently scare me away from a plan of action in favour of deferring to others, a feeling that I don't (anymore) have when I work on the helicopter (and one of the key reasons I continue to do so). I am practiced at Pause-Reflect-Respond to nearly any situation I come across on the helicopter, but in the emergency department, it's a different ball game.
Lastly, while clinical analysis is our core job, emotional intelligence is what really gets the job done. Being able to lead a team to achieve the goals required to treat a heart attack patient is as essential as knowing how to identify and treat a heart attack. Pause-Reflect-Respond applies to this realm of medicine also; understanding the state of your team, and being able to modify it to achieve higher performance, is the hallmark of an effective emergency physician.
The amygdala hijack causes smart people to do dumb things. By pausing, reflecting and responding to stressful situations, we get the best of both worlds; accessing our past experiences while analyzing new ones helps us utilize our entire mind to best lead teams to perform at their very best. High performance teams freed of the amygdala hijack –be it on the battlefield, in the cockpit, or in a resuscitation bay – save lives.
Are you good at controlling the Amygdala Hijack? Do you have the tendency to: -be deliberate and apt to survey a situation before responding? -control your emotions? -resist impulse under times of stress? -describe yourself as emotionally neutral? -not allow emotions to colour reality?


text:
Friday, 19 June 2009
Quality Street
10 comments:
- Philipa said...
Aww she looks like a real sweetie. (well someone had to say it) She's eaten the green triangles though. My favourite too.
Have a great day IdlyIdlyIdle.
(been listening to Charlottes Web)
- 19 June 2009 at 15:14
This gives a whole new meaning to that expression about eating one's hat.
And that choker looks like it is about to choke her.
- 19 June 2009 at 16:23
- Tuscan Tony said...
You do lead the most appalling depraved life, idle. You'll burn in hell for it one day, too. Or possibly not.
- 19 June 2009 at 16:41
- Vinogirl said...
Green triangles my faves too!
And that choker is made up of those sweet necklaces.
Sigh, I miss English sweets!
- 19 June 2009 at 17:43
- Bill Quango MP said...
Mrs Q, her sister and granny Q all got their hats from ///////////and /// for just £/////////.
A further £¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ was claimed for entertainment and hospitality at ///////////////.
Its all within the rules and completely Trans-pear-ant.
- 19 June 2009 at 18:10
Could that sherbet choker have a new meaning to necking with a girl,I was only eating the sweets officer
- 19 June 2009 at 21:26
For Bill Quango MP
Mrs Q, her sister and granny Q all got their hats from ███████████ and ███ for just £█████████.
A further £█████████ was claimed for entertainment and hospitality at██████████████
Dear mr Quango as you know we have facilities in the fee's office to help you do all of your redact your expense receipt's in the correct way,you may use our facilites at any time.
- 19 June 2009 at 21:40
Mr Quango sorry for the poor wording but we are still in a rush to finish as we have the Police knocking on our door.
- 19 June 2009 at 21:44
- Philipa said...
I think we should all thank 'Anonymous' for sparing us those upsetting details and acting in the public interest.
- 20 June 2009 at 10:10
- Bill Quango MP said...
Dear anon.
I am indebted to you.
Quite literally indebted.
Apparently hats for family are not proper expenditure.
I shall pay a small amount back as soon as I can find a journalist to photograph it.
If its not too much trouble I have a shoe box of entertainment expenses whose premium prices and well known restaurant names may cause a blush or two. Especially as Mrs Q was not present for many of them.
I'll pop them in Monday for both redaction and reduction.
Leave the KFC bucket one though. Always helps to be seen as a man of the people.
- 20 June 2009 at 19:31


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Stay alert on wind farms
Credit: The Herald | www.heraldscotland.com ~~
While welcoming the news that two more proposed industrial turbine sites – including the insane project so subtly misnamed California, which would have destroyed Wigtown Bay – have been beaten ("RSPB wins fight over wind farm", The Herald, July 20, it's clear the battle is far from over. Apparently, the already cluttered A75 is to have its roundabouts "reshaped" to help wind farm sharks ease even more huge turbines into our region (traffic lights all round, for ages, no doubt).
The fact that the speculators are even prepared to pay for the alterations is a clear statement of intent that, far from taking the hint that most residents don't want any more of the things, they are determined to press on with the destruction of our heritage landscape.
It doesn't matter whether the wind blows, or not, or too much, our "green" – but only behind-the gills – politicians will be happy to chuck big chunks of our taxes at the wind companies, while, ignoring cheap, reliable, alternatives, such as our abundant shale gas and small, modern, nuclear plants (which harmlessly power France.)
I urge readers to stay alert for tiny, sneaky planning notices. Remember, they don't have to tell you in person if a development is just over 60 yards from your back door. And I'd stock up on winter black-out candles now.
Andrew Shiells,
Barrachan Home Farm, Newton Stewart.
This article is the work of the source indicated. Any opinions expressed in it are not necessarily those of National Wind Watch.
|Wind Watch relies entirely
on User Funding


text:
Welcome to Robbie Electrical Services Ltd
We are a local, professional electrical contracting company with over twenty years' experience.
Our tradesmen are fully trained and qualified, and capable of carrying out any electrical work you require. From small repairs and maintenance work to complete factory installations, we have the experience and the expertise for any situation.
With a 24 hour emergency callout service, you can rely on Robbie Electrical Services to be on hand when you need us.
Our work is highly recommended, with outstanding reviews on Checkatrade and Checked and Vetted. View our reviews for more information.


text:
Welsh illustrator Betony May has a distinctly delicate, playful visual language. By hand carving minutely detailed rubber stamps she layers colourful elements combined with delicate pencil line work. The effect is similar to traditional printmaking techniques, but with a fresh contemporary twist. Fueled by the overt and subconscious links between human behaviour and animal instinct, she creates a slightly unnerving yet beautiful take on our existence.
Most of her ideas are born within her beautifully considered journals and brought to life among a spectrum of design commissions.
Betony May operates as a freelancer in East London, UK.
Betonys illustrations are licensed within Asia by Cathay Creative.
She has worked with various clients in the UK including New Scientist Magazine, Natural Shoe store/Birkenstock, Odd Crocks, Jotta and the Institute of Contemporary arts.
She runs her own accessories brand, where she sells hand made jewellery on various East London craft markets and in the ICA shop, and in Lik + Neon.
Awards and commissions
October 09: Large-scale window illustration at 'Natural Shoe store & Birkenstock', Neal St, Covent Garden.
August 09: Illustrations for 'Migrate' art and design magazine, South Africa.
July 09: Double page colour illustration commission for 'New Scientist' magazine.
June 09: Image commissioned in Asia for a range of USB gadgets by 'Cathay Creative'
June 09: Illustrations animated by 'Jotta' and projected at the V&A for 'Pen, Paper, Scissors' event.
May 09: Large-scale window illustration at 'Natural Shoe co & Birkenstock', Neal St, Covent Garden.
April 09: Limited edition print series for the 'Cabinet Paper', Issue 4.
March 09: Featured illustrator in Issue 5 of 'New Sugar' magazine.
Dec 08: Studio output / Creative review annual 'Glug' Competition. 5th place.
Nov 08: Featured illustrator on 'Concrete Hermit' online network.
July 08: 'Arboretum at the Beginning' illustration and design for poet Nathan Thompson, featured in the 'Cabinet Paper', Issue 3.
Jan 08: Narrative illustrations for 'Utopian Tales of Weimar' soon to be published by Caseroom Press.
Aug 07: Branding and web design for 'Odd Crocks' vintage crockery company.
July 07: Awarded a portfolio consultation with 'Jelly London' and nominated to represent the University of Plymouth at the 'New Blood' talent exhibition.
Aug 09: 'Glory Hole' Top and Tail Gallery, Hackney, London. Group show.
Dec 08: 'All I want for Christmas…' Bodhi Gallery, Brick Lane, London. Group show.
Aug 08: 'Mumbo Jumbo' Top and Tail Gallery, Hackney, London. Group show.
July 07: 'New Blood' Old Billingsgate Market, London. Group show.
June 07: 'Final Show' University of Plymouth, Earl Richards Rd, Exeter. Group show.
Jan 07: 'Hybrids, monsters and imaginary beings' Picturehouse arts Centre, Exeter. Solo show.
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text:
$27 Bn Digital Oilfield Market - Global Forecast to 2022 - Focus on Process Optimization Through Digitalization By Oil & Gas Operators
Mar 13, 2018, 01:15 ET
DUBLIN, March 13, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
The "Digital Oilfield Market by Solutions (Hardware, Software & Service, and Data Storage Solutions), Processes (Reservoir, Production, Drilling Optimizations), Application (Onshore and Offshore), and Region - Global Forecast to 2022" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.
The global digital oilfield market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.09%, from 2017 to 2022, to reach a market size of USD 27.10 Billion by 2022.
The increase in production activities in the Middle East region, the presence of unconventional reserves, and growing investments in offshore in the Asia Pacific region are expected to be the key factors driving the digital oilfield market during the forecast period.
The report segments the digital oilfield market, on the basis of the process into drilling optimization, reservoir optimization, production optimization, and others. The others segment includes asset management, maintenance & repair, and safety management. The production optimization segment led the digital oilfield market by process from 2017 to 2022. Employing real-time techniques for production optimization increases the recovery of oil and reduce the non-productive time. The ongoing market dynamics, where there has been a constant fluctuation in the oil prices, requires focussing on reducing the non-productive time and improve workflow efficiency with the use digital oilfield solutions.
The global digital oil field market, by application, has been segmented into onshore and offshore, with the onshore segment growing at a faster pace. The complexity in deepwater drilling, along with the increasing adoption of digital oilfield techniques in regions such as the Middle East, and North America, where the maximum of the oilfields are located onshore, are expected to drive the onshore segment. Thus, the increasing production activities in these regions and reduction of non-productive time is expected to drive the onshore segment at the highest rate during the forecast period.
The report further segments the digital oilfield market, by solution, into hardware solutions, software & service solutions, and data storage solutions. The hardware segment is estimated to grow at a faster rate from 2017 to 2022. The investments by oilfield operators towards technology enhancement and process automation enable the companies to eliminate non-productive time, optimize production, and enhance control & monitoring of oil & gas fields, thereby driving the hardware market during the forecast period.
The major factor restraining the growth of the digital oilfield market are the fluctuating crude oil price, and the data security/cyber-threats combined with resistance by operators toward adoption of new technology.
Some of the leading players in the digital oilfield market include integrators such as Schlumberger (US), Weatherford (Switzerland), Halliburton (US), BHGE (US), National Oilwell Varco (US), and equipment providers such as ABB (Switzerland), Emerson (US), Rockwell(US), and Siemens (Germany).
These players have adopted growth strategies such as new product launches, contracts & agreements, partnerships, collaborations, alliances, and joint ventures, mergers & acquisitions, and investments & expansions to capture a larger share of the digital oilfield market.
Key Topics Covered:
1 Introduction
1.1 Objectives of the Study
1.2 Definition
1.3 Market Scope
1.4 Currency
1.5 Stakeholders
2 Research Methodology
2.1 Research Data
2.2 Secondary Data
2.3 Primary Data
2.4 Market Size Estimation
2.5 Market Breakdown & Data Triangulation
2.6 Limitations
2.7 Assumptions
3 Executive Summary
4 Premium Insights
4.1 Attractive Opportunities in the Digital Oilfield Market
4.2 Digital Oilfield Market, By Solutions
4.3 Digital Oilfield Market, By Country
4.4 European Digital Oilfield Market, By Process & Country
4.5 Digital Oilfield Market, By Process
4.6 Digital Oilfield Market, By Solutions
4.7 Digital Oilfield Market, By Application
5 Market Overview
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Market Dynamics
5.2.1 Drivers
220.127.116.11 Focus on Process Optimization Through Digitalization By Oil & Gas Operators
188.8.131.52 Increased Need From Oil & Gas Operators to Scale Up Production From Mature Wells
126.96.36.199 Availability of Cloud Computing Services in Oil & Gas Increases the Adoption of Digital Oilfield Solutions
5.2.2 Restraints
188.8.131.52 Fluctuating Crude Oil Price
22.214.171.124 Data Security/Cyber-Threats Combined With Resistance Toward New Technology Can Hamper the Growth of the Digital Oilfield Market
5.2.3 Opportunities
220.127.116.11 Integration of Oil Wells With Advanced Hardware & Software Solutions
126.96.36.199 Offshore/Ultra-Deep-Water Discoveries
5.2.4 Challenges
18.104.22.168 Interoperability of Multiple System Components From Different Solution Providers
5.3 Supply Chain Overview
5.3.1 Key Influencers
184.108.40.206 Saas Providers
22.214.171.124 Equipment Manufacturers
18.104.22.168 Service Providers/Integrators
220.127.116.11 Oilfield Operators
6 Digital Oilfield Market, By Process
6.1 Introduction
6.2 Production Optimization
6.3 Drilling Optimization
6.4 Reservoir Optimization
6.5 Others
7 Digital Oilfield Market, By Solutions
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Hardware Solutions
7.2.1 Distributed Control System (DCS)
7.2.2 Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA)
7.2.3 Smart Well
7.2.4 Safety Systems
7.2.5 Wireless Sensor
7.2.6 Programmable Logic Controller (PLC)
7.2.7 Computer Equipment & Application Hardware
7.2.8 Others
7.3 Software & Service Solutions
7.3.1 IT Outsourcing
7.3.2 Software
7.3.3 IT Services & Commissioning
7.3.4 Collaborative Product Management (CPM)
7.4 Data Storage Solutions
7.4.1 On-Premise
7.4.2 Hosted
8 Digital Oilfield Market, By Application
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Onshore
8.3 Offshore
9 Digital Oilfield Market, By Region
10 Competitive Landscape
10.1 Overview
10.2 Ranking of Players and Industry Concentration, 2016
10.3 Competitive Scenario
10.3.1 New Product Launches
10.3.2 Contracts & Agreements
10.3.3 Mergers & Acquisitions
10.3.4 Investments & Expansions
10.3.5 Partnerships, Collaborations, Alliances, and Joint Ventures
11 Company Profiles
11.1 Benchmarking
11.1.1 Service Provider
11.1.2 Equipment Provider
11.2 Schlumberger
11.3 Weatherford
11.5 Halliburton
11.6 National Oilwell Varco
11.8 Emerson
11.9 Rockwell
11.10 Siemens
11.11 Honeywell
11.12 Kongsberg
11.13 IHS Markit
11.15 Digi International
11.16 Pason
11.17 Redline
11.19 Oleumtech
11.20 Petrolink
11.21 Katalyst
For more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/xff8fj/27_bn_digital?w=5
Media Contact:
Laura Wood, Senior Manager
For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470
For U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630
For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900
U.S. Fax: 646-607-1907
Fax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716
SOURCE Research and Markets


text:
|Separate Bedrooms
|Marine Palace Suites
|Pool or Garden View
|4 Adults + 2 Children
The ultimate in family accommodation for discerning travellers, the family apartment cleverly integrates parents' desire for togetherness with their need for privacy with two bedroom suites and a spacious living area. Leading off a small lobby the lounge area includes a dining area and a fully equipped kitchen, while it opens to a large terrace/balcony. The double sofa can convert to an extra bed. The master bedroom with king-sized bed enjoys access to the large terrace/ balcony. A separate bathroom is accessible from the lobby and is totally equipped with bath, shower, WC. Adjacent to the living area there is an open plan master bedroom suite with distinct sleeping area with a king size bed and lounge area with a double sofa, which can be converted to a child's bed. It also features dining area and fully equipped kitchen and bathroom. The Apartment offers: satellite TV(s), stereo hi-fi, CD, direct dial phone, air-conditioning/ heating, safe, ironing facilities, and hairdryer. 2 fully equipped kitchens with: china, utensils, coffee machine; dishwasher; fridge/freezer; microwave oven; electric oven & cooker; electric kettle; toaster.
Spacious accommodation | 2 master bedroom suites | Separate living room & dining area | 2 modern fully equipped kitchens | 2 spacious Bathrooms | Stereo hi-fi, CD |


text:
|by Blair Sabol
For me, Santa Fe in Winter is all about the smell of burning piñon, the Farolito Luminaria (paper bags with lights) igniting pathways and rooftops, and the overall active creativity of everyone who lives in and around the town. Forget the shopping!
It's true that the Summer is all about the tourists shopping for American Indian art and galleries and ethnographic shows and of course, the Santa Fe Opera. The Winter brings out more of a neighborhood vibe.
|While online shopping is booming, it seems Santa Fe is still surviving on their own form of "bricks and mortar" ("adobe and wood") boutiques and galleries. Even though the town is feeling an economic wobble since I was last there 8 years ago, and the whole American Indian art scene has been seriously in flux. Navajo rugs and turquoise jewelry just ain't what it used to be.
|Back then, I really went to Santa Fe to power shop the Tesuque flea market, the Cowboy and Indian dealer shows and the ethnographic fold art outlets. But I no longer shop like that and most of my "ethnic consumption" can now be found at World Market, Kohl's or Sundance Catalogue. Global Boho Chic is now everywhere.
So this year I returned for three days just to see pals that live there and to check in on their own kind of "high voltage" creativity.
|The town was empty in early December and brutally bleak in the first chill, but it still had that unique charm. Dear friend Ali MacGraw has lived there for 30 years (I think she should run for Mayor because everyone loves her and her devotion to local charities is almost religious). She insisted we "creep around" the city together for half a day, she knew I was no longer into high-end purchases, but window shopping is still a way we could connect, gossip, and rant as old pals.
|Normally, I hate shopping with anyone, but Ali has one of the best eyes, and personal style. She was, after all, a top-notch stylist (this was before the term "stylist" meant "reality show loser") in New York in the '60s. She's done it all her life — she loves the Santa Fe tribal look, and supports all of the vendors. She is the visual Icon of the city!
I reminded her to keep the tour short, as I wasn't in Santa Fe for a Concho belt, African baskets, or a squash blossom necklace. Maybe a scarf or two (since scarves are the new necklaces). Four hours later I ended up with 10 gorgeous Bandaire scarves (India) from Passementerie, a terrific textile and clothing shop (Ilovepassementrie.com).
|And another Bandhani (tie and dye) version from Gujarat (India) from Origins of Santa Fe. Origins is run by Judy Margolis who has been selling the "Santa Fe look" (I think she discovered it) for the last 35 years. She is the originator of "wearable art" from India, Africa, and the global market. All roads in town start and end with Margolis (originssantafe.com). She is still the one-stop shopping paradise in Santa Fe.
|Ali and I ended up at the town's latest boutique attraction, Chocolates and Cashmere; a beautifully decorated store featuring Haleigh Palmer 's Golightly Cashmere and ChocolaChocolaChocolates, confections made with Venezuelan chocolate with flavors like basil-lime (chocolatecashmere.com).
|But what makes this store unusual is that Golightly cashmere is hand-loomed in Taos, and all styles (from sweaters to ponchos to hats and gloves) are made (with over 50 amazing colors to chose from) and shipped in 3 days. Ali bought fingerless 15" arm warmers ($95); they also sell a 24" opera length, which is their most popular ($155). They are a much more elegant take on the traditional "fingerless glove," and are apparently a must-have for smartphone users on cold days. There are "neck gaters" ($155) which are almost better than infinity scarves, as well as the popular cashmere toy elephants ($295 a set).
|I passed on the Cashmere and Chocolate and went for a gold garland necklace with tassels for $48 (which I never took off). And here I thought the trip wasn't about shopping. Santa Fe is risky that way. You can't keep your wallet closed in this town. I guess I was celebrating the "Trump Bump" the best I could.
|I think I was saving myself for a visit to Ann Lawrence (annlawrencecollection.com), the antique lace and fabric guru in Santa Fe. Ann used to supply Ralph Lauren with all his Indian jewelry and vintage lace designs – she is still a "Deep Throat" source for many major designers. Lawrence is considered "Keeper of the Threads" for many Tribal dealers all over the world.
|I visited her warehouse, which is thoroughly "hoarded up" with global treasures galore. Ann is a collector of "too much" and all of it astounding. Ten years ago she (with the help of Ali) created a bedspread and six pillows for me of Indian mirrored fabric and Mexican brocade that changed my life. The red and orange and bling colors got me out of ever being "color allergic." I now only wear orange, red, pink and green. It started with Ann (and Ali) creating THAT bedspread.
|Now it needed an update, and in an hour Ann performed her magic with some velvet and blinged out Souzani pieces. Lawrence's lair is perilous if your eye starts to wander or you lose sight of what you came in for. But Ann lives and breathes fabric and I left her the measurements and didn't have to pray she'd deliver a masterpiece.
|My second day was spent visiting commercial artist Jim McWilliams who was a famous art teacher at Cooper Hewitt, and a personality in the New York Pop Art scene of the '60s. He is now 80, and creating his own art. McWilliams lives with his dogs Bunny Melon and Sonic in a tiny vintage house downtown with room for his computer and his bed. Santa Fe keeps him percolating with ideas. " I think artistry is in the air here ... just walking around you feel the need to create. I won't move from here, this is my last stop."
|That night I decided to see my writer friend Luellen (Loulou) Smiley at my hotel bar to celebrate the publication of her first book, "Cradle of Crime: A Daughter's Tribute." It took her 22 years to write this compelling memoir of her father Allen Smiley's criminal past – beginning ten years after his death. Her dad was Bugsy Siegel's best friend and business partner, and he was seated next to Bugsy the night he was murdered.
|Smiley refused to turn informant despite an order of deportation. The Mafia protected Allen for the rest of his life. Luellen discovers and reveals all of her father's dramatic hidden agendas. She also discovers herself in the process. She admits that living in Santa Fe for the last 10 years allowed her to finish the book. "This town gave me the focus and the courage to keep on keeping on delving into my personal complicated history."
|My last day was dedicated to the latest creative wallop in town. If Albuquerque was recently popularized by "Breaking Bad" — Santa Fe may become known for Meow Wolf. Even my great pal who used to be THE driver to the "stars" (now is a site coordinator for the city of Santa Fe) Benavidez insisted I must not miss this.
|It is a new permanent art exhibit set up in an industrial district of town. It is kind of an amusement park built by an arts collective called Meow Wolf and largely funded by George R. R. Martin – Author of Game of Thrones and current Santa Fe resident. Rumor has it he spent $27 million to make this sci-fi-art-utopia a reality. They have a 10-year lease on an old bowling alley and the three acres surrounding it. They also house a café, a fun boutique, an orbiting crew of food trucks in the parking lot, and a children's education art class area.
|The exhibition is called "House of Eternal Return." I have no idea what it was all about, or the meaning, but it is an interactive "rave" type of experience — Somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and Burning Man.
The welcome mat greets you at the door "Beyond here there be Dragons" — who the hell knows — but into the loud heart beat rhythm of a techno soundtrack you go — through doors of haunting holographic mirrors, climb down staircases to mystical forests, crawl through domes of glowing animal eyes and step through sliding space ship windows.
|It is up to the visitor to explore the space at his or her own pace, wherever your whim leads. God help you if you have a heart attack — I don't know how you get out. It has that kind of acid trip theme to it. But benches and couches and pillows are provided for people to hang out. It seems to strike a chord with the younger generation.
Crawling through a family fireplace (you have to be in shape to do this exhibit) you land in a prehistoric cave with a neon glowing 12-foot mastodon skeleton, whose ribcage is a makeshift marimba! Are you following me? This exhibit makes "multi-media" concepts old hat. You have to "feel," not just see the exhibit to believe it. (meowwolf.com)
|The experience takes 2 hours to get through. I did it in 45 minutes at 10:00 in the morning before the crowds arrived. Apparently the current show will be changed periodically.
The way it was explained to me, Santa Fe is a city that is "graying fast — with more than half the population over 55." Meow Wolf Initiative is a way to "diversify the economy, revitalize a distressed neighborhood, and provide a unique entertainment option for the city."
|Apparently it was a collective of over 125 local artists in their 20s who felt out of place in Santa Fe's high-brow art scene — now with Martin's infusion, they are becoming the main attraction. Meow Wolf, even having left me a bit overwhelmed, over-wrought and a bit nauseous, is a must-see event.
Afterwards, my old pal and famous rock and roll photographer Baron Wolman (Baron Wolman Photography — another 12-year Santa Fe resident) took me to Harry's Roadhouse — his favorite eatery in town.
|I must say, Santa Fe is loaded with a lot of esophagus burning southwest food. Though Harry's is home to some of that, it is really more about home-cooked meals. I definitely had the best martini, and something called the "Buddha Bowl" made from fresh veggies, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and God knows what else. It was delicious!
|For dessert Baron drove me to the famously Christmas-lit-and-draped downtown plaza. Walking that, I suddenly felt recovered from Meow Wolf. Or maybe it was the martini. As Baron stated, "Santa Fe offers so many worlds — whether it's through the clothes, or art, or people — not all of it is meant for us to love and like. But this town makes us at least feel curious, and that's the most important thing."
It's not called the "Land of Enchantment" for nothing.


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UK House of Commons may be closed for three yearsNovember 14th, 2007 - 2:20 am ICT by admin
The three-year closure is required as a report to the Members of Parliament (MPs) said the work would take 25 years if it was done only during the summer breaks.
The nearby Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre or County Hall could be replacements, the Mirror reported.
Reacting to the proposals, Tory MP Nicholas Winterton termed it as a "joke."
The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 646 members, who are elected by the first-past-the-post system of election for a maximum of five years.
The House of Commons evolved at some point during the 14th century and has been in continuous existence since. The House of Commons' legislative powers exceed those of the House of Lords. Moreover, the Government of the United Kingdom is answerable to the House of Commons.
According to the official parliament website, the site where the Parliament now stands has been a centre of authority for over a thousand years. Once the home of the royal family, and still officially a royal palace, the buildings that now make up the modern Houses of Parliament have developed through design, accident and attack.
The first known royal palace to occupy Parliament's site was Edward the Confessor's (c1065). Parliament officially remains a royal palace and is still referred to as the 'Palace of Westminster'. The site was used as a royal residence until Henry VIII moved the royal family out in 1512 following a fire.
The oldest part of Parliament is Westminster Hall. The walls were built in 1097 and the hall is one Europe's largest medieval halls, with an unsupported roof. It was extensively rebuilt during the 14th century.
Once used as a law court, the hall has held several notable trials, including that of Sir William Wallace (1305), the Gunpowder Plot conspirators (1606) and King Charles I (1649).
The Palace almost completely burnt down in a fire on 16 October 1834, which destroyed everything except Westminster Hall, the crypt of St Stephen's Chapel and the Jewel Tower.
The Houses of Parliament, as we know them today, were rebuilt after the fire. The process, which incorporated Westminster Hall and the remains of St Stephen's Chapel, took just over 30 years. The rebuilding was completely finished by 1870.
During the Second World War, on May 10, 1941, a bombing raid destroyed the House of Commons chamber. Architect Sir Giles Gilbert Scott designed a new, five-floor block (with two floors occupied by the chamber). It was used for the first time on 26 October 1950. (ANI)
- Westminster Abbey adds another page to its history - Apr 29, 2011
- Florence Nightingale to be honoured with her own chapel in Westminster Abbey - May 01, 2010
- Royal wedding will have just traditional hymns, no Elton John, James Blunt - Mar 16, 2011
- Kate Middleton to ride in Diana's carriage - Mar 22, 2011
- Spots to watch William wedding procession on hire - Mar 28, 2011
- Fans camp at Westminster Abbey for Royal Wedding - Apr 27, 2011
- British MPs may be ejected from House of Commons - Oct 16, 2008
- Villa find indicates larger Roman control over Britain than thought - Jul 28, 2010
- Cameron, Beckham among royal wedding guests - Apr 29, 2011
- China to elevate 600-year-old religious site - Aug 15, 2012
- We won't eat halal meat: British MPs - Jan 01, 2012
- Royal wedding route Kate Middleton will take to Abbey revealed - Jan 06, 2011
- Britain's 1,000-year-old abbey to get a 21st century 'corona' - Jun 29, 2009
- Princess Diana's palace opens to public - Mar 26, 2012
- Pope in London on second leg of Britain visit - Sep 17, 2010
Tags: 14th century, continuous existence, edward the confessor, elizabeth ii conference centre, government of the united kingdom, gunpowder plot conspirators, house of commons, houses of parliament, legislative powers, members of parliament, modern houses, nicholas winterton, palace of westminster, parliament website, queen elizabeth ii, queen elizabeth ii conference centre, royal residence, sir william wallace, summer breaks, westminster hall


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Although Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) may be cheap on a relative basis compared to the S&P 500, it doesn't necessarily signal that the company is screaming buy.
The company faces continued headwinds the PC market and has struggled to gain a stronghold in mobile computing, which could ultimately lead to some growth challenges in the future. As a result, it's difficult to call Intel a screaming buy, despite the tempting valuation.
In the following video, tech and telecom analysts Eric Bleeker and Jamal Carnette sit down with Fool contributor Steve Heller and make the case for whether Intel is a buy, sell, or hold, for the long-term investor.
Eric Bleeker, CFA, has no position in any stocks mentioned. Jamal Carnette owns shares of Apple. Fool contributor Steve Heller owns shares of Apple and Intel. The Motley Fool recommends Apple and Intel. The Motley Fool owns shares of Apple, Intel, and Microsoft. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Brookhaven Atlanta Luxury Real Estate
Since 1977
We are a global company and lifestyle brand providing high quality services for those seeking to buy and sell real estate properties. We distinguish ourselves by providing our clients with exceptional service and support. Engel & Völkers Brookhaven, formally known as Fourteen West Realty has been serving Brookhaven and other parts of Georgia as your Real Estate Company.
Since 1977, we have been the select provider of high-end premium real estate service throughout Europe, Asia and North America. We use the latest technologies, manage an extensive network of exclusive listings and potential buyers, partner with influential media outlets, and employ the highest-caliber agents who strive to represent our distinguished brand.
Our style of doing business originates from our early success as a luxury property agency. We maintain the same standards of quality and service in everything we do.


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A Civil Engineering student with great passion for the cities' dynamics could describe a little bit about Guilherme Pfeffer. To understand better the city behavior he focuses his studies on mobility and urban planning, transportation and behavioral psychology.
Mr. Pfeffer is always seeking for innovations and new way to solve problems in several field of knowledge, leading him to earn a Certificate of Corporate Entrepreneurship from the University of Houston.
As for hobbies, Guilherme enjoys reading, traveling, painting and cooking, as well as play sports.


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MRI Screening Dorsal Lumbar Spine
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What is MRI Screening Dorsal Lumbar Spine?
MRI uses a powerful magnetic field, radio frequency pulses and a computer to produce detailed pictures of organs, soft tissues, bone and virtually all other internal body structures. MRI does not use ionizing radiation (x-rays). Detailed MR images allow physicians to evaluate various parts of the body and determine the presence of certain diseases. The images can then be examined on a computer monitor, transmitted electronically, printed or copied to a CD.
Preparation for MRI Screening Dorsal Lumbar Spine
- Inform your doctor and technician if you are pregnant or may be pregnant before the test.
- You will have to remove your jewellery and avoid wearing clothes with metal objects like metal zips, studs etc. which might interfere with the image
- Inform your doctor and technician if you have any stents, implants or pacemakers in your body.
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Saturday, 9 November 2013
fendi monster
Source: Stockholmstreetstyle/ fendiss2014backstage by DaniellaRech/ Streetfsn by Nam
I've been noticing these cute little critters adorning the handbags and clutches of their fashionable humans at fashion weeks around the world. Seriously, how much do they remind you of pygmy puffs?!!!
Posted by Fashion Tidbits at 23:00
Labels: accessories, Chanel, clutches, Italian labels, photographer, streetstyle
1 comment:
- Jo Joanna said...
nice blog
- 21 November 2013 at 21:57
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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Color cosmetics are a fast-growing market, and rapid development of new, innovative products offers a distinctive advantage. That's where tools for continuous processing can make a big difference.
A continuously operating twin-screw extruder helps to dramatically reduce development time for mascaras, eyeliners and eyeshadows in both powder and semi-solid forms. Once ready to manufacture, a continuously operating instrument also eliminates the risk of batch-to-batch variations.
Continuously operating twin-screw extruders provide excellent mixing and compounding capabilities for many applications including loose powders and compressed products. They facilitate homogeneous mixtures from different powder and liquid raw materials in just one process step. Processing temperature can be controlled along a wide range and in different zones, which helps control the viscosity of an entire mixture during processing.


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Personalized Construction T-Shirts
Are you in the construction business? Are you constantly looking for comfortable, professional looking uniforms for your employees? Do you want a great, creative way to advertise? If so then we have the answer to your problems: custom construction t-shirts! Just browse through our great design templates for ideas. Remember we can easily personalize them to include the information, logos, and more for your business. Drop by the design studio today and create some. We can also include and personal artwork that you might want to have on the t-shirts.
Need a Quote? Want to Speak to a Design Specialist? Call Us at (800) 571-7615!
Construction Artwork for Custom Tshirts
If you work for or own a construction company then you have probably noticed the work you do is both labor intensive, but rewarding. It's certainly great watching a project transform before your eyes and knowing that you are responsible for it. However, with all that hard work you are definitely going to want to be as comfortable as possible. That's what makes custom construction t-shirts such a great choice.
The custom tees are not only ideal for company employees to wear to work sites as uniforms, but they also make a great method of promoting the company itself. To get you started on your design we have created the following gallery of construction template designs. Remember you can also upload your company logo to us.


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As you may have seen on a previous post, we are providing board and lodging to another creature - Albert, our Sourdough Starter. On this post I shall introduce Albert's offspring or the Sourdough Loaf I made this weekend. I was very pleased with the results and (not so) secretly happy that my attempts were far more successful than Ian's. My Nan would have been proud of this loaf!
I used a recipe from the River Cottage Website which you will get to if you follow this link, but below is a summary that I have printed and added to our family recipe book. The website does show how to make a starter also, but as we have Albert this was unnecessary.
The first step is making a "sponge" the night before baking day:
|The sponge left to ferment overnight.
The Sponge:
100ml of active starter
300ml warm water
250g plain flour
The night before you want to bake your loaf, create the sponge by combining the starter, warm water and flour. Mix well with your hands or very thoroughly with the handle of a wooden spoon then cover with cling-film and leave overnight.
In the morning, it should be clearly fermenting; thick, sticky and bubbly.
The Loaf:
300g strong bread flour
1 tablespoon of olive oil
10g salt
Add the extra flour, oil and salt to your sponge and combine it all with your hands into fairly sticky dough. If it seems too tight and firm add a dash more warm water; keep it as wet as possible.
Turn out the dough on to a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and silky. This takes roughly 10 minutes.
Put the dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn it so it gets a light coating of oil. Cover with lightly oiled cling-film, and leave to rise for a good few hours until it is doubled in size and feels springy to the touch.
Knock the dough back on a lightly floured surface. To prove the dough form it into the shape it will be for baking. Use a proving basket or a bowl lined with a lightly flour dusted, clean tea towel. Place your dough inside the basket and cover with oiled cling-film and leave to rise in a warm place this time, until roughly doubled in size. This might take up to four hours.
Preheat the oven and a baking sheet to 250˚C or Gas Mark 9. Create a steamy atmosphere in the oven by adding a tray of boiling water to the bottom of the oven just before you put the loaf in.
Dust the hot baking sheet with flour, and carefully transfer the risen dough to it by tipping it out of the proving basket. Slash the top of the loaf a few times with a serrated knife.
I made this recipe twice and both times it produced a nice loaf with a very crusty outer layer. The only part of the recipe that we didn't manage to do correctly was waiting for the loaf to completely cool before attacking it with the bread knife and butter… And I can certainly confirm that it made a great cheese and tomato sandwich for my lunch at work today!
There is just one problem with this loaf - it doesn't last long enough, not because of it getting dry or mouldy, we just keep eating it...


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Crystal skull-loving boyfriends, dysfunctional megafamilies, cyberbullies, and more.
Homesick for Another World by Ottessa Moshfegh
The title and cover of Homesick for Another World might lead you to believe Ottessa Moshfegh's stories are set in outer space, but she's done the opposite: approached Earth as if it were an alien planet. Her characters are repressed and distant, the people that surround them even moreso. In "A Dark and Winding Road," a man gets depraved with his brother's meth-addicted girlfriend; with "The Weirdos," a woman can't seem to leave her awful wannabe-actor boyfriend, even though he's obsessed with rubbing his crystal skull for good luck (not a euphemism).
There's a steady tone across these 14 stories. Moshfegh imbues her anguished realism with equal parts murky dread and clever turns of phrase. But for stories about isolation and loneliness, they are also oddly funny. In "No Place for Good People," a volunteer at a facility for adults with developmental disabilities takes several of the patients on a journey to a Hooters, only to discover that it has become a Friendly's; "Dancing the Moonlight" is about a guy trying to sleep with a furniture designer via an ottoman.
If there's one weak link in the book, it's the last story, "A Better Place," which trades the hyperspecificity of Moshfegh's wit for an abstract, almost Grimm-like voice that doesn't quite land as well as the other entries. But it's a small complaint in a short story collection that's as consistent—and often brilliant—as they come.
Perfect Little World by Kevin Wilson
If it takes a village to raise a child, then Kevin Wilson has made that saying literal in Perfect Little World. Dubbed the "Infinite Family Project," a group of researchers attempt to study the effects of communal parenting by treating ten families as one unit, living together and sharing child-rearing responsibilities. The kids also aren't told who their biological parents are. What follows is a fuckton of dysfunction.
Izzy, the only single parent in the Project, arrives through a desperate situation. Her art-teacher boyfriend committed suicide after learning they were having a child. With just a low-paying job at a barbecue joint, the opportunity to join the Infinite Family Project seems like the best way for Izzy to raise her son Cap. She's determined to make the best of the situation, a trait she exhibits throughout the novel. "It's the parents we have to worry about," observes one of the researchers. "The kids are going to be great; the parents are the unstable element." Maybe unsurprisingly, the communal living leads to various bouts of infidelity that threaten to dismantle the Project from the inside. Add to the mix Dr. Grind, the brilliant and compassionate man in charge of the Project who is wrestling with his own demons/parent issues.
For all the melodrama, though, Perfect Little World is persistently compassionate. Like big-hearted Izzy, Wilson's best moments are funny and earnest. And while the novel ultimately lands on the lesson you'd expect ("family" transcends biology!), Wilson's crisp language and smart plotting make Perfect Little World immensely likable and absolutely enjoyable.
Scratch: Writers, Money, and the Art of Making a Living edited by Manjula Martin
Can you make a living from your art? The simple answer lives in this GIF.
For a slightly more complicated answer, you can read the anthology Scratch. It's particularly relevant if you're a writer yourself, but these essays will be a fascination to anyone who has wrestled with the question of whether the thing they love doing should be a job or relegated to a weekend passion project. Many of the essays are excellent, honest looks at the economic realities of writing for a living, as are the interviews between the book's editor Manjula Martin and authors of renown (Cheryl Strayed, Susan Orleans, and Jonathan Franzen, to name a few).
Over the course of the book, there is a sameness that pervades some of the essays (too many of them open with authors quoting older, deader authors), but for such a narrowly conceived collection, there's a great diversity in stories and experiences. One standout is Kiese Laymon's "You Are the Second Person," which details the excruciatingly long road to getting his first novel published. When Laymon's former editor attempts to poach his novel to a new publisher, he explains, "It's business, bro. Never personal." Which, throughout the course of Scratch, we learn isn't true at all: When it comes to selling your art, nothing is more personal than business.
The Most Dangerous Place on Earth by Lindsey Lee Johnson
What is the most dangerous place on Earth? Spoiler: It's high school.
Well, technically things get rolling in eighth grade when a young boy is so cruelly cyberbullied that he throws himself off the Golden Gate Bridge. (Melania, take note!) The kids of Mill Valley, a wealthy suburb outside San Francisco, bask in privilege—the sort that's taken for granted and also fucks you up. The novel alternates points of view from Molly Niccol, a new and somewhat naive teacher raised in the less affluent arena of Fresno, and each of her students, all of whom carry their own archetypical baggage. There's Calista the Popular Girl, Ryan the Jock, Nick the Underachiever, Damon the Slacker, and so on. But this isn't a John Hughes movie. Each chapter offers a vignette into a more complicated interior life—ones that involve inappropriate student-teacher relationships, cheating on SATs, drugs, sex, and house parties. These portraits are the strength of the novel as Lindsey Lee Johnson works a convincing assortment of different voices into her debut.
The novel's title is a bit of hyperbole, and the book's weaker moments come when it forgets that. But I suppose that's what makes this portrayal of adolescence so gripping: Even the lowest stakes feel momentous.
Dance on the Volcano by Marie Vieux-Chauvet
In 18th-century Port-au-Ponce, mixed-race Minette performs an opera at the Theatre—a stage that only allows white performers. After receiving uproarious applause, Minette finds that her virtuosic singing talents thrust her into a life of wealth and fame. But no matter how big the audience is, how decadent the reception is, she still can't escape the divide between free black people and slaves.
Minette slowly gains a consciousness about race and class (read: becomes more woke). "Why were some people rich and others poor?" she asks herself. "Why did people beat their slaves? Why were some masters kind and others cruel, some priests good and others evil?" Later Dance on the Volcano, she'll learn the answer to many of her questions: "Life can be cruel and men disappointing."
The volcano from the title is, of course, a metaphor for the tension of impending revolt, ready to erupt at any moment. As things come to a head, Minette's evolution turns her into a figure who pities slaves to one that would sacrifice herself protect them from white brutality. In Dance on the Volcano, Marie Vieux-Chauvet—one of Haiti's finest novelists—has given us an exquisitely written portrait of Haiti's social and political climate, one that's still eerily resonant 300 years later.


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Hotel Tentrem Yogyakarta
Located in Sinduadi, Hotel Tentrem Yogyakarta is a perfect starting point from which to explore Yogyakarta. Both business travelers and tourists can enjoy the hotel's facilities and services. Take advantage of the hotel's free Wi-Fi in all rooms, 24-hour front desk, 24-hour room service, facilities for disabled guests, luggage storage. All rooms are designed and decorated to make guests feel right at home, and some rooms come with internet access - wireless, internet access - wireless (complimentary), non smoking rooms, air conditioning, desk. The hotel's peaceful atmosphere extends to its recreational facilities which include hot tub, fitness center, sauna, golf course (within 3 km), outdoor pool. No matter what your reasons are for visiting Yogyakarta, Hotel Tentrem Yogyakarta will make you feel instantly at home.


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An irrepressible creative streak makes Design Works Gaming the premier developer of highly original wagering games. Our exceptional content, cutting-edge design and outstanding game performance all combine to create impossible-to-ignore games.
We continually scrutinize the range of gaming elements that are successful with players and uniquely modify them to create a more stimulating, more entertaining experience that also provides greater returns for our clients.
With distribution worldwide, we don't just study global markets we visit them to maintain a deep, accurate and current understanding of the technical and cultural intricacies required to create successful games anywhere in the world. Proficient with localization, it's how our creativity translates so successfully in any country, region or small corner of the globe.
Our innovative thinking shapes every aspect of our capabilities, from savvy mathematics, to unique audio, to compelling graphics. It's this creative vision and that keeps clients calling on us project after project, time after time.


text: LAPD customized Para P-16 Para Ordnance P16, 40 S&W,fully over the... PARA ORDNANCE 1911 TWO-TONE 7.45 PISTOL ... Para Elite Stainless .45 ACP Para Ordnance P14-45 Guns Pistols Para Ordnance Pistols Para Pro Comp mm IonBond lpi FO NEW | 493 | 106 | Lc | 171.9136ms View Category Para Pro Comp 9mm IonBond 25 lpi FO *NEW* 96790 For Sale from Oak Hill Guns | Positive feedback: 95% View | Verified Seller | 1732 Completed Sales View Sellers Items /UserImages/3054/963897880 11196870.jpg Description: BRAND NEW - Para USA Competition Model PRO COMP 9mm MADE WITHOUT COMPROMISE, BY THE INDUSTRY'S HARSHEST CRITICS. Out of the box and in your hands, never has the icon performed better. Starting with only the finest precision-engineered parts, each pistol is hand-assembled and fine-tuned for perfection by the most demanding, dedicated craftsmen in the industry. The result is a true classic without compromise, featuring the customgrade quality and timeless looks of a high-end 1911, plus a host of innovations first developed, and still done best, by PARA. SKU - 96790 9mm 5" Stainless Match-Grade Ramped Barrel Adjustable Target Rear, Fiber Optic Front Sight Stainless Steel Frame & Slide 25 lpi Checkered Front Strap EGW® HD Extractor Full Length Guide Rod Beavertail Grip Safety Skeletonized Match Grade Trigger Ionbond© PVD Finish VZ® Operator™ Machined G10 Grips Two 9-Round Standard Magazines TRADES Welcome Shipping and insurance just $35 to the lower 48, all prices listed reflect a 3% cash discount which is not available when paying with credit card. We do not accept personal checks and no longer offer lay-a-way simply because we want to process your order and ship immediately. We do ship to CA if item is on the DOJ approved list for an additional $10 to cover DOJ "import" paperwork. Read More Condition: New In Box Brand: PARA USA UPC: 96790 Caliber: 9mm Luger Location: PA Trades Accepted: Trades Welcome, we accept good quality firearms that are in at least good condition and working order.Conact us with details of your trade item(s). Read More All prices listed reflect a 3% cash discount which is not available when paying with credit card. We do not accept personal checks and no longer offer lay-a-way simply because we want to process your order and ship immediately. CA residents add $10 for DOJ acceptance paperwork. Please feel free to contact us with any questions. Frequently Asked Questions -> Q: Lay-a-way? A: No, we no longer accept lay-a-way. We want to process your order and ship immediately. Q: What forms of payment do you accept? A: We accept major credit cards, money orders, bank / cashiers checks. Q: Can I return the item? A: We offer a 3 day non firing inspection on all used firearms. New items are backed by the manufacturers warranty and should be sent directly to them or an authorized factory repair center. New items can only be returned with prior approval and will be subject to a 10% restocking fee. Shipping Notes: $35 Shipping and Insurance USPS Priority Insured You will receive email confirmation upon receiving your order, payment and the FFL license from your dealer, we will then provide tracking info via email upon shipping. Q: Can you ship a firearm directly to my residence? A: No, all firearms must be shipped to a FFL (Federal Firearms Licensed) dealer for transfer to you. The shipping price is listing in the description for each item. Q: How do I find a FFL dealer? A: Clic Read More Share Item Item #: 963897880 SKU: 770752967905 Stock No.: Pro Comp 9 Oak Hill Guns Seller Since: Mar. 2005 Seller Level: Trusted Seller This seller is an FFL City: Ulster State: PA Price: SOLD (Price reflects 3% cash discount.) This Seller Accepts Online Payment Shipping: $35.00 (or Arrange local transfer) Accepted Payment Methods: Returns: See Description Your Recently Viewed Items


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This is somewhat related, but quite different from my last topic of Router and Email.
I have three email accounts set up and I can send messages only from the first (I can receive messages for all 3). This first account is also in the outgoing server settings. Attempting to forward from the second or third brings up an Alert box, with this message (I've replace the account name here with '_' but it is correct in my M and N Account Settings):
An error occurred while sending mail. The mail server responded: 5.1.0 <email@example.com> sender rejected AUP#O-1030. Please verify that your email address is correct in your Mail preferences and try again.
I don't believe this should be happening. Any thoughts on how to correct?


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Some of our styles are just begging to be a part of certain costumes. You just look at them, and it's like how could you not? Take the Yvett slipper. Topped with a fluffy pom, it screams Tinker Bell. And the 70's vibes evoked by the Kassi and Cam II? You can't help but play those up as Penny Lane from Almost Famous. Scroll and explore the possibilities.
Peter Pan
If growing up means not dressing up for Halloween, then no thanks. Get away wearing slippers as Peter Pan in the Nikola and an all-green get up.
Tinker Bell
Coordinate with Peter Pan by going as Tinker Bell in the Yvett. This slipper couldn't be more perfect unless we covered it in glitter.
The golden tint to the Neumel Wheat is perfect for any bird costume, really. We just found this penguin option hilarious. Happy feet indeed.
Guys, there's no reason to be scared of wearing your Classic boots in public this Halloween, especially since you'll be the one doing the scaring.
Penny Lane
The 70's are in, so put all the retro pieces you already own (like your flares, denim skirts, and lace-up tops) together and take this trend to the level with our Kassi clogs and a shearling vest or coat.
With distressed materials inspired by the classic bomber jackets, the Selwood Bomber lends itself perfectly to a pilot costume. All you need are some tan pants, a white tee, a leather jacket, and goggles. Top it off with a trapper hat that you can use for non-costume looks when winter hits.
Ski Bunny
If you don't want to put in too much effort or you're just worried about getting cold, pair a cozy boot like the Patten with gloves, a hat, and a scarf. Add some ski poles or goggles for a costume that is more chalet chic than basic.


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Calling all abies – with the new school year starting soon I'm reminded it is time for your yearly physical. Mention you've read this post and I promise your exam will be as painless and humiliation free as possible (winks). Otherwise, I get to have my wicked way with you (big grin and another wink).
Nurse Betty
1 888 430 2010


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Instant installment loans are becoming one of the most popular and affordable short-term financial solutions available in today's market. Qualifying for a short-term loan online can be one of the easiest processes that you ever experienced because there are no large financial institutions evolved. Think about the last time you went to your local bank to apply for a traditional loan. Do you remember how long it took?
Getting an installment loan is quick and easy. All you need is access to the web, do a quick online search for direct lenders and within minutes you will be able to apply for the loan that meets your personal needs. By simply searching the words 'online installment loans' in Google or Yahoo you can find needed results. You will see that lenders compete for the customers and try to offer the lowest possible interest rates.
cash loans now, loans without bank account, payday cash advance online,
Installment loans are small sums of money, typically in the range of $100 to $1000, lent to you for a short term. The exact loan period varies depending on your personal needs, the lender's terms, and your state regulations. Some loans last only 1-2 weeks, while others will not have to be paid off for a full month.
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Holiday Sewing
3 years ago
Very nice! I have a long arm arriving soon and am busy piecing lots of donation quilts to practice on.
Eileen that is how I quilt table runners. I piece two sections of fabric together and can then quilt one runner after another and usually get 5 done on the backing fabric. I also use up smaller strips of batting that way that are just wide enough and long enough for one runner.


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Tag: 'fitness'
August 13, 2007 at 11:58 am
There was no excuse not to use the fitness room at the hotel I stayed at this weekend during my brother's wedding because it was literally across the hallway from my suite.
I did not request this, it just happened. Of all the possible rooms on three floors, I ended up about 4 feet away from the treadmills and stair-climbers. I woke up early Saturday morning, got dressed and stretched in the dark so I didn't wake my mother, and stumbled across the hallway. There were two treadmills, but the first one's power key was broken in half, so you couldn't turn it on. I turned on the TV and got on the second treadmill and walked for about 5 minutes to warm-up. Then I pushed it up to 5 miles per hour to jog for about three minutes. Next I decided to throw in some one minute intervals where I would ran as fast as I could until I felt like "throwing up a lung" as Skwigg would say. I pushed the speed up to […]
July 24, 2007 at 9:17 am
I am proud to say I don't totally suck at tennis.
During my first tennis lesson last night I did not wedge a tennis ball into anyone's eye socket nor did I send sparks and fried green fuzz flying from the overhead lights. I was even able to serve the ball over the net once or twice, which is more than I could say about volleyball in high school PE.
I had never played tennis before. I don't think I'd even hit a tennis ball with a racket before. Thankfully I am in a large group class with 15 people and 3 instructors, so there were 5 other newbies like me who were grouped together. When I signed in and paid my money at the desk, I also got a packet with flyers and basic tennis rules. I started reading the rules immediately like the good little student I always was. By the time we actually went out to the courts I had already figured out what the baseline was and where the service box was and […]
June 1, 2007 at 7:54 am
Last Saturday I weighed in at 187 and was glad I'd decided the week before to nix the weekly weigh-in entries in favor of round-ups at the beginning of each month. My weight has been all over the place in May, making me wonder if I should rename this blog every week. One week it's "Half of Me" and the next week it's "Over Half of Me" and then the week after that it's "Almost Half of Me." I practically needed rotating logos.
So I was looking at that number, wishing I was a dishonest person and could lie about my weight or perhaps "forget" to update my sidebar with the number. Then I thought about everything I've been saying lately about how I don't care so much about my weight as I do about being fit and healthy and able to roll on my back and fling myself up to a standing position. I asked myself, "Self, do you really believe all that stuff?" And I realized that yes, I do really believe all that […]
April 3, 2007 at 8:28 am
When I first graduated from college, I entered a period of my life where my learning was no longer institutionalized. It was up to me to seek out new knowledge simply because I wanted to and not because I needed to write a term paper on the topic the night before it was due. I suppose I could write a term paper, but who would I turn it in to? My old professors would probably get worried if I started slipping five page double-spaced essays under their office doors and started hanging out in the parking lot saying I used to go here. That's what MFA programs are for!
No matter how much weight I lose, I'm always learning new things about health and fitness. For example, I just bought a new pair of running shoes because my old ones had worn through the inner lining on the heel. This has happened before and I just assumed my feet were deformed and misshapen and narrow in the heel. I was just grateful I didn't have cloven […]


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Welcome to the Ten Weeks of Top Ten Lists sponsored by Many Little Blessings and the iHomeschoolNetwork.com. Bunches of bloggers will be sharing their Top Ten lists on various topics over the next ten weeks.
Please be sure to subscribe by email or follow Blog, She Wrote using the sidebar buttons, so you don't miss any of my Top Ten Favorites!
This Week's topic is Top 10 Reasons we are looking forward to a new Homeschooling Year. In no particular order, here we go:
- New Beginnings- a new school year is a chance to start over no matter how the previous year ended.
- New Supplies- because really...who among us does not love new school supplies and materials?
- New or Revised Goals- it's a chance to really consider our children anew and adjust the direction and intention of their schooling.
- New House- beginning with this new homeschool year, we'll be in our long awaited new home (as of Friday/Saturday!)
- New Learning Areas- along with a new home (and more than one bathroom for the six of us) we will have new learning areas to spread out in!
- New home for the computers- that will be distant from our school table (which right now is right behind the computer desk). This will mean less distraction for the kids all around. Sure it will!
- New location- ok so the new house is a big deal, but we will be in town and just a few minutes away from our co-op rather than our current half hour.
- New Course Work- everyone looks forward to a new focus for the year. Want a preview? We'll be doing second grade FIAR, Quilting with History, American Government- including electoral process, formation, and lots of Founding Father stuff, Above and Beyond FIAR, BYFIAR, and more One Year Adventure Novel. Oh and Chemistry! Plenty of chemistry for the whole family...
- New Math Ideas and Activities- I have some fun plans to sit down with my kids and really enjoy math with them with games, cooking, projects, and notebooking. I'm really jazzed about it!
- New Opportunities- I have plans to create more margin in our school days and continue with Sewing Camp (in our new and bigger location) and I'd like to do a Book Club for the kids.


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As I mentioned in an earlier post I've been in a very Halloweeny mood lately. Here in Sweden we don't really celebrate Halloween, but I used to host a yearly Halloween party as a kid and I've been yearning to recreate that spooky feeling of anticipation that the end of October always brought with it. So this year I will actually celebrate with some kind of festivity.
Anyway, the day-dreaming about late autumn and its spooky aura has sent my gothic mind into a creative frenzy and here is another result of that. As much as this is a Halloween-appropriate look for most people I would totally wear this for everyday occasions. What about you? :)
Kat Von D; Nosferatu liquid lipstick, as a base to achieve that dried blood feeling, Jet eyeshadow, Pink Opal as the highlight in the middle of the eyelid and Tattoo liner in Trooper
Sugarpill; Tako and Love+
Anastasia Beverly Hills; Venetian red and Red Ochre
Thank you so much for stopping by!
Take care!
Love, Luna Von Bat


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Bermuda Cruise
7 Night Bermuda (Cape Liberty Roundtrip)
Sail Date: September 29, 2013
Ship: Explorer of the Seas
Cabin Type: Balcony
Cabin Number: 8358
Traveled As: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review Summary
We chose this cruise primarily because it only had one stop. I guess we thought it would be easier on us as far as getting around. But, in fact, we departed the ship all three days we were docked. If you have no difficulty walking and enjoy exploring on your own, buying the bus pass might be a good idea. However, looking back, I wish we had at least booked the half-day tour covering the entire island. We ended up walking a long distance from the ship to catch a bus to Hamilton. Looked around there for a short time and then took the ferry to St. George. We visited a couple of the local sights and then caught the ferry all the way back to the ship. The second day we again caught the bus and, on the advice of some other cruisers, got off at Elbow Beach. Not a good idea. There were no bathroom facilities, no water, etc. Then you had to climb a very long hill to get back up to the street to catch the bus. I don't mean to sound totally negative, but just want to make you aware that if you have difficulty walking that you need to consider how you are going to get around. There were other cruise ships there also and that created large amounts of people trying to get around at the same time, which resulted in standing on the bus and hoping you were actually going to get on the bus or the ferry. The cruise was very smooth, no bad weather, mostly good food and very good entertainment, We had a room with a balcony and had plenty of room. The closet was quite large and held everything. I think most of our problems were just poor choices on our part and us not realizing how much walking on and off the ship was going to be involved. I would not hesitate to recommend the ship or the cruise.
Ship Experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship Tip
The ice show was definitely worth going to. We also enjoyed the café on the fifth level several times. If you are just looking for something light or just a beverage and cookies or other dessert - free - this is the place to go.
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Remember: Be polite and respectful. Our diverse community is home to members with different opinions and a broad range of cruise experiences.


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Hi All,
And look we have my happy new friends Sally from Charity Shop Chic and Clare from Sew Dixie Lou
And here we all are in The Boom Boom Room in Camden! Also in the pics are the flawless Nicole from Nicole Needles, and my friend Dee from Twitter.
I had to run for the last train, and was nodding off the whole way home!
I can't wait to see everyone again. Am not sure if I can make the Brighton meetup yet (other plans TBC), but am looking at train tickets for the Birmingham one in June! And of course London in August!
Am definitely gonna have to step my game up and step into the unknown world of the solo sewn dress.
I know this was a mammoth post, but I will just leave you with a few photo's of some of the fabric that broke my arms and back! But it was worth it!


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In which I repeat what I said two years ago, because it seems even more relevant now (when state budgets have throttled school budgets and the current U.S. President has identified education as a national priority):
Archive for the 'Governing' category
Responding to crises versus preventing them: what else can we do for the public schools?
President Obama's memo on scientific integrity.
The full text of the memorandum is here. Let's look at some of the details.
Comments are off for this post
A science debate, not a science exam.
I was reading John Timmer's post on Ars Technica about the call for a presidential debate on science and technology and found myself surprised at how many of the commenters on the post think such a debate would be a terrible idea.
It's not just that the commenters think that the presidential candidates would use all their powers to weasel out of taking clear stands that might get them in trouble with one constituency or another. There are quite a few commenters who make variations of this argument:
I don't see this as being a very good idea. These people are POLITICIANS, not scientists. I do not want to see them debating issues they have little worthwhile knowledge. If elected, they should rely on their advisors, and more importantly, the SCIENTISTS themselves to determine scientific policy. Science should not be "up for political debate." Science should follow the scientific method. Having some sort of half-baked, pre-programmed, campaigning answers only politicizes science even more -- which is exactly what we should try to avoid.
The list of questions I have for presidential hopefuls is manifestly not an oral exam on anything the candidates might have learned in their science classes. (Not a single question on intermolecular forces, I swear!) But just to be clear:
Comments are off for this post
In defense of 'flip-floppers': attention to reality matters.
In response to one of my science-related questions for the presidential candidates, Drugmonkey points out that the question might not work the way I want it to because of the chasm between science and politics:
"8. If sound scientific research were to demonstrate that one of your policy initiatives couldn't work (or couldn't work without tremendous cost in terms of money, health risk, negative environmental impact, etc.), what would you do?"
This almost, but not quite, hits the fundamental cultural problem between the two societies, science and politics. Your question should be reframed as "what if research were to demonstrate your policy hadn't worked in the first three years, then what would you do?". The problem is that political behavior is unfalsifiable. "My policy didn't work? Well, we just didn't do it enough. Let's do it more." Tax cuts or welfare, same deal. No testing, falsifying and moving on to something else because the data told us the policy was flawed. Even the slightest sign of this and someone is a "flip flopper".
I think Drugmonkey's diagnosis of the politician's MO is probably right. And, it occurs to me that this is the thing I hate most about politics-as usual. It's what makes me want to hold the candidates down and ask them for their stand on reality.
Comments are off for this post
Questions for the presidential candidates: where do you stand on science?
Science matters. It's hard to make good decisions in today's world that aren't somehow informed by sound science -- especially if you're the head of state of a country like the USA.
This means that it's important to know where the people lined up to get the job of President of the United States stand on science. Those of us deciding how to vote could use this information, and even you folks who are subject to US foreign policy have a significant interest in knowing what you'll be in for.
There ought to be a presidential debate focused on science and technology before the 2008 election. It's not just the bloggers who think so, either. A bunch of serious scientists support the idea, too.
Here are some big things I want to know about where presidential candidates stand on science -- the kinds of questions a science and technology debate might put on the table:
Comments are off for this post
Murtha, ethics, and "real issues".
Apparently John Murtha lost his bid to be the new Majority Leader in the House of Representatives to Rep. Steny Hoyer. In the run up to this decision, Murtha was reported as saying the House ethics reforms being proposed by Nancy Pelosi were "total crap".
As you can imagine, that got my attention.
Below the fold, a bit of the transcript of Murtha's interview with Chris Matthews where Murtha tries to put his comment in context.
Comments are off for this post


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Keeping it all in the family
How will consolidation affect TV pickups?Call it an aberration or a sign of things to come: The same day that ABC and ABC Studios announced they were combining operations and making the network the studio's primary customer, the Alphabet opened its January pickup season by ordering "Eastwood" -- from outside supplier Warner Bros. TV.
The consolidation move by ABC followed a similar amalgam a month earlier by NBC, which combined the network and its sister production arm, Universal Media Studios. The Peacock hasn't picked up any pilots from outsiders since.
In the 15 years since the repeal of the financial interest and syndication rule that limited how much programming a network could own or distribute, the broadcast nets have been steadily increasing the share of shows they order from their own in-house studios.
Is the latest wave of consolidation of networks and studios a final culmination of that? Or are the moves simply part of industrywide cost-cutting and streamlining in the face of the deepening recession?
"This is absolutely, 100% a reflection of the economy and the need for more efficient usage of what has been duplication of jobs," one studio topper says.
In the wake of the consolidation at NBC, a slew of top executives were laid off, with one comedy and one drama department now handling development at both the network and the studio under Angela Bromstad, who oversees NBC and UMS.
It will take a few months for the new direction at the Peacock to come into focus, but initial indications are that the bottom line-focused NBC is fashioning a model wherein the studio and the network are pretty much self-sufficient and satisfy almost 100% of their needs internally.
Before the December merger with UMS, NBC had gone to outside studios for three pilots: David E. Kelley's "Legally Mad" and John Wells' "Southland" -- both from WBTV -- and "Lost in the '80s" from Sony TV.
Although "Southland" was picked up to series after long negotiations, NBC's January pilot pickups featured only UMS-produced shows.
Last week, NBC suddenly pulled the plug on "Lost in the '80s."
ABC, on the other hand, has been more open to other studios in its pilot pickups. More than half (nine of 16) of the pilots greenlighted for fall consideration hail from outside suppliers: WBTV, 20th TV or Sony TV.
That might be because ABC entertainment president Stephen McPherson was not directly involved in the development of the ABC Studios projects this season. That is expected to change next season, when he also will oversee the studio.
"You won't see McPherson quite so open next year," one studio source says.
McPherson this week took a series of meetings at the major talent agencies stressing that if writers of ABC Studios-produced shows get a pass from ABC, they would be free to take the projects out to other nets. Still, he indicated that the studio won't develop ideas targeting only outside buyers.
The folding of UMS and ABC Studios into their respective networks can also be seen as a logical evolution because they were set up to focus on producing for their motherships. (For ABC, the consolidation echoes another short-lived merger in 1999 under Lloyd Braun.)
CBS Paramount also is becoming more in-house-focused under the perview of Nancy Tellem, who also oversees CBS. CBS Par produces series only for sister nets CBS and the CW (the latter is half-owned by Time Warner). The only CBS Par show for an outside net, "Medium" for NBC, was developed and sold by Paramount Network TV before it was merged with CBS Prods. to form a producing arm of the Eye network.
CBS brass maintain that the studio will remain its own entity and not be merged with the network, though in December there were senior executive layoffs at the studio.
Fox, on the other hand, has been less "family"-focused, in part because 20th TV predates the formation of the Fox network. News Corp. keeps both operations independent, with 20th TV also supplying other networks.
News Corp. president Peter Chernin has encouraged the studio to take projects to multiple networks and to ask Fox to bid like anyone else.
So, is doing it all in-house a good or bad business model?
On the plus side, dealmaking is easier and helps avoid legal faceoffs like the one between WBTV and CBS over profits from the hit comedy "Two and a Half Men." (Since that suit was filed in December, CBS hadn't ordered a single pilot from WBTV until it picked up comedy "Big D" Thursday.)
On the other hand, if a network buys only from its own studio, the parent company takes on all the risk by footing the bill for the license fees on the network side and deficit financing on the studio side. That's a big financial burden given the high failure rate in the broadcast TV biz.
"In a world where there is an 85% failure rate, you're doubling up a lot on your bets," one studio exec says. "You're spending a tremendous amount of money, and you're limiting the flow of creativity that is coming to your network."
The conventional wisdom is that, with the strengthening of the ties between broadcast networks and their in-house studios, outside suppliers and indies are being squeezed -- or squeezed out.
Even now, studios not affiliated with the network to whom they sell a project are often forced into co-productions and forced to haggle on the license fees once their show is picked up to series.
But if networks become more insular, that could make such companies as WBTV and Sony TV that much more attractive as suppliers.
With ABC Studios, UMS and CBS Par developing primarily for their own networks, the only sure bet for a creator to get more than one shot with pitches (and even to spark a bidding war) would be to go to one of the "indies." That would give such companies as WBTV, Sony TV and to some extent 20th TV an advantage in attracting top talent.
That could also bode well for smaller indie companies looking to break in -- except, as one exec put it, "You still have to be an indie with a lot of money." He doesn't expect many new entrants into this game.
But "thirtysomething" creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick must have not gotten the memo.
This week, CBS picked up their drama pilot "A Marriage," which is being produced by their indie outfit Bedford Falls without the backing of a studio.
That was done by choice, says Herskovitz, who, as president of the Producers Guild, has been a vocal opponent of vertical integration and network ownership of their shows.
"I'm very interested in reinvigorating the concept of the independent producer in television," he says. "It's been absent for a long time, and it hurts everybody. We're happy to do it one at a time."


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Ahmedabad/Jodhpur: Controversial self-styled godman Asaram Bapu was on Monday summoned by Jodhpur police to appear before it for questioning within four days over the sexual abuse allegation levelled against him by a minor girl.
The summons was delivered in Ahmedabad to a representative of 72-year-old Asaram Bapu.
"We have issued summons to Asaram Bapu and asked him to appear before us to record his statement within four days of receiving it," DCP (West) Jodhpur Police Ajay Pal Lamba told PTI in Ahmedabad.
"We called Asaram Bapu`s representative from the ashram to a local police station in Ahmedabad and executed the summons," he said.
"After the primary investigation it turned out that the victim`s accusations were prima facie established. Hence we summoned Asaram Bapu to remain present before us, on or before August 30, to record his statement," Lamba said.
Lamba said an opportunity is being given to Asaram Bapu for presenting his version regarding the allegation levelled against him by the 16-year-old girl.
Asaram, who was booked for allegedly sexually assaulting the girl in a Jodhpur ashram, is currently in Indore.
The self-styled godman claimed last night that he was innocent and regards the minor as his "daughter". His spokesman has also denied the charges against him.
He has been booked under sections 376, 342, 506 and 509 of the IPC, section 8 of the Prevention of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and sections 23 and 26 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
When asked about the allegation that Asaram Bapu is used to evading summons issued either by police or inquiry commissions, Lamba said, "If he will not respond to our summons, we will issue another one and if he still ignores it, then we may initiate action for his arrest. But that will be considered only after August 30."
Besides the summons served on Asaram Bapu, notices have also been issued to the manager of Chhindwara gurukul in Madhya Pradesh, hostel warden and the main caretaker of Asaram, who was present at Manai ashram in Jodhpur with him on August 15, when the alleged sexual assault took place there.
The girl was studying in Asaram`s Chhindwara gurukul before she was sent to Jodhpur ashram, police said.
"In the investigation so far, we have found the allegations of the girl to be prima facie true and now we are giving Bapu a chance to prove that he was not guilty," Lamba said.
However, authorities at Asaram Bapu`s ashram in Ahmedabad denied receiving any such communication from the Jodhpur police related to the complaint.
"Until this moment, we have not received any communication either from the Jodhpur police or on their behalf from local police," said Asaram Bapu`s Motera Ashram spokesperson Sunil Vankhede.


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Kitty's Favorite Herb: Catnip
The attraction of cats to
catnip has been known for
centuries and has given us the
common name of this plant. An
essential oil nepetalactone
triggers an amazing reaction in
cats: sniffing, licking and
chewing the plant with head
shaking, chin and cheek and
body rubbing. Eye dilation and
drooling may also occur. Cats
respond to tiny amounts of
nepetalactone concentrations
approaching one part per billion.
It is interesting that only about
two thirds of cats respond to
catnip. It is an inherited trait
breeds originating from Asia
typically dont respond to catnip.
Catnip (Nepeta cataria), a
perennial herb in the mint family,
was introduced to North
America by European settlers
and grows wild in most of the
U.S. Catnip tea was used by
settlers as a folk remedy for
colds and fever, cramps,
migraines and other disorders.
Despite this widespread use, the
pharmaceutical uses of catnip
have not been studied very
Even though the response of
cats to catnip is well known,
many people are unaware that
catnip oil repels a number of
different insect species, including
planthoppers and spittlebugs,
German cockroaches, subterranean
termites, mosquitoes and
several beetle species.
For more information, read the entire Nebline Article: Catnip Attracts Cats and Repels Pests by Barb Ogg, Extension Educator. (this is a .pdf file)
Other resources you might enjoy:
What's the Scoop on Insect Repellents
Youth Gardening Activity. Plant a Zoo Garden
The World is Their Litterbox. Discouraging Cats. (this is a .pdf file)
The Butterfly Garden (Nebraska Statewide Aboretum)
you miss a
Can You Guess It??
more photos & resources here.
of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in Lancaster County
Confidentiality Statement
of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension educational programs
abide with the nondiscrimination policies of the University
of Nebraska-Lincoln
and the United States Department of Agriculture.
All Rights Reserved 1996-2006


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