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Recent years have seen renewed attention to curiosity―recognizing, seeking out, and preferring things that are new, unusual, and outside of one's normal experience. Curiosity includes two components, the mindful immersion component—rapt attention to interesting things and people—and the exploratory striving component—the desire to learn about whatever captured their attention. By increasing exposure to information and experiences that were not previously available, curiosity serves a broader function of building knowledge, skills, and social relationships.
When exposed to new information and experiences, there is often tension with prior ideas that may no longer fit. When our existing ideas about ourselves and the world are inadequate for integrating new information, this prompts us to revise our pre-conceived notions. These changes are in the service of broadening who we are, our relationships with other people, and the larger world.
What Leads to Curiosity?
People prefer to enter situations that match their perceived abilities to understand them. When something grabs your immediate attention, you ask two questions. These two questions and the answers to them are automatic, rapid, and occur on the fringes of conscious awareness.
First you ask: Is this object of my attention novel, complex, or uncertain? If you appraise an event as novel, this only leads to intense curiosity if you also believe that when encountered, this novelty is manageable. This is why the second question you ask is: Do I believe that the novelty, complexity, or uncertainty in this situation can be handled? Complex but incomprehensible events are experienced as confusing or aversive. Curious people excel at both detecting novelty and believing that they can handle this novelty. Without both of these beliefs, a person experiences something other than curiosity — boredom if novelty is undetected, confusion if one feels ill-equipped to cope effectively. This is important because it suggests a variety of strategies to help people become curious.
Many people excel at recognizing new, uncertain, complex, and mysterious things in their world. But we can all get better at this. If we want to increase curiosity, people must be taught to be mindful of gaps between what they know and what they think they know, and to be aware of how seemingly familiar situations possess some degree of novelty. No two conversations about the latest Martin Scorsese movie are the same. No two trips to a sushi restaurant are the same, even if you are with the same people ordering the same rolls. No two listens of "Release" by Pearl Jam are the same, as the feelings, thoughts, and images evoked are going to be different. Instead of labeling and categorizing what is familiar, you can be trained to focus more on the unknowns.
Even if people excel at recognizing novelty potential, they might be unable to tolerate the anxiety that arises in novel situations. If we want people to become more curious, we have to teach them to change their attitude about distressing thoughts and feelings. Some people become anxious about being anxious, and cling to structure, certainty, and the familiar in hopes of feeling calm. We can help people become more curious by providing a safe haven where their anxious feelings and thoughts are validated, understood, and cared for by another person. When they know they can comfortably express their discomfort, they are more likely to explore, discover, and learn despite the presence of uncertain outcomes. Unfortunately, too many leaders, parents, and teachers do the exact opposite by dismissing people's anxiety as excessive or inappropriate. Remember that it is perfectly normal to be anxious when engaged in something that is new and meaningful. Nothing works worse as advice than telling someone to try to feel less anxious. Asking someone to avoid, conceal, or get rid of their anxiety will only make them more focused on their anxiety and in turn, more anxious.
Social Well-Being and Curiosity
Humans evolved in small groups, in which survival and reproductive needs depended on having close connections with others. Anything that increases the ability to form close connections and reduce the probability of social rejection served the function of ensuring that basic needs could be met. Only recently have scientists uncovered the importance of curiosity to satisfying a sense of belonging.
Social situations are often ambiguous and challenging. These qualities are the reason that social situations offer great opportunities for self-expansion. Partners who offer us greater self-expansion opportunities are more desirable. The desirable process of self-expansion often transfers over into the relationship itself, promoting behaviors that foster the development of meaningful relationships. When people feel their primary relationship partner is secure and responsive, they typically responds with a willingness to seek possible growth opportunities by exploring, learning, and taking risks (even in the presence of uncomfortable feelings).
Feelings of curiosity may build social bonds by promoting behaviors such as engagement, responsiveness, and flexibility to others' varied perspectives. People who are more curious have been shown to experience energizing conversations with strangers that rapidly escalate in intimacy, and show impressive accuracy in discerning the personality traits of strangers after brief interactions.
When contemplating a conversation involving the exchange of facts with a stranger (e.g., what is your favorite holiday and why?) versus deeper, intimate conversations (e.g., if your house was on fire, what three things would you feel compelled to remove?), more curious people expect to feel closer to partners after the intimate conversation than less curious people. The curious people use a number of strategies to regulate interest including being provocative, injecting humor, a willingness to disclose personal information and encouraging partners to do the same, openly expressing feelings about the conversation, and intentionally searching for interesting details about their partner. Thus, the healthy social outcomes of people with more curiosity appear to be the result of their intentional efforts to create interesting, enjoyable opportunities for both them and their partners.
As another example of relationship enhancing behavior, when something interesting happens to us, sharing it with other people (who are good listeners) can transform memories of the event. Describing an interesting event to others serves to strengthen our own curiosity and make it more salient. The intrinsic value and motivation for a given activity can be increased through this socialization process.
Observers recognize the strengths (and weaknesses) of people with more curiosity. Highly curious people tend to initiate humor, exhibit highly intelligent behavior, show few physical signs of anxiety, and be openly expressive of thoughts, feelings, and ideas with others. Highly curious people are prone to unconventional thoughts, a high frustration tolerance, and a non-defensive, non-critical attitude toward themselves and others. But these strengths are tethered to a few ambiguous personality qualities such as being rebellious and less protective of others close to them (which might reflect a willingness to let others explore, make mistakes, and learn).
Overall, there is evidence that curiosity is useful in all stages of relationship development. Curiosity promotes behaviors such as playfulness and humor initiation that create positive, enjoyable social interactions. In general, curious people are viewed as socially adept. Because of their drive for novelty and new information, curious people often ask engaging questions, conveying genuine interest in their conversation partners, which generates a sense of closeness. In addition to aiding the development of new relationships, curiosity can help maintain passion in long-term relationships. Curious people are also better able to handle conflicts in relationships without responding aggressively and by taking a more open and receptive perspective, curious people are less likely to feel threatened by conflict or aggress toward others following provocation.
While the list of benefits linked to curiosity is lengthy, an insatiable appetite for new and different experiences can have risks. Sometimes this appetite can lead people down the pathway to dangerous and maladaptive behaviors such as unsafe sex or substance abuse. Also, while other people's perceptions of curious people are generally positive, curious people tend to be viewed as more rebellious, nonconforming, and undependable. These qualities can impede success in domains where more traditional values are favored.
Psychological Well-Being and Curiosity
The question of how to develop sustainable increases in well-being is important to humans living amidst everyday challenges and suffering. The functions of curiosity make it an ideal candidate for signaling and producing well-being. Upon seeking and investing effort in novel and challenging activities, people with greater curiosity expand their knowledge, skills, goal-directed efforts, and sense of self. Feeling curious also appears to increase tolerance for distressing states of self-awareness that result from trying new things and behaving in ways outside of one's comfort zone. Using cross-sectional and laboratory research designs, people scoring higher on trait curiosity consistently report greater psychological well-being. One theoretical model suggests that people with greater curiosity are more selective of and responsive to activities that are personally and socially enriching, leading to the building of durable social, mental, and physical resources.
Curiosity allows people to engage more deeply with potentially enriching people and experiences. A recent experience sampling study, for example, examined how being in nature influences positive mood. The effect of nature was moderated by fascination, measured essentially as interest: nature had its strongest effect on positive mood when people reported that the natural environment was interesting, thus evoking engagement and exploration.
Although the results in this area of study are appealing, the list of constructs associated with well-being is enormous, and it will be important to evaluate whether theoretical models of curiosity provide insight into why curiosity is particularly beneficial. To winnow the large number of psychological constructs with ties to well-being, researchers need to examine them simultaneously over time. In a recent study with an international sample of 755 individuals, 10 psychological strengths (including curiosity) were tested for their ability to predict goal attainment as well as predict the greatest changes in well-being that result from goal attainment. All 10 strengths were administered twice over the course of a year, along with measures of goal attainment and subjective well-being. As for which of the 10 strengths uniquely predicted changes in goal attainment over six-month periods, the answer was curiosity and grit. However, since people sometimes become passionate about the wrong goals with few benefits, the more important question was – which strengths boosted the effects of goal attainment on subjective well-being? The only strength to boost the effects of goal attainment on subjective well-being across a six-month time period twice was curiosity. Thus, the salutary effects of curiosity emerged as more enduring and consistent than the other nine psychological strengths under study. By no means was the list of strengths related to well-being exhaustive and there are other important outcomes to consider besides those in this study – increases in life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect. That being said, this international, longitudinal study is a promising extension of smaller studies on how curiosity enables people to find continual sources of enjoyment and satisfaction in meaningful life pursuits.
To understand how curiosity is linked to well-being, there are a number of discrepancies that still need to be resolved. For example, some research suggests that the pleasures of curiosity are derived from resolving ambiguity and uncertainty, whereas other work finds that the process of discovery and meaning-making is intrinsically enjoyable and that positive emotions can be sustained by intentionally attending to the lingering uncertainty in a given situation. The resolution may arise from a consideration of important environmental contingencies that influence the presence and duration of curiosity (e.g., betting a paycheck on a single football game, having a deadline to review a mystery novel).
There is mounting evidence that curiosity is important to understanding lives that are well lived. The best way to understand this is to imagine what life would be like without the experience of curiosity. There would be no exploration of the self and world, introspection, imagination, aesthetic appreciation, search for meaning in life, and to some degree, personal growth.
In several studies in my research laboratory, I have found that people who are more curious possess a number of adaptive attributes including a greater ability to be angry without resorting to aggression, strong intellectual capacity, less tendencies to judge, criticize, and blame other people, a receptive attitude toward ideas and perspectives different from their own, a strong sense of humor and playfulness, and a tolerance of distress that is visible to parents, friends, and strangers. If we want to enable people to thrive, if we want positive leadership, if we want healthy relationships and communities, it is time to seriously invest in curiosity. The greatest currency at our disposal is our attention and energy and we can learn to spend it more wisely. By becoming curious, we become more profitable in terms of greater success and well-being.
Discussion Summary
In my last article, "Is Curiosity Essential for Human Flourishing?" I wrote about what scientists have uncovered about whether, how, and when curiosity is relevant to well-being. In this adjoining piece, I want to offer a brief agenda for the future study and application of curiosity.
Despite over a century of scientific theory and research, there is much that remains to be known about curiosity. First, without question, there is a need for more innovative assessment strategies. Most of what we know about curiosity is about asking people how they think or behave. This approach needs to be supplemented by unobtrusive measures and slices of ecological behavior. For instance, a portable video or audio-recorder can be attached to a person's shirt or ear while people go about their daily lives. By tracking moment-to-moment images or sounds, we can obtain logs of what situations people enter, what people they interact with, and what tasks they pursue as they naturally unfold. This information can be viewed or listened to by the people collecting information who then tell stories about what happened and why. This kind of detailed information can offer a glimpse into what very curious people do that is different from the rest of society, and offer insights into the kind of experiences and environments that foster curiosity (instead of boredom, apathy, or anxiety). Besides these naturalistic observations, scientists also can examine differential activation of biological processes linked to reward sensitivity and exploratory behavior (e.g., dopaminergic agents, left prefrontal cortex asymmetry) in response to stimuli characterized by novelty, complexity, and uncertainty. What we need to know is what happens right before feeling curious and what happens right afterwards to understand how curiosity can lead to well-being, as well as some of the less healthy outcome such as dangerous risk-taking and intrusiveness into other people's lives (such as stalkers and those that gossip incessantly).
Second, the mechanisms linking curiosity to hardened outcomes such as mortality, academic and work productivity, creativity, and physical health and illness have yet to be clearly outlined. For example, why should highly curious people live longer than their less curious peers? Several hypotheses can be generated, such as the process of neurogenesis stemming from regular participation in novel and intellectual pursuits, a non-defensive willingness to try less traditional treatments and health strategies, or the psychological benefits of viewing stressors as challenges with a default motivation to explore instead of avoid them.
Third, refinements in assessment and basic research should be in the service of working toward the discovery of how to cultivate curiosity in meaningful life domains. Of particular importance is finding alternative ways to aid people suffering from fear, apathy, intolerance of uncertainty, and lives controlled by avoidance and other forms of over-regulation. I would argue that fostering curiosity may be a useful supplement to treatments designed to increase self-awareness and introspection, cope with and derive meaning from painful life events, and increase recognition and reactivity to the rewards that are often ignored or avoided in everyday life. In the ideal, research on curiosity will no longer be the province of psychologists, but will include allied health professionals invested in applying knowledge to prevention and treatment, educators given the task of teaching children and adults, and anyone interested in persuading and influencing human beings to improve society.
How can I write about the importance of being curious without offering at least two additional Big Questions worthy of future essays?
New Big Questions:
- How can incompatible worldviews coexist? I am thinking about evolutionary and religious perspectives. I am thinking about the hundreds of different religious ideas about deities, virtues, and sins. But the list goes on much further than this….
- What is the best way to use and hone intuition?


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Friday, August 31, 2007
The "Land of Cheese" and cleaning out my medicine cabinet...
Note: please stop reading now if anything having to do with "bowels" bothers you.
During my pregnancy, I admit that I used meta.mucil once or twice. I thought that was it and I was the only person to use any product of that type these last 4 years. But when I cleaned out our medicine cabinet, I was very surprised to find a very old, half-used box of X-Lax. When I went to throw it out, my husband said, "Keep that... I like to have laxatives laying around the house."
After my very confused look, he replied, "Hey, this is the 'Land of Cheese'- you never know when you're gonna get bound up."
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Works-For-Me-Wednesday: Baked Good made fresh and easy!
You roll the dough forward with your hands, using the pads of your fingers to push the dough further back into the roll and get out all the air bubbles. Then twist both sides tightly- the goal here is to make a flat edge on both sides.
The finishing touch (which is totally the kind of thing I love to do to save time) is that I write the temp needed and time to bake on the side of the dough roll. This way when I take it out of the freezer to bake the cookies, I don't even have to pull out my cookbook and check the recipe.
Here are my dough rolls lined up in the freezer. This is enough dough to make at least 144 cookies, which will last me for many different bake sales. I made these all on one day in about a half hour and didn't even have to wash the bowl and measuring cups between batches. When you're ready to bake them, you put them in the fridge for about 30-60 minutes to slightly soften them, just enough to cut through the dough. Then you can just slice them into flat cookie shaped pieces, lay them on a cookie sheet and bake. The only thing to clean up afterwards are the cookie sheets.
Want some REALLY great ideas? Visit the host of Works-For-Me-Wednesdays at Rocks In My Dryer.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Our trip to the Burgandy region...
We stopped in a small village on a hillside on our way. This was the beautiful view of the hills and vineyards.
Friday, August 24, 2007
"Poor Pat" and my crayon...
Because it is one of my favorite books, I was so surprised when we received one as a gift for Love Bug, and he acted like he had never seen it before. When questioned, he admitted, that yes, he did not have that book when he was little. So sad. If you don't know this book, go buy it now!
Well, anyway, Love Bug has been into chewing everything in sight lately, and she got ahold of this book one day and chewed all the corners. I thought it was funny and commented to my husband how we'd have to get a new one. He looked at it and said, "oh no... poor Pat".
If you don't know the book, you don't know why this is funny, but it totally is.
Because Pat is not the name of the bunny, but instead it describes an action... like pat (or pet) the bunny, smell the flowers, look in the mirror. When he said "poor Pat", I burst out laughing and then called my Mom and we could hardly talk, we were laughing so hard. Fortunately my husband and I both love to laugh, even at ourselves, because he took our joke at his expense very well. B is a peach and I thank God for him everyday! Our days our filled with laughter...
In other news, I did the What Crayola Box of 8 Colors Are You? quiz from Cheri's blog. It's great- try it if you have time!
You are most like:
Brilliant and stunning, you provide a pleasant surprise to any room into which you walk. This is a hard color to pull off, but you do it well.
|Take this quiz: Which Crayola Box of 8 Color Are You?
I wish they had more than 8 colors though. It would be funny if you did the quiz and your result said, "You are puke green". "You smell and people can't wait to get away from you". These quizzes really stroke our egos... or are we all just perfect, fun, and "stunning" (as they told me) everyday in real life? :-)
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Hilarious... this is from one of my Mommy friends!
"Sleep Training... from a Baby's perspective!
OK, here's my situation. My Mommy has had me for almost 7 months. The first few months were great-- I cried, she picked me up and fed me, anytime, day or night. Then something happened. Over the last few weeks, she has been trying to STTN (sleep thru the night).
At first, I thought it was just a phase, but it is only getting worse. I've talked to other babies, and it seems like it's pretty common after Mommies have had us for around 6 months.
Here's the thing: these Mommies don't really need to sleep. It's just a habit. Many of them have had some 30 years to sleep--they just don't need it anymore. So I am implementing a plan. I call it the Crybaby Shuffle.
It goes like this:
Night 1--cry every 3 hours until you get fed. I know, it's hard. It's hard to see your Mommy upset over your crying. Just keep reminding yourself, it's for her own good.
Night 2--cry every 2 hours until you get fed.
Night 3--every hour.
Most Mommies will start to respond more quickly after about 3 nights. Some Mommies are more alert, and may resist the change longer. These Mommies may stand in your doorway for hours, shhhh-ing. Don't give in. I cannot stress this enough: CONSISTENCY IS KEY!! If you let her STTN (sleep through the night), just once, she will expect it every night. I KNOW IT'S HARD! But she really does not need the sleep, she is just resisting the change.
If you have an especially alert Mommy, you can stop crying for about 10 minutes, just long enough for her to go back to bed and start to fall asleep. Then cry again. It WILL eventually work. My Mommy once stayed awake for 10 hours straight, so I know she can do it.
Last night, I cried every hour. You just have to decide to stick to it and just go for it. BE CONSISTENT! I cried for any reason I could come up with. My sleep sack tickled my foot. I felt a wrinkle under the sheet. My mobile made a shadow on the wall. I burped, and it tasted like pears. I hadn't eaten pears since lunch, what's up with that? The cat said "meow" and I should know. My Mommy reminds me of this about 20 times a day. Once I cried just because I liked how it sounded when it echoed on the monitor in the other room. Too hot, too cold, just right--doesn' t matter! Keep crying!!
It took awhile, but it worked. She fed me at 4am. Tomorrow night, my goal is 3:30am. You need to slowly shorten the interval between feedings in order to reset your Mommies' internal clocks.
P.S. Don't let those rubber things fool you, no matter how long you suck on them, no milk will come out. Trust me"
This is so funny- I can't stand it! Fortunately, Love Bug has slept through the night since she was 3 months old. I think she actually likes sleep more than I do, and that's almost impossible!
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
More of my Mom's visit... and a great story.
I have to give the French credit for at least trying to make all of us non-holiday-goers feel better. They have the "Paris Plage" (Paris Beach) which is a wonderful stretch of road along the Seine, that they close to traffic and then add sand. They have sporting events, little cafes, playgrounds for kids, and lounge chairs with umbrellas set up right along the river.
This is one of the children's events, under a bridge to keep out of the sun: a clown making balloon animals (or balloon weapons as you can see in the "holsters" around the boys' waists.)
Next we went over to the Igor Stravinsky fountain outside the Pompidou Center (modern art museum). If you look closely, you can see the the cool water sculptures behind B and Love Bug.
Now, finally... that great story I told you about...
Later that day, we were taking the metro home. My Mom and I were sitting in the fold down seats by the door and Love Bug was on my lap. Across the aisle from us was a Muslim woman, covered head to toe, very modestly. She looked tired and angry, like the world and life had been too hard on her. She was stone-faced and obviously had some experiences in her life to make her brace against the world. That was, until Love Bug saw her and smiled.
First her eyebrows started to move, then her cheeks, and a few seconds later, this woman broke into a smile. Love Bug, the youngest and most inexperienced person in the metro, cracked the code. She figured out the secret to making someones day. You just have to look innocent, have no agenda, and smile at them. Not because it's nice, or because it will make you feel good about yourself, but because you see another person and connect with them.
It made me go home and really think about my life. Seeing Love Bug interact with the world makes me want to be nice, kinder, and smile more. I think I get involved in doing places, doing things, and I forget to take a second to connect with the people around me. I think with families living further apart, and a world of impersonal computers, we all are a little more lonely. We all could use more smiles... especially from a sweet 9 month old baby.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
I'm finally back!
I'll post about our visit to the Parks around Paris tomorrow... and I have a great story to tell about our ride on the metro! So stop by again- we have been busy and I have a lot to share!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Horrible at Posting Lately!
I also have been using the time my Mom spends with Love Bug to get more of the house ready for the move. I work through each room and have 4 different piles going:
1) take to Italy
2) put in storage
3) give away
4) trash.
So far I have two of three bedrooms done and most our big pantry. That just leaves our bedroom, the living room, the dining room, the kitchen, and our balcony. Once I box up the "give away" stuff, clear out the trash, and make a clear separation of stuff to move/stuff to store, I then go back and make a list of anything that we need to include in our luggage to survive three months. Thanks for every one's advice on the last post- it is so great and really helpful!
My goal is to get the rest of the house cleaned out by next Monday. So, I'll be back to posting more and commenting more then, but for now, wish me and my trash bags/give away boxes luck!
Saturday, August 11, 2007
I cannot believe...
I have some major concerns leading up to this move and the main one is that we don't know anything about where we'll be living. Someone with my husbands office helps to coordinate our housing and we'll find out AFTER we leave Paris. So how am I supposed to know what to send with the movers and what to get rid of? We can send some things back to the US for storage, but only if it's really important. Luckily, I've been in a very "simple living" mindset and so far, have been tossing stuff in boxes left and right. We have an orphanage a few neighborhoods away and we take most of our stuff there. Anything they can use for the kids, they take, and everything else they sell in a secondhand store to make money for the kids.
I added another complication myself by looking in our Paris and France Guide Books. While feeling impressed by how much in Paris and in France I've seen these last four years, I found a few places that I want to visit. We have a trip planned to Burgandy at the end of this month and maybe we'll go in September to where my husbands' ancestors are from in Brittany. I have a longer list in Paris, of about 20 things, and I hope to get them all in. I had my husband mark what he really wants to see and I'll save those for weekends. Everything else, I'll go on weekdays with whoever wants to go and will happily join me, despite my "baby on hip". My Mom is visiting just until next week and we have done a few museums and other stuff. We had a few meltdowns, with the accompanying stares from the French, since they don't take their kids out very much- in fact, I know many Moms who DON'T WORK and have Nannies. But other than that, she is very portable and such a good girl for all our outings. I even found a particular container for her baby food, that if I heat up to steaming hot before we leave, will be warm over an hour later!
The final complication to all this...
... is this!
She is not only crawling at lightning speed around the house, but now she can drag toys with her. So as I chase her to those hidden corners where she has inevitably found something that she shouldn't have, I trip over toys on my way!
Ahhhh... you "can't wait" for them to reach these milestones, and then you realize you shouldn't have been in such a hurry!
So, my question is this... what should I take in my 5 suitcases and 3 carry-ons? (I say 5 suitcases, rather than 6, because one item will be our Jogging Stroller.) I know that sounds like a lot of luggage, but remember that it's for over three months. And we'll be there for some major fall weather changes and one long trip to Florida. Any ideas of what we could pack or how we could pack to make the most of our space? If you've seen my last post about travelling with an infant, don't worry, those ideas are already in place. I will definitely be buying diapers there, but I can't go overboard and buy toys, baby feeding items, clothes, because our life is here. We have that stuff and I don't want to waste money. Please, any help? Any ideas?
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Works-For-Me-Wednesdays: Easy Travel with an Infant
Sunday, August 5, 2007
I really do love Paris
Last we walked to the Pont Neuf bridge. Pont Neuf literally means "new bridge", but it's actually the oldest in Paris, and construction was started in 1578.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
One thing I really miss is our summer weather. Everywhere I have lived before Paris has had true "summer" weather. Some places and some days hotter than others, some places and some days more humid than others, but after French summers for 4 years, I'm done. It's too cold (mostly highs in the low 70s and in the 50s at night) and not sunny enough (most days have at least one long, gray period, maybe followed by sun... and about half of the days there is some type of rain from light drizzle to downpour). Don't get me wrong, when my family in the mid-west was battling negative Fahrenheit temperatures and a foot of snow this winter, I was happy to be carrying Love Bug around in a light jacket, since most of the winter is in the 40s and 50s. What I miss the most about summer is early mornings. I hate to get up early, but if I'm forced to, I really do love the feeling outside. The dew on the grass smells so good and the air feels moist. The sun is already coming up and it's so early... it reminds me of swim practice at 7 am and how good the water and air felt after the initial shock of the cold.
I also really miss sandwiches. I know this sounds ridiculous, but I do! I miss delis and sub shops, where you can get whatever bread, meat, cheese, veggies, or sauce you want! Here we have few options. You can usually order ham and crudite (sliced tomatoes and a hunk of lettuce), or ham/cheese/butter (yes, butter), or tuna with veggies. It's very limiting and I JUST WANT A TOASTED WHEAT ROLL, WITH TURKEY, PROVOLONE CHEESE, LETTUCE, ONIONS, AND A LITTLE MAYO. Is this too much to ask? ...Apparently in all of France, it is. Seven weeks until I have a lovely "Nash's" Sub (a place by our old house) and I'm drooling.
I miss cheap prices, I miss quick lines (well, I miss lines period, since they mostly clump here, especially at the post office), I miss street signs that can be seen while driving (I'll have to take a picture for you to believe the mess they've made of street signs here... you'd never believe it otherwise), and I miss general efficiency and customer service.
Okay, enough complaining. I think I'm going to start another post right now and stop this pity party. "What I will miss about France"... and maybe one about "what to look forward to in Italy"!
Oh, and in other news Love Bug was forced the use the cup the other day and I'm encouraged that it went so well! She is still on breast milk usually, but the other day she got sick when she tried blueberries. After she threw up a few times, I decided to check the American Academy of Pediatrics book since she had never vomited before. I followed their program, which is no breast milk until they can tolerate some clear fluid. I gave her a cup of water with a little apple juice for taste and after a few refills, we were ready to go back to our regular nursing. She moved back to food after about a day and all is well again! A note to other Moms... just try a few blueberries... if it doesn't go well, they stain everything!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Finished Corkboards and New Clothes
As an added bonus, I made these cute thumbtacks to go with each board. I bought wine charms (a bottle in an ice bucket, some grapes, and a wine barrel) and used super glue to glue them to the thumbtacks. And I only got a little on my fingers!

subset: commoncrawl


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|Sighting Report
|Occurred : 7/2/1997 21:30 (Entered as : 07-02-97 21:30)
Reported: 11/15/1998 21:59
Posted: 3/11/2003
Location: Calistoga (Knights Valley), CA
Shape: Triangle
Duration:15 mn
|A Large triangular aircraft passed silently overhead. It had 4 lights in front, a bright light underneath, a wavelike column of yellow-orange light in back.
Last year, on July 2nd, on the 50th Roswell anniversary, I was at my pond with a friend. We saw a very bright light, which looked brighter than Venus, in the Northwestern sky. It was 21:30. It was very high in the sky, and looked like a very bright star. We observed it as it got closer. By 21:40, the sky was dark, the aircraft was very close to us. By that time, we could see 4 lights, two on each side of an inverted, very broad V. The lights looked like the headlights of two cars flying sideways. We could see the air move around the lights, like you can see the air move over a hot road in the summer. The aircraft came down right over us, it was barely over the fir trees around my pond, maybe 100 feet directly above us. There was absolutely no noise, except for a barely audible hum which seemed to encompass everything. There was no noticeable air movement. The aircraft was going very slowly, maybe 20 or 30 mph. At that point, we could see its underside: it was rectangular in shape, light colored, and the very bright light we had seen earlier was right underneath the middle, lighting itself more than the ground. We could see two wings, the tips of which barely went beyond the rectangular underside. The whole aircraft was very large, at least as large as a large commercial airplane. As it started going beyond us, we could see from its outline against the sky that it was triangular in shape, probably dark in color. The back of the aircraft had a vertical column of yellow-orange light. The light moved up and down the column in a seamless wavelike pattern. The pattern was not regular, and when I told my friend that it looked more like a language of some sort than a simple aircraft lighting system, at that very instant, the pattern changed completely. After that, the aircraft started going back up and disappeared behind a hill. I tried to report this sighting to one local newspaper and one TV station the next day. I wanted to find out if anyone else had seen it. I got some chuckles and I did not insist. This year, on July 2nd also, I invited my friend for a sky-watch evening. She could not make it, but 2 other friends came. The sky was perfectly clear. Around 21:30, we saw a very bright light in the South sky, just as I was describing my experience of the previous year. One friend pointed to that light and asked: "You mean to tell me this is a UFO?" Within 2 seconds, the light was gone. It just faded away. My friends went home. Later that night, at 23:00, I went to pick up my daughter from town. On the way back, I saw the same bright light, closer than before, I showed it to my 14 year old daughter, and it was gone before she had a chance to see it. Around midnight, I went outside and saw the same bright light close-by in the Northwest sky. As soon as I concentrated my attention on it, it disappeared. 10 mn later, I looked out my bedroom window and saw the light again in the Western sky. I went to get my binoculars, pointed them at the light, it disappeared. I went to sleep. I am a 49 year old female, and I grow grapes and aromatic plants. I also teach plant propagation. My female friend who saw the large aircraft with me is an herbalist, as are the 2 other friends who saw the lights with me. Neither of us believed or disbelieved the presence of UFOs before.


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From the moment we wake up till the moment we sleep, its a mad rush. Sounds like you? Read on.
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Let us know what are your thoughts on this in the comments below.


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This information was really helpful!! Thank you from a very new newbie!! LOL!!
This information was really helpful!! Thank you from a very new newbie!! LOL!!
Great post! Thanks for all the info.
I would imagine little bags are fine... as long as it is protective and transparent, that's what's important. But try a hobby store where they sell pokemon cards and stuff for kids (also models to paint and that kind of thing). That's where I found mine.
Seaside Rose - I get my sleeves for atcs at toys r u. They have them with all the sports cards. I think the brand is UltraPro or something... also, back in high school I used to play a trading card game and you could find these sometimes at comic book stores or sport card shops.
seaside rose, your plastic wrap idea is a good one! i might have to try it!
I updated my available ATCs on January 9th . . . if I'm slow to respond, it's nothing personal. I'm always willing to trade!
Postage is up to 44 cents now (as of May 11, 2009) ^_^
It's true! Thanks!
For a more in depth article about these issues, read the current ART TRADER MAG article by Shelli Heinamann!
I make flat cards (drawing/painting/paper collage mostly so my cards are flat and that is the best way to save on postage imo. I send 4 cards for .61 and 6-8 for $.98. I don't worry about delivery confirmation myself.
There's a lot of packing methods mentioned in this thread, but I store my cards in a 9-pocket page and then fold it so it's flat. It fits perfectly in a business length envelope. That way I don't have to mess around with tape.
Those are great tips, a good way to go Kristin.
I just wanted to let you know that as a Newbie this was one of the most helpful threads I came across and even though I've done several personal swaps and several organized swaps now I still use it as a reference to make sure I'm not forgetting anything.
Thanks for taking the time to post all this info.
EVERYtime it's helpful to one person, it's worth it.
Thank you!
I love this posting about mailing ATCs it is awesome and so informative. Now that I have mailed several swaps and personal trades I accidently came across an idea I hope someone else finds helpful. *If I am doing a private trade 1/1 or 2/2 I always write a little thank you to the other trader and now I tape my card or cards (in their protective sleeves) on the inside of the card on the flap I have not written on (top or side depending on the card) it protects the card and - the trick - I use painters tape. It stays when you need it to and comes off clean without tearing up the plastic sleeves. I also have used it for larger swaps that I tape the cards together.
I think it works great.
Thanks for posting that as a newbie and swapped atc on other groups host each have their own way of doing things
I usually send atc's in a three piece bit cut off a sheet of nine but this doesn't work well if you want to send four. And it makes extra work if someone has to pull them out and slot them into single sleeves.
Thank you for this very helpful information. Being new to the ATC trading this comes in handy, as I didn't know some of this.
I do cut the pages into thirds, but I've seen them folded too. Whatever works I guess!
I've always used scotch tape to tape the cards together. I always fold over one end of the pc of tape to make a little tab to get ahold of the tape to remove it easily without damaging the sleeve. I've never had any complaints using this method.
I also use greeting cards for stiffeners in the envelopes trades are sent in. The ATCs are taped to the inside of the greeting card, extras are put inside the greeting card and a note written on the inside of the greeting card. If you trade with me, you are likely to get a halloween card at christmas or a christmas card in july or a get well card when you feel absolutely fine! I don't pay attention to what the greeting card is for, I pay attention to whether the trade will fit comfortably in the greeting card.
I've never been charged more than a first class stamp for a greeting card with up to 4 ATCs and a few extras in it. Most of my cards are flat, without embellishments to add extra thickness or weight to an envelope. Those that do have embellishments, I pay the extra for.
Greeting cards can be had for a song at the thrift store. I buy them ten at a time for 50 cents. I've also found them at yard sales in the free box on many occasions!
Your tutorial on packing and mailing is quite helpful, OY!
Make some art, then make some more.
To those of you sending out in a regular business sized envelope - how are you including the SASE? just cramming it in there? im trying this method as i type and it aint pretty. as if it weren't obvious, this is for my first swap.


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Let me start by saying this chimichurri sauce recipe will go with anything. Chimichurri is a parsley and garlic based dressing, enhanced by lime juice and your favorite chile pepper. It is delicious with steak, and is equally pleasing with roasted veggies. Seriously, it will make your most hated (healthy) veggie taste like butter.
This salad is a robust medley of New York strip steak, roasted zucchini & mushrooms and fresh mozzarella. The best part about it: you could easily customize it to your liking, since the chimichurri sauce is so versatile. A perfect meal for carnivores and vegetarians alike. Enjoy!
Chimichurri Steak Salad (serves 4)
You will need:
- 1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lime juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Set aside in a bowl; refrigerate up to two hours ahead.
- 4 boneless New York strip steaks (6 ounces each)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1. Brush steaks with oil. Combine the cumin, salt and pepper. Rub over steaks; set aside.
2. Grill steaks, covered, over medium heat or broil 4 in. from the heat for 5-7 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a thermometer should read 145°; medium 160°; well-done 170°).
- 5 yellow zucchini squash; sliced
- 3/4 pound cremini mushrooms; sliced
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
1. Heat the oven to 475°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment. Toss the squash and mushrooms in a large bowl with a generous amount of salt and pepper and the olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes, then toss the mixture once, and return to the oven. Roast for an additional 10 minutes, or until the squash is brown and the mushrooms dark and slightly shrunken.
Combine the steak and roasted veggies over a bed of butter lettuce. Add fresh mozzarella bocconcini (balls), and drizzle the warm salad with as much chimichurri sauce as you like.


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- 3 beds
- 2 baths
- $190,000 price
- 1145041 mls id
- Neighborhood: Brian Terrace
Listing Description
No description available at this time.
- New Construction Yes
Subdivision: Brian Terrace
- Price Range $190K - $295.2K
- Sqft Range 1,715 - 3,515
- Subdivision StatusActive
Subdivision Description
MODEL NOW OPEN! Close enough to be near everything with small town charm. Find the affordable home you've always dreamt of! Brian Terrace is located in Red Oak just minutes away from I35 and 25 minutes from downtown Dallas with Red Oak High School and new shopping within walking distance. This quiet community offers larger home sites and incredible home value.
Related Listings
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NEW JOHN HOUSTON CUSTOM HOME IN BRIAN TERRACE.. This home has a covered patio, nice kitchen with California island, a separate tub and shower. Features a large backyard with sprinkler system with full sod. Details include granite, tile, wood floors, and an open floorplan.
3 beds, 2 baths, 1,715 sqft, $190,000
236 Sandy Way Red Oak, TX


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Dynamics ERP Cloud Update from MS
I recently attended an ERP cloud strategy update from MS in which they outlined their next few years of ERP activity vis-à-vis the cloud. Here's what I heard:
SL: No comments. No surprises there.
NAV2013 is in a TAP program on Azure with several partners and will be the first cloud ERP delivery expected to release in Q1CY2013. This will run on Azure, but the IAAS portion of Azure (in other words, it will be using virtual SQL Servers and Application Servers). It is NOT running on SQL Azure. They will also be releasing the web client which will work either with the Azure release OR with an on-premise release. They are also releasing a Rapid Start tool that uses QA interfaces to do initial configuration – clearly this is a method for making the provisioning as fast as possible. Any customer, regardless of licensing, can move to Azure but would have to pay the cost of the hosting (proc time and storage).
GP 2013 releases Dec 2012 and will be deployed on Azure exactly the same way that NAV is. However, they have done two things to make managing the environment a little easier. First, they have allowed the Dynamics system database to be named anything – this will allow a partner to host multiple versions of GP on a single SQL server. Also, they have developed a web based management console for GP that they say allows easier multi-tenant management. They did not show it but said it was available with the general release. I've looked at the Beta release of both the Web Client and the Management console. Rough and not ready for a high volume shop just yet. However, I've seen lots of cycle releases on the web client before BETA so I think it will improve fast.
AX is the biggest release change for the cloud. v.next AX moves to the cloud 2014/2015 and will release on Azure BEFORE it releases on-premise. They intend v.next to be delivered exactly like CRM Online (a true multi-tenant app I guess is what they mean by this) and will also offer a Windows 8 native interface. The entire client will be rewritten under HTML5 and JScript so it is platform independent, but will have an app wrapper so it can be delivered in the various app store marketplaces. They also intend to take advantage of tablet features (like camera and GPS).
For lifecycle management, they intend to deliver tools that will allow easier movement of code and data between TEST and PROD. Such will be workflow based so that approval events move data and code rather than people having to do it manually. In addition, they plan to manage data moves (like copying live to test) so that less manual involvement is needed (copy prod to test and eliminate any private data while, at the same time, stop any automatic emails, as an example).
They also intend for upgrades to be far more automatic with customer selecting the timing of the upgrade and allowing customer to automatically upgrade a test environment so they can do their own testing. In addition, they will do upgrades to reduce or eliminate downtime by upgrading snapshots and looking at production differential which, in turn, gets upgraded.
Convergence will be where most of this is announced in more detail and they may try to find early adopter customers at Convergence.
Apparently we will be hearing more Dynamics related messages integrated to the classic Microsoft stack as we go forward. Below is their vision of how this works followed by a stack slide showing where everything fits.
I love the above two messages. I think they are will thought out and definitely position the entire stack more cleanly.
One last note: during QA some people asked questions about ISV support in NAV and GP. The answer was very unclear and was something like "Azure is more vanilla so, if they need lots of ISV's, they may want to go to a hosting partner". I can't interpret that at all, so I'll keep my ears open.
Dynamics CRM sold under EA or on a credit card in the cloud. Dynamics AX sold under EA. GP and NAV in the cloud. Software margins declining. Plague, locusts and riot abound. Oh, mercy me, what is the Dynamics reseller to do?
No idea. Or rather to many. But to me this looks suspiciously like an opportunity for VAR 2.0.
VAR 1.0 had an easy job. For the most part, we sold high margin software to clients fed by occasional leads from MS; massive interest from clients forced by programmatic (Y2K anyone?) issues or platform changes (Side of web services with that client/server, sir?); and depended on very expensive staff to deliver software training and cutover services that we hoped solved core business problems. However, we mostly focused on getting the system up within scoped budget and time.
Put another way, we sold a disk to run an application on a machine. Then we sent some people out to set it up.
Machine. Disk. People. Machine. Disk. People. Machine. Disk. People. Repeat until profitable.
VAR 2.0 has to approach this differently. The machine is gone – the cloud takes care of that. The disk is gone – the license gets rented. What's left?
That's right, the most expensive, time consuming, annoying, unpredictable and intractable part of your business is what you'll have left. The good news, however, is that with the shiny machine and magical disk gone, you can use your people to focus on what's most important to the success of your business.
The success of your client.
Scary, no?
Screw that, its not scary. It's a hoot, a holler and a joy. By removing software margin from the occasion we also remove a host of un-natural acts designed solely to drive software sales and not to drive customer success. Now, we can serve the client by giving them better systems to run their businesses faster, more productively and with less cost so they in turn can serve their clients even better.
With machine and disk out of the way, VAR 2.0 can focus on running a deal cycle where the majority of the customers spend is on solving business problems through the proper definition of the business issues, development of rational and productive solutions to said issues, and deployment of same using the tools at hand. No machine. No disk. Just people solving problems.
I've been thinking a lot about this lately so expect alot more on it here.


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Friday, May 27, 2011
Democratic Dawn — or Darkness
Source: The American Conservative, May 26th, 2011
"Right now, socially, we are disintegrating."
So says Mohamed ElBaradei, former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency and potential candidate for president of Egypt.
Indeed, post-revolutionary Egypt appears to be coming apart.
Since the heady days of Tahrir Square, Salafis have been killing Christians. Churches have been destroyed. Gangs have conducted mass prison breaks. The Muslim Brotherhood brims with confidence.
And demands are rising for the prosecution and execution of former president Hosni Mubarak.
"People do not feel secure," says ElBaradei, "They are buying guns." And as Anthony Shadid and David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times write, it is not only Egypt's future that is in doubt.
"(I)n the past weeks, the specter of divisions — religion in Egypt, fundamentalism in Tunisia, sect in Syria and Bahrain, clan in Libya — has threatened uprisings that once seemed to promise to resolve questions that have vexed the Arab world since the colonialism era."
Can the Arab revolts cope with "the cacophony of diversity … the Arab world's variety of clans, sects, ethnicities and religions?"
Or will we witness the disintegration of nations like Libya, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, as we did Ethiopia and the Sudan — and of African, Latin American, Asian and European nations, as well?
With the end of the Cold War in 1991, it seemed the world was moving toward unity. The post-Cold War era saw the expansion of the European Union, NAFTA and GATT, the creation of a World Trade Organization, the Rome Treaty for the prosecution of war crimes, the Kyoto Protocol, and the G-7 expand to the G-8 and then to the G-20.
Nations seemed to be coming together to solve global problems.
Today, nations seem everywhere to be coming apart.
Is the future more likely to bring deepening global integration, or continued disintegration, as we saw with the collapse and breakup of Czechoslovakia, the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia into 24 nations, separated along the lines of ethnicity, culture and faith?
What America has on offer to the world is democratic pluralism.
Unlike the Founding Fathers and every generation before 1960, all of which sought to keep us European and Christian, we declare to the world that diversity — religious, racial, ethnic, cultural, the more the better — is now the American ideal.
In 1960, 97 percent of all Americans spoke English. Today, we take pride in the fact that Americans speak hundreds of languages.
China, the emergent rival power, fears diversity, as it portends inevitable division. It thus represses religious and ethnic minorities — Christian and Falun Gong, Uighurs, Tibetans and Mongolians. China offers the world another face, the face of the ethno-national state of Han Chinese. Like Korea, Japan and the other Asian nations, China is closed to immigrants.
Looking to the Middle East today, half a year into the Arab Spring that began in Tunisia, we see Libyan tribes standing by Moammar Gadhafi against Benghazi and the east, and Muslims attacking Christians in Egypt.
In Syria, the Alawite Shia minority, to which President Bashar Assad belongs, speaks with terror of a seizure of power by Sunni, whose slogan is, "Christians to Beirut and Alawites to the coffin."
In Bahrain, the monarchy is Sunni, the majority Shia, and that is the dividing line. In Iraq, it is Arab, Kurd and Turkmen, Shia majority vs. Sunni minority, Muslim against Christian.
One half of Iran is Persian, the other half Arab, Kurd, Azeri and Baluch. In Afghanistan, the Pashtun majority in the center and south have historically dominated the Uzbek, Tajik and Hazara.
Is the greater likelihood that the Arab nations, riven by rebellion and revolution, will become democracies, or that they will disintegrate along religious, ethnic and tribal lines?
Indeed, where is the democratic model for the Middle East?
There is none. Lebanon is as close as it comes, but Lebanon has been disintegrating for decades. And then there is Turkey, an ethno-national state that represses its Kurd minority and is on its way to becoming an Islamic state.
As for a U.S.-British belief in diversity and democracy as the world's model, as President Obama preached in London, our own democracy is proving incapable of balancing its budgets, or winning its wars, or defending its borders. Our politics are poisonous, and tribalism is rising not disappearing. And it is not autocratic Chinese but a democratic West that is facing devaluations and defaults.
Moreover, as the New Republic writes in "The Great Democracy Meltdown," it is "democratic meltdowns, not democratic revolutions, that are now the norm." In its recent annual survey, "Freedom House found that global freedom plummeted for the fifth year in a row, the longest continuous decline in nearly 40 years."
Why is this happening?
In the 21st century, the call of one's God and the claims of blood and soil seem more magnetic than the ideologies of the 19th and 20th century: Marxism, socialism or democracy. People do not seem to seek equality with other cultures, faiths and tribes, but a separate existence in nations that are of, by and for themselves alone.
2 comments:
- AnonymousMay 28, 2011 at 9:02 AM
The CIA coup in Egypt was intended to wreck Egypt and break it up.ReplyDelete
- Aangirfan
Yes, breaking subordinate states into small units is an imperative of empire: the petty provinces so created jealously guard what little autonomy they possess, which insures their inability to combine effectively against the center.ReplyDelete
This can be seen in the imperialist drive to break-up the major Muslim countries, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran, plus some relatively minor ones, e.g., Libya.
But the drive to fragment the centers of independent power does not target only Muslim countries. New Labor set Britain on course for disintegration with the creation of separate legislatures in Wales and Scotland, but not England. Now the separatists are in power in Scotland, much to the delight of the CIA-approved Englishman Craig Murray who holds British nationalism to be equivalent to Nazism.
Throughout Europe, the larger nationalisms are under assault through mass immigration -- at a record high in Britain last year -- and multi-culturalism.
See: The New European genocide.


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The Brethren Christian girls' volleyball team will play for the CIF Southern Section Division 4AA championship this weekend.
The Warriors earned a 1 p.m. Saturday date at Cypress College (Gym 1) with Academy League rival St. Margaret's by defeating visiting Serra, champion of the Camino Real League and the division's No. 3-seed, 25-23, 17-25, 28-26, 25-23, in a tight semifinal match Tuesday at Liberty Christian High in Huntington Beach.
Randi Braak had 17 kills, Rebecca Rudd eight kills and Meghan Haney and Brooke LaPierre both had six kills for the Warriors.
Brethren Christian finished third and St. Margaret's won the championship in the Academy League. The teams will meet for the third time this season Saturday.
The Tartans defeated the Warriors twice in league play, 3-1 and 3-2.
"We are so excited to be playing for a CIF championship," first-year Brethren Christian Coach Patricia Daugherty said. "The great thing about our team is that it has really come together to play as a team. There's not one or two stars here, but a complete team and that has made the difference in the playoffs."


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In the book "Distraction" by Bruce Sterling, characters discuss the event of a flash mob that appeared at a bank branch armed with tools that systematically destroyed the facility in minutes. This book was pretty much science-fiction when it was written, today, maybe perhaps there's more truth to its environment:
It's November 2044, an election year, and the state of the Union is a farce. The government is broke, the cities are privately owned, and the military is shaking down citizens in the streets. Washington has become a circus and no one knows that better than Oscar Valparaiso. A political spin doctor, Oscar has always made things look good. Now he wants to make a difference.
Is this happening already in America? You bethca! Violent flash mobs have made their appearances in Philadelphia, Boston and Brooklyn this year with mobs of teenagers from poor neighborhoods busing themselves in and running loose upon the city downtown. 150 bored teenagers can do a lot of damage. Imagine what 1000 or even 10,000 people could do if they felt the need. This is why its important that the State not abuse its power with non-violent people. One Pulizer-scale photo like this:
can take your audience from their gentle and peaceful Kumbaya and tranced-drumming pace and radicalize a significant number to start a war with you.
Mobilizing Your Flashmob Imagine you want to mobilize a whole lot of people from a public channel within a city. You have a goal, and you want it to happen at a time and place. So you start tweeting locations like:
- Washington Circle Park.
- Stanton Park.
- East Potomac Park.
- Brentwood Park.
- … and so on.


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This list probably seems overdue. I haven't seen many music lists since the end of December, which is a phenomena that I find strange... Lists are propagated en masse before we've had a chance to properly digest all that's occurred in the last 12 months. Personally I feel like lists should always be shifting, the tally of my favourite records from last year is probably different now than as it was documented last January... In any case consider this late list, considered.
Zacht Automaat - Discography
2010 saw the emergence of a mysterious entity known as Zacht Automaat. It's unclear whether they are a militarily organized music unit - machine like and efficient in kosmiche space jazz, or simply a duo led by my friend Carl Didur compulsively recording every sound they collaboratively emit and then splicing them into fragmented psychedelic outsider masterworks. Not to blow smoke up the ass of someone who I have to face weekly for band practice, but these records (7 of a proposed 12 were released this year) are easily the most invigorating, challenging and exciting works currently being made in my estimation (excluding all hip hop that I listen to, some of which I am equally excited by (see below)).
First off, the work ethic is to be admired. Even Madlib who released upwards of 10 records this year, did so by combing through the vaults.... ZA literally locked themselves in a room and came up with seven records worth of material, and then released them for free on the internet. The diversity is pretty wild too, see-sawing through and mastering just about any art rock subgenre that you could think of (Krautrock, Space Rock, Jazz Fusion, Psychedelic Shit, Tape Music, Musique Concrete, Avant covers, Canterbury style Prog). A few favourite moments of mine are the all to brief re-working of THAT RIFF from Neil Young's 'Words,' the sublimely terrestrial opening of We're Glad You Agree, the bizarre fusion of frantic space jazz and doom metal on the first side of As It Is Spoken, So It Shall Be Done and absolutely the best cover of the most covered song of all time, Yesterday.
In all honesty, this is challenging stuff, but as with all music that requires some kind of commitment to it the rewards are great, and leave you feeling as if you've just uncovered some special treasure. If you have any inclination whatsoever towards heady music of any genre, please give this stuff a shot, in my opinion (for whatever it's worth) these records will one day find their place as 'important works' in the art rock cannon (for whatever that is worth). This stuff if absolutely begging for a vinyl compiling, I spent much of this year daydreaming about getting some money together to release it (one day...). Zacht Automaat owned my 2010.
(note: a good place to start is with We're Glad You Agree, Smart Candle, or the Beatles cover record Get Baack).
Onakabazien - That Young Shit // Power Of The Dollar
Madlib Medecine Show was not the only hip hop series that was birthed in 2010, in fact Onakabazien's Discipline Series ranks in my mind as actually more interesting from a conceptual point of view. Five records each with their own looming restriction or 'discipline.' The design of the series seems to revolve around a contempt for complacency, a desire to always undergo change, to forcefully manipulate your craft into nooks it does not necessarily want to tuck itself into. Who else is actually building this kind of a motor into their craft? So yea, conceptually sound but the music is fantastic.
That Young Shit, which was defined by it's discipline to be composed entirely of sounds plundered from Neil Young's catalogue was so powerful it actually (and honestly) served as the primer for my interest in the titular man's discography, (his charms had previously eluded me). Who knew Neil's reckless genre flitting tendencies would lend themselves so well to hip hop music, from the melancholy beauty of tracks like 'Wire Scuff' & 'Radiation Drunks,' to the definitive knock of 'Transformer Shit.'
Power Of The Dollar came next, it's challenge was to construct a record composed only of sounds sampled from ten dollars worth of records purchased on a single afternoon. If I had to choose a favourite among the two Discipline records released so far it would probably be this one. The decision to include some vocal interludes on this record served to really inject a lot of humour, and character into the mostly instrumental exercise. POTD also has a lot of variety to it, from the Sun Ra worshiping 'Ra Gold' interludes to the hilarious musings on those 'Early Morning Reflections,' in between he left time for straight bangers like 'Baby's Love.' The whole thing is capped off by a bizarre and funky cover of Hall & Oates 'Abandoned Luncheonette,' easily equalling some of Beck's early piss-taking but genuinely catchy pranks. Tied with Zacht Automaat's 'We're Glad You Agree,' for favourite album of 2010.
Roc Marciano - Marcberg
My favourite rap record since the mid-aught boom (Madvillainy, Beauty & The Beat, Jaylib etc...) Much has been made of the Wu / Mobb Deep resemblance. Marcberg plays less like a descendant to Raekwon's OBFCL, but more like a contemporary, ancient scroll only unearthed this past year. Not to say any of it sounds dated or archaic, but more that Roc specializes in that pointillist style of rap defined by Rae & Ghost, those raps composed less by the crimes themselves, but by the thousand details that surround the lifestyle. Gutter eloquence.
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
Just in advance, I'm new to this party. I really like the production, and the tunes are catchy as hell (most of em). I think people wrote a lot about this shit this year, so I don't feel like it. In any case, I'm happy to be on board with this guy as he is an ace song writer.
Guilty Simpson - OJ Simpson
When this record was first announced I thought it was going to be marketed as more of a collaboration album with OJ (Otis Jackson Jr, aka Madlib, aka the God) Simpson as the moniker. I was a little surprised when it came out that it was billed as a Guilty Simpson record, because dude only shows up on half the tracks. This makes for an entirely idiosyncratic record in favour of Madlib's particular particularities (in truth Guilty is not exactly the most idiosyncratic rapper, though a pretty good one). There isn't another album that sounds like this, completely uncommercial murky mixes spiced with heavy pop bangers. A real riddle of a slab with tuff talking interludes and my favourite Madlib product in a year absolutely rammed with em.
Anika - Anika
I can't lie. I'm jealous... This record was put out by my favourite label (Stones Throw) and was produced by the mighty Geoff Barrow, a concoction I would like to think I might have put together should the opportunities have arisen. In any case, it stands on it's own regardless of connections. A heady blend of chilly vocals and dank rhythms, this is a pretty aesthetically sound operation. The record effortlessly references bass-heavy movements from ESG to dub, represented by a great selection of great covers.
Grinderman - Grinderman 2
To be honest, I haven't listened much to this record... 2010 was the year I fully retreated to pre 1980 for the lions share of my rawk music listening, but I will say that Grinderman based on their live show are the most ferocious rock band going. This record seems like it's got a few great growlers on it, and some lyrics that are approaching that Iggy thing where they sound so stupid they just might be brilliant. I think I'm gonna like this a lot more in a couple months.
Strong Arm Steady - In Search Of Stoney Jackson
How many records did Madlib release this year? More than 10... This is my second favourite, the pop yin to the obscured yang of the OJ record. Telegram is one of my favourite moments of the year, those drums fucking whallop. Lots of great, soulful production with blunted edges. Madlib stays on top on top on top.
White Fence - White Fence
Rad sounding shit. Bedroom soft psych splitting the difference between Syd Barrett and the god Mark E Smith. British eccentricity done by a Texan. Good sounding shit.
Rick Ross - Teflon Don // Drake - Thank Me Later
I would be lying if I said I didn't listen to both of these a lot. Expensive sounding pop music has it's place, and I'm not one to deny it from my life. I like to try and stay somewhat current with the whims of the rap world as I find modern expensive sounding rock music to be repulsively empty. Not much to say other than that Rozay GOES HARD, and Drake has that smooth talk on lock. This shit just sounds like money. Also, I like the Kanye productions on these albums (particularly this track) better than the Kanye album itself.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
2 comments:
- Jennifer said...
lovin the list lovin the writing style and content
- January 20, 2011 at 5:53 AM
- SoWeirdBoy said...
I'm still on: Strong Arm Steady.
Makes me think of my album. Got the Slim in mind. Hey man.. thinking I wanna interview you one day. Feeling productive. Anyway man. Got my album up for download. This is not promotion. It's a request for the Slim Twig to feel it and gimme feedback. Like... I need you to. My equiptment is amateur at best, but it's an effort. And I wont stop. Pweese check it out. http://cadaveroussoweirdboy.blogspot.com/
- January 30, 2011 at 5:20 AM
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Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences and the Faculty Basic Education in University of Kufa Ranked First and Second in the Web Site Evaluation
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Sciences came first while the Faculty Basic Education came in second rank in University of Kufa Web Site Evaluation. This evaluation was carried out by committee of the Informatics Training and Research Center in UOK.
Dr Abbas Ali Al-Fahaam said this evaluation was done according Quality Assurance Council resolutions in our university following to the criteria proposed by the Centre. Faculty of Physical Education came last in this evaluation.


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A smaller crowd than expected -- in more than one important sense -- turned out at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in South Memphis Tuesday night for a pro-Willie Herenton "unity" rally that lacked the heavily ballyhooed guest of honor, former congressman Harold Ford Sr.
Though the mayor made an effort to blame the media for the no-show, the fact is that it was Herenton's own campaign that put out word of Ford's appearance at the rally, and it was Ford himself, no one else, who decided not to be there.
A few hundred people - not nearly enough to fill up the church's medium-sized sanctuary - were on hand for what was clearly intended to be a reprise of the triumphant Ford-Herenton partnership that, coming together in that campaign's last week or two, won the day for the city's first elected black mayor in 1991.
There were several late rallies for Herenton in that historic year -- involving such personages as Ford, Martin Luther King III, and Jesse Jackson -- each of them filling every seat in the cavernous churches in which they were held.
"They can't control me!"
Tuesday night's affair could boast a few city officials - including five members of the current city council - and other local luminaries, and, aided by a student choir and by stirring remarks from the Revs. James Netters, Kenneth Whalum Jr., and Gina Stewart, among others, the mayor managed to churn up a fair amount of enthusiasm and energy.
Through rhetoric that was, by turns, arch, dramatic, and scathing, the mayor was able to demonstrate that he is a crowd-pleaser of the sort that neither of his main opponents, councilwoman Carol Chumney or former MLGW head Herman Morris, can aspire to being.
All the same, he could not deliver on the major personage that his campaign had promised, and the rally at Mount Vernon was small as such things go - especially at this stage of a campaign that Herenton insisted Tuesday night was "already won."
As at previous campaign appearances when the mayor had addressed a predominantly African-American crowd, he expressed scorn of a white power establishment that, he said Tuesday night, had founded the city in 1826 and ruled it until 1991 but now had "the audacity to suggest that I've been here too long." A further audacity was the selfsame establishment's attempt to make him, "the victim," into a "villain."
Commented Herenton, his voice dripping with sarcasm: "They say I 'don't listen." What they mean is they can't control me!"
'We're going to have a rally'.
At another point, the mayor invoked the fact that today's African Americans, including himself, were the descendants of slaves who had been brought to this country "in chains."
The only explanation for the absence of Ford Sr. came late in the mayor's remarks, when he spoke scornfully of the media for even wondering about the matter, then proceeded to spin a confusing tale of conversations between himself and the former congressman that dated from the recent dedication of the Harold Ford Sr. Villas development in Memphis.
The congressman had not attended that ceremony, but, said the mayor, he and Ford had talked via long-distance telephone when Ford, from his current home in Florida, expressed his gratitude for the honor of the dedication.
At some point Ford had professed support for his reelection bid, Herenton said, and suggested to the mayor that he "'wanted to come to Memphis to help [me]'."
Herenton said he assured Ford that his campaign was in good shape but responded with this thought: "'We're going to have a rally. If you come in, and the African-American community could see Harold Ford St. and Willie Herenton in one accord, it would be powerful for our people, because they know we've had a split politically. But it would be good for the body politic and for African Americans to see their leaders come together. And...conversely, it would be good for the other group to see that we can come together.' That's all the invitation was."
A shaggy-dog explanation
That was it. That bit of shaggy-dog explanation was all the crowd and the larger electorate were going to get. No further elaboration as to the no-show. The fact remained: Herenton had acknowledged that he "invited Harold Ford here tonight," and there was no Harold Ford there.
The fact remained also that several of the former congressman's intimates, when queried in the last day or two, said Ford had confided to them his disinclination to get involved in this year's mayoral campaign, still less to make a special trip to Memphis to do so.
And the prospect of a Ford-Herenton entente that could have been a huge coup for the mayor's reelection campaign - perhaps enough to insure his victory - had become just another in a series of questionable and exaggerated claims. One had been Herenton's shocking - but still unproven -- allegation back in June of a sexual-blackmail plot against him; another was his contention two weeks ago -- also unproven -- that early-voting results were being skewed by faulty machines.
Now, with only two days to go before Election Day, and with various polls suggesting he is anything but certain to win, Willie Herenton will, for better or for worse, just have to go it alone the rest of the way.
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text: Brisket Point End Deckle Off is prepared from a Brisket by the removal of the Naval End portion following the caudal edge of the specified rib. The Deckle is removed from the Point End along the natural seam together with associated fat and intercostals. The fatty tissue located between the pectoral muscles id completely removed.


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Thursday, January 28, 2016
Too Much Drama
7 comments:
- CecileD said...
Just one think : OMG !!!
The most important is that you were safe....Brrrrrr....
Big hugs Debbie !!
- January 29, 2016 at 2:58 AM
- kellsgal said...
Debbie, so, so sorry about your car, but so grateful you are safe. I hope y'all get some snow soon. I will be there on the 8th - 26th. Hope I get to see you.
- January 29, 2016 at 4:14 AM
- Karen - Quilts...etc. said...
sorry to hear of your double trouble! we get ice here more than snow and we just stay off the roads when that happens
- January 29, 2016 at 4:54 AM
- Sally said...
Debbie, You are so fortunate that you weren't hurt... I live in fear of snow and ice, especially ice. Having grown up in southern California and Arizona, I have no experience in driving under those conditions and therefore, am a wreck when I have to negotiate slick streets. We live about 7 miles outside town (town has 6000 people) and our roads are dirt roads....not easy to negotiate at the best of times. Just really glad you are safe and can stay home and sew....take care!
- January 29, 2016 at 5:58 AM
- Donna quilts said...
OMG sliding off the road and into a tree would certainly shake a person up! I don't mind driving in snow, but icy roads make me nervous. The important thing is that you weren't hurt. Studded winter tires are definitely the way to go!
- January 29, 2016 at 6:14 AM
- Dawn said...
Oh wow, it looks like something I would see in the movies, lucky for me I never have to experience the icy roads. Glad you weren't hurt and shame on hubby for laughing at you.
- January 31, 2016 at 1:59 PM
- Cocopatch said...
wow, you are safe!
- March 5, 2016 at 8:13 AM


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Quintessential Guide to Christmas in Chicago
Christmas in the city. There's something special about it. Lights adorn every corner and merriment fills the air. Each winter, Chicago hosts a number of longstanding traditions for visitors and locals alike. So, if you're looking to feel the Christmas spirit: We've got you covered. Scroll below for our "holiday bucket list," if you will.
Top 10 things to do for Christmastime in Chicago…
One of Chicago's premier winter events, Christkindlmarket is a traditional German holiday market held at Daley Plaza.
Holiday tea
Indulge in formal tea, served extra special for the holidays at luxury locations like The Drake and The Peninsula.
Catch a live performance
Now's the time to see a seasonal live performance, like The Nutcracker or A Christmas Carol.
Macy's Christmas windows
For some of us, it will always be Marshall Field's — but stop by to see the festive window displays at Macy's State Street.
Each December, Lincoln Park Zoo transforms into a winter wonderland full of colorful lights that are free for all to enjoy.
Wrigley Building
Stroll along Michigan Avenue and pause at the Wrigley Building to marvel at the grand Christmas tree and decor.
CTA holiday train
Whether you plan ahead to ride the decked-out train, or you catch it by chance: riding the holiday CTA is $2.25 fare well spent.
Watch a classic flick
A handful of Chicago theaters screen Christmas classic, like Home Alone, at ArcLight Cinema and Regal Webster Place.
Ice skating
Grab some skates and hit the ice one of Chicago's many ice rinks, like at Millennium Park or Maggie Daley Park.
Walnut Room
A Chicago tradition since 1907, The Walnut Room at Macy's is a festive destination for visitors and locals alike.
What's your favorite holiday tradition in Chicago?
Images: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10


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This essay by Dickson Musslewhite
I once saw the Meicht Group with an unsuspecting crowd of sweaty, twenty-something clove cigarette smokers who were slightly curious at the sight of a couple ofmusic stands and the instruments--the unusual quartet of a trumpet, reeds, guitar and drums--and relatively content to sip their beer and talk about the opening act--Counting Daisies or something like that. Then the older Meicht spanked them with a shrill clear sustained blast of his trumpet accompanied by a hard flourish on the drums by Brendan Dougherty. Nobody can clear a room like the Meicht Group.
Of course, they should have stayed. Meicht music isn't easy music. It is full of contradictions and paradoxes. It is sincere, naively so sometimes. It is ecstatic. And if you listen to it, it is entirely convincing. The crowd that remained that night, not a crowd naturally sympathetic to...well, anything but pop, alternative and swing, had gone from chatty to intensely hushed as they literally leaned in at the still spots to hear the frantic metallic scratchings of Jameison's guitar and the sustained sounds of Seth's tenor. There aren't that many jazz bands these days that venture out to address the great unwashed. (I've seen The Meicht Group preach to the converted at the Knitting Factory and that's an equally inspirational, but entirely different thing.) I think what won the audience that night was the mere conviction of the members and their raw, at times very raw, talent.
What you hear on [Dig the Sound Live, SCR 53402] is a band trying to blend and openly reintegrate their influences in search of a new music, four guys trying to get at the core logic of sounds. But it's more than an investigation into the quality of sounds. As with any music that is exploring the form on a fundamental level, what emerges are the basic but essential questions: what is music, what is the form of music, why is music, why bother? Without the groove and harmonies with tonal implications to gloss over those issues, the audience is challenged to create its own definitions, or to walk out the door.
As an endeavor, it is Romantic with a capital R, an attempt through perpetual re-evaluation and perpetual-composition to escape a cultural history, the groove, and strike an authentic relationship with the self. It's a sincere, straight ahead, seemingly naive, approach to the world when everyone else tends to deal in ironic double meanings, and take an ironic stance towards the artistic bargain. And it is long awaited.
Like their post-50's precursors, the Meicht members busily deconstruct and reconstruct the harmonic and rhythmic habits of more conservative jazz forms. But what is different than other free improvisers is that they bring to this endeavor a deep familiarity with a similar undertaking, 20th-century classical composition and performance, including some of the relatively more obscure quarters like the work of Luigi Nono.
They improvise composed pieces. Watch or listen to their music and you are witnessing a performance that is simultaneously analytical and creative. Their performance is an analysis of their original text--a remaking of the text. With the classical background their performance defies the easy distinctions that usually shape the discourse on free jazz, the ideas laid perhaps most succinctly by Amiri Baraka in "Hunting Is Not Those Heads on the Wall". The simple polarity of the Apollonian, the analytical, the formulaic, versus the Bacchanalian, the organic-emotional doesn't fly with the Meicht Group, because the Meicht members are working out of both modes at once. They analyze the existing text as they move into the improvisations. There are choreographed moments. Sure, there are milestones, but as with any journey it isn't so much the destination that counts as the getting there. And the results can involve comprovisations with sources as disparate as Albert Ayler and Arnold Schoenberg.
Despite the compositions, there's always a palpable struggle to establish a form in the improvisations. And because the struggle for form is complicated by the fact that the four people on stage can only communicate with their instruments, their music sometimes sounds and looks like an argument. One Meicht member might settle into a repetitive figure, however temporarily and the others will follow for a short duration and then begin to quarrel with the tempo, the sound, the logic of it. At times, what seems to be happening on the stage is a kind of argument. Atonal...arrhythmic...dystopic.
Take the second piece [on Dig the Sound Live, SCR 53402], basically a discussion between recorded and live sounds. Performing with and against the sampler, which emits a layering of sustained E-naturals, the players of the three pitched instruments struggle to characterize the frequency. The live instruments play around with the note, tease it apart, dress it up, try to serve it to the audience. Sometimes they're in sync, sometimes deliberately out. When they play with the note, they jump into a dialogue about harmony and obviously all of the bigger, philosophically weighty issues implicit in that dialogue, and any dialogue whatsoever, on structure. It ends with the two Meicht's and Ledonio searching vainly for the pitch. But they can't find it, and unable to end with a unison statement, they end instead with Seth playing a D, Aaron a D-flat, Jameison an E-natural and E-sharp and the sampler still emitting the E-natural. The sound that's delivered to the audience is more than disconcerting, it is nigh-on post-apocalyptic. That night, as the final gesture of the piece, it left the audience silenced and just a bit awed.
As you listen to [Dig the Sound Live, SCR 53402] what you are hearing is the development of a true ensemble, you are hearing four people seriously listening to one another. And, as I discovered the night that the Meicht Group made an audience of ambivalent music fans heel to a strange otherworldly sound, anything that makes people stop, sit down and truly listen, has got to be a good thing.
©1999, Dickson Musslewhite


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Le Caprice DC Bakery Opens Tues. Jan. 3rd at 7am in Columbia Heights
I'm very happy to share the news that new year is starting off right for those who've been pining for a proper bakery in DC. Le Caprice DC is opening up this [Tuesday] morning at 3460 14th St, NW in Columbia Heights. For those who missed the last update a few weeks ago, you can see the opening day menu here. When I stopped by on Monday, I also found out there will be some specialty coffees offered. I'm eager to try out the lavender flavored one.
If anyone stops by let us know what you think.


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Eric Olson responded to this claim in his paper, "Rate of Time's Passage". His counter argument basically says that it is impossible for time's flow to pass at one second per second because rates of anything is a ratio between two values. In the case of one second per second, you would not get a rate (because the second units would cancel) and you'd be left with just a number as quotient, namely one, which is not a rate of anything. Olson concludes from this that not only does time not flow but that any A-theory of time must be false because A-theories entail times passing at some rate or other.
This doesn't seem like a good argument at all. The reason why we cannot gauge time's passage as a quantifiable rate is because we have no standard to measure it against. The rate of change for anything (movement, temperature etc) can be measured against certain standards such as the movement of the clock's hands but what will we gauge the passage of time against?
Olson anticipates this answer and says that it is no good because we can use time to gauge its own passage such as we can use something's length to know its own length but it would still turn out to be nonsense by getting numbers instead of true rates. He says that it makes sense to say that the Standard Meter is one meter long and we know this because it is the same length as itself.
Here's my response: First of all, length is not a rate, it is a property of the thing itself (a genuine property in fact). Rates are comparisons or relations between events so right off the bat, there is a false analogy. Second, if we had a suitable measure for time's passage such as a "supertime" we could gauge time's passage or flow against supertime and get something like 1 second per supersecond which is a rate and not a number because the units do not cancel since they are in different units (time vs supertime). But what wouldn't supertime need a supersupertime to use as a standard to measure the flow of supertime and so on ad infinitum? No. Because supertime may use time as a standard; it's arbitrary what we will use. Third, scientists use time to gauge time's passage all the time without any problem.
Consider relativity. I am at rest relative to you and you are on a fast spaceship going to Mars. For every 4 seconds my clock registers, your clock registers only 1 second (time dilation). Call my inertial reference frame R1 and yours R2. In this case, your clock passes at .25 seconds per second (you can use the Lorentz transformation to calculate how fast you'd have to go for this time dilation to occur). But the "seconds" in the divisor and dividend do not cancel because they are relative to different inertial reference frames. We get something like .25 R2 sec per one R1 sec and that is not problematic at all.
We cannot gauge time's passage as a whole because we have no available and suitable standard but that doesn't mean there is no possible one. The problem is analogous to the old ponderous childhood puzzle of if everything became twice as large at the same time, how would we know? In this case, if everything flowed at twice its normal rate (assuming there is a normal rate), how would we know? That's an epistemological problem to be resolved with the appropriate standards.


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Home Guard Headquarter (Home Police Department) Recruitment 2015 Notification in www.vyapam.nic.in to recruit 51 Platoon Commander. Graduation Degree degree holder candidate can Apply Online for 51 Platoon Commander Sarkari Naukri vacancies in Home Guard Headquarter on Full time basis in Madhya pradesh Home Police Department. This Recruitment Alert published from Employment News, and indian Government Jobs Portal. Check Home Guard Headquarter Government jobs Advertisement regarding detail of posts, reservation chart, qualifications, and other terms and conditions etc. are given below:-
Home Guard Headquarter -Home Police Department MP Recruitment 2015 by Employment News (www.vyapam.nic.in)
Hiring Organization - Home Guard Headquarter
Employment Type - Full time
Job Category - Police/Defence Jobs
Post Name and Total No. of Vacancies - 51 posts
1. Platoon Commander - 51 posts
1. Platoon Commander - 51 posts
Experience Requirements - : Freshers jobs
Selection Procedure - Selection will be made strictly as per merit prepared on the basis of Written Exam, Interview.
Jobs in - all over India
Base salary and Grade Pay - Selected candidate will be paid remuneration based on pay band INR Rs. 5200 - 20200/- With 2800/- Grade Pay. .in accordance with the rule of Home Guard Headquarter
Age Requirement - 21 to 40 Years As On 01-01-2016Age relaxations will be applicable as per the policy/ instructions of the Government. check job advertisement for age criteria of individual posts.
Educational Qualification - All applicant applying for Home Guard Headquarter vacancies must posses Graduation Degree or its equivalent Qualification from a recognized Board / University. find job notification below For post wise Qualification.
Application Fee -
General Candidates have to pay Rs.700/-
Candidates (ST/SC/OBC) have to pay Rs.- 350
How To Apply - Applicants are requested to fill online application form through www.vyapam.nic.in before or on 2-10-2015
Important dates -
- Last date for apply online : 2-10-2015
- Last date for doing correction in application form : 07-10-2015
- Date of Written examination : 01-11-2015
Important Links - For free job alerts like @ Latest Government jobs opening 2015 facebook page for Job updates on your Timeline and also Subscribe for JobsOK Employment Newsletter - Email subscription.
Click on Home Guard Headquarter Recruitment Notification to download detailed job advertisement Download
Click here to Apply Online for Home Guard Headquarter Platoon Commander Jobs Opening Apply Now


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Thursday, July 3, 2014
FREE Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions! ($40 value!)
There's a great offer at Tropical Traditions right now! Through July 6th, get a FREE 32oz jar of Organic Gold Label Virgin Coconut Oil ($40 value!) with any $12.99 purchase!
I've heard such wonderful things about their coconut oil, but haven't had a chance to try it yet! They are known for being a fantastic source for quality coconut oil, as well as organic foods and healthy products.
You can certainly buy something cheaper than I did, but I decided on the 5-gallon bucket of coconut oil for my purchase. After shipping & the free quart, it works out to be like paying $3.82 for 16oz of amazing quality coconut oil!! (**note: the 5-gallon sale price is only good through July 3rd though!)
*If you order by clicking on any of my links and have never ordered from Tropical Traditions in the past, you will receive a free book on Virgin Coconut Oil, and I will receive a discount coupon for referring you.
(thanks Kitchen Stewardship for the heads up!)
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Day 4: Myth Jokbal - Seoul, South Korea
We can never get enough pig feet! So, we were here again after I don't know how many times we've been here. It's like at least once everytime we are in Seoul. Why can't they open one in Hong Kong? They place is always full. Luckily, we didn't have to wait long.
We just ordered the smaller portion of the pig foot and it comes with the sides, the salad and the pot of noodle. We can never finish eating it with just 2 people. Cho ended up eating most of the pig, while I ate the salad and sides.
More shopping to do after dinner.
Myth Jokbal is at point E in Places Part 2 on the map below:
Day 1: Premium Plaza Lounge at T2 Hong Kong International Airport > Check in at Airbnb (Seoul Station)
Day 2: Ikasan Seodong Festival > Korea BBQ at MyeongDong 명동황금목장黄金牧场 > Hangang Park
Day 3: Suwon Hwaseong Fortress > Suwon Station > Majang Meat Market
Day 4: Tongin Market > Hanbok at Gyeongbokgung > Jungnang Rose Festival > Pork Bone Soup 용산 원조 감자탕 > Sobok Ice Cream > Myth Jakbol
Day 5: Shopping at Jamsil Station > Lotte Mart at Jamsil > Songpa Naru Park > Bongeunsa Temple > Itaewon > Busan Galbi
Day 6: Sky Hub Lounge at East Wing Incheon Airport
Day 4: Myth Jokbal - Seoul, South Korea Reviewed by thechichicho nails on Saturday, June 24, 2017 Rating: